Nicole T. from Pennsylvania was the winner of the Propeller experience to "Win A Trip To See The 1975 & Bleachers At Finsbury Park In London" that took place in July 2023. Below are some of Nicole's highlights from the experience.
We boarded our 8PM flight out of Philadelphia - and I, of course, had to wear my merch from The 1975 concert in Camden, NJ last fall! I was so excited I was worried I wouldn't be able to sleep on the red-eye. Our flight went smoothly and we landed in Heathrow right on time.
Then, because it was 8AM in London, it was time to start our day! We first took the Tube to our lovely Hart Shoreditch London hotel to drop our bags and then headed just down the street to Ozone for breakfast - as recommended by one of my best friends who lives in London. From there, we took the Tube to Marylebone to head to the famous Daunt Books. Because I love to read, I make it a point to support local bookstores whenever I visit a city - plus, it's always fun to see the different covers of books in the UK versus in the US. After purchasing A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer, we walked to Regent's Park to read and relax. In the evening, we met my friend Liv (the same who recommended Ozone!) at her local pub, The De Beauvoir Arms.
To start Finsbury Park day, we grabbed brunch near our hotel in Shoreditch at Lantana before taking the Tube up to the festival grounds.
Everything about the day was amazing: starting with getting wristbands that said "Guests of The 1975." I'm not ashamed to say I was geeked! Right away, we headed to the stage with all the other fans who had lined up early. One of my favorite things about concerts - and it proved no less true at Finsbury - is seeing everyone's clever and fun outfits. So many people were dressed up as Matty; many had on self-designed t-shirts with lyrics like "girls, food, gear"; my personal favorite was one that said "I heart Matty Healy" with a picture of the rat from Flushed Away in it (this is a thing!). You can see my own shirt - yes I had it made! - is "good morning guys" inside the classic 1975 box, which is a reference to Matty's infamous intro to chaotic Instagram Story series. (We miss your Instagram Stories, @trumanblack).
Then, we explored the festival grounds, which had so many options for delicious food and drinks. After doing a round of the park, we headed to the "VIP Village" (again, geeked) to hang out in the sun for a while and snack on some bao buns.
My favorite performances - outside of The 1975 - were The Japanese House and Bleachers. The Japanese House's entire set from her new album was perfectly timed for the breeziness of the afternoon; Bleachers got the crowd excited with classics like "Rollercoaster" and "I Wanna Get Better."
Finally - the moment we (all 50,000 of us) were waiting for - The 1975 took the stage. Just some of my favorite moments (not all of which I got on video):
- When Matty said (and I'm paraphrasing): "Normally, this part of the show is supposed to be all nihilistic... but this is just too much fun."
- Hearing "Paris" acoustic. Paris was the very first 1975 song I ever heard - the one that made me fall in love with the band.
- Matty's beautiful emotional reaction when his father came out to sing "All I Need to Hear."
- Having Matty come closest during "The Ballad of Me and My Brain": a song so near and dear to me that it's my dream for Matty to write out the lyrics so I can get them tattooed!
- The "Change of Heart" performance was just so fun - and it's a song that captures the ILIWYS era's perfect blend of satirical observation and humor juxtaposed with poignant, beautiful instrumentals.
- Jumping with 50,000 people to "The Sound" (Byron was very worried I was going to fall over).
- After the riotous closing number of "People" and the final "Consumption" interlude - hello, the raw meat is back! - we joined fans to walk out and sing "Girls" and "Chocolate" in the street, acapella and unprompted. A perfect end to a beautiful day!
July 3rd was the end of our experience - but, not the end of my love for the 75, obviously! Time for me to wear my newly-acquired "Your Girlfriend's Favourite Band" t-shirt from the festival everywhere I go.
- Nicole T.
