Matty Healy has addressed some of his past controversies during The 1975’s headline show at Finsbury Park, saying “some stuff I got right and some stuff I got wrong”.
The frontman, 34, has recently faced criticism for kissing fans during the band’s latest tour, joining in on crude jokes about rapper Ice Spice and previously appeared to make a Nazi-style salute on stage.
He also hit headlines earlier this year after he was romantically linked to singing superstar Taylor Swift.
During his show on Sunday night in London, Healy told the 45,000 strong crowd: “The 1975 isn’t a dry band, there’s a lot of irony in it. Like Love Me (one of their songs) for example, it doesn’t make sense unless I take the piss out of myself.
“I was always trying stuff and some stuff I got right and some stuff I got wrong, there’s a lot of things that I’ve said, jokes that I’ve made and there’s probably a couple of songs I’d take back if I had the choice.
“I’m only doing this because I want to make you guys laugh and feel good because that’s what my favourite art does and that’s all I’m trying to do and I get a bit excited, and you know what I’m proud of myself.”
Here is a look back at some of his headline-making moments:
– Ice Spice
During an appearance on The Adam Friedland Show podcast, he revealed that he had once privately messaged rappers Ice Spice and Doja Cat but received no reply.
As the podcast presenters joked if Ice Spice, who is of Nigerian and Dominican descent, was an Innuit Spice Girl and imitated Chinese and Hawaiian accents, Healy can be heard laughing.
Following a backlash to the episode, it was removed from Spotify and Apple Music with Healy reportedly apologising to the US rapper during his show in Auckland, New Zealand.
When asked if he had baited his fans on purpose during an interview with The New Yorker last month, he said: “A little bit. But it doesn’t actually matter.
“Nobody is sitting there at night slumped at their computer, and their boyfriend comes over and goes, ‘What’s wrong, darling?’ and they go, ‘It’s just this thing with Matty Healy.’ That doesn’t happen.”
He added: “If it does, you’re either deluded or you are, sorry, a liar. You’re either lying that you are hurt, or you’re a bit mental for being hurt.
“It’s just people going, ‘Oh, there’s a bad thing over there, let me get as close to it as possible so you can see how good I am.’ And I kind of want them to do that, because they’re demonstrating something so base level.”
– At Their Very Best Tour
The indie-rock band’s recent tour was praised for its innovative staging which featured a multi-levelled set designed like a 1990s-style home.
However, it also made headlines after Healy began performing bizarre antics including completing a series of push-ups and eating a raw steak live on stage.
He also kissed a number of fans from the crowd during the shows as well as a crowd safety worker mid-performance while singing in Denmark.
– Antisemitic
The singer also faced criticism for what some interpreted as a Nazi-style salute while performing the song Love It If We Made It during a show in January.
He performed the action while singing the lyrics “Thank you, Kanye, very cool”.
US rapper Kanye West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, gave an interview last year with US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in which he praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
The rapper’s Twitter account was also suspended for violating the platform’s policy against inciting violence after he made antisemitic remarks on social media.
– Taylor Swift
Healy has been romantically linked with many famous faces over his career, with speculation that he was in a relationship with Swift emerging this year after they were pictured together multiple times.
The 1975 frontman also gave a surprise performance at Swift’s Eras Tour show last month in Nashville, and the pop star joined the band on stage for their concert in London in January.
Earlier this month, US outlets reported that the pair were “no longer romantically involved”.
During their performance in Finsbury Park on Sunday, before launching into hit Somebody Else, Healy said: “You know when you break up with people, you feel a sense of sexual ownership, that is not a good feeling, especially not nowadays, you can’t own people sexually but that’s how it feels, sexual ownership over your past partner.
“And if you’re a man, you’re made to feel like some kind of misogynist and if you’re a girl, you’re like some crazy bitch who just won’t chill. It’s not my fault I love them.”