It's the 21st Century, so having a Kardashian turn up to one of your gigs and knocking Adele off the top of the chart are both bloody good indicators of success. And The 1975 are killing it right now.
Q magazine caught up with the 1975 off the back off them winning the prestigious best album at this year’s StubHub Q Awards.
On knocking Adele off the top off the chart and for getting a record for the longest title
“I thought getting a Number 1 album in America was an unrealistic ambition, but as it started getting closer it became the thing we wanted to achieve. It was a bit of shock when it happened, especially as it was Adele we knocked off the top – only for a week, but…And getting the record for the longest title, with I Like It When You Sleep…, to top the US charts was a nice bonus. If we were going to call it something like that we might as well get some kind of award for its stupidity.’
On having celebrity fans
I’ve heard that loads of famous people have been coming to our gigs in the US – I’m such a recluse now that I very rarely leave the tourbus – so I didn’t see any of it but apparently there was a Kardashian at our LA gig, and [Will Smith’s son] Jaden Smith or someone like that, which is all quite good fun.
On hanging out with Diplo
I did go to Diplo’s house the other day – he wanted to meet me and George [Daniel, drums] because he’s a fan of the album. It was fun to hang out and talk about music. “So, people have been reaching out to us but it’s not like Kanye is knocking on the door wanting to make a record. Plus, I don’t want to do anything predictable.
On why he’s reluctant to work with the likes of Rihanna just yet
I don’t want to get a bit famous, then put Rihanna on a track, but let’s see, if she wants to be on a
track we’ll talk. It hasn’t gone to our heads, but it’s a nice validation.”
On not being coy about wanting to headline Glastonbury
“What’s next? I want to headline Glastonbury! Not next year, but soon. I never used to say stuff like this – I’m not a mental, insane narcissist – but there’s so much faux modesty in music now. It’s transpired that we get to play arenas all over the world, so why now would I not want to headline Glastonbury? Of all the young bands on their second albums at the moment, which one do you reckon is going to headline Glastonbury? I’m not being a dickhead, but who is it going to be? If you want a young guitar band to headline Glastonbury in the next few years, The 1975 are the only real option.. If Arctic Monkeys can do it on their second album, I can f*cking do it, no problem. So let’s do this interview again in a couple of years… and your first question will be: ‘How did you feel about your second-from top slot at Glastonbury this year?’”
The 1975 speaking to Q Magazine - out now