The 1975’s Matty Healy, returned to the stage at Newcastle’s Utilia Arena, Sunday For Sammy charity concert. The event is a celebration of local musical talent and entertainment, Healy wowed audiences with acoustic renditions of their favourite The 1975 tunes and classic covers.
The biennial event, first held in 2000, features a wide array of solidified stars and up and coming artists. Charity led, Sunday For Sammy aims to raise funds for creative young performing artists residing in the Northeast. The event hosts two shows, matinee and evening featuring a range of comedy, musical performances and sketches. Over the years, funds from tickets have been transformed into grants for emerging talent.
The latest show was held on Sunday February 15. Typically held every two years, the 2026 show was notoriously special as it was the events first return back since 2020, after the founders faced cost of living hurdles. Taking the stage with an incredible acoustic set, The 1975’s Healy brought tears to countless fans eyes. Among the events chairmen is Healy’s father, Tim Healy making the show all the more special.
His first show since Glastonbury, Healy took the stage in front of the crowd consisting of 5000 attendees with a short but sweet set consisting of four acoustic ballads. The singer songwriter performed The La’s, ‘There She Goes,’ a track that Healy had previously included on a 2020 Apple music playlist of his most influential songs, and James Taylor’s, ‘Carolina In My Mind;’ both first time performances from Healy. Global sensation, ‘About You’ from the band’s latest album, ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’, made its stage return during the set alongside a fan favourite, ‘It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You.’ Both tracks were performed as stripped-down editions making for an incredibly emotional set.
The 1975’s frontman’s set was labeled as ‘Matty Healy and Friends’, but fans had no inkling that Healy would grace the stage with the presence of chart-topper Lewis Capaldi. Pre-meditating the performance, Healy shared with the crowd that he was welcoming someone “rather shy and bashful” to the stage, before Capaldi stole the hearts of each individual in presence by performing his number one hit ‘Someone You Loved.’ Maintaining a close relationship, Capaldi had previously joined The 1975 on stage at the same arena four years earlier.
A highly anticipated new record from The 1975 is expected this year. Healy recently shared his thought process regarding the new work on Reddit, reminding fans that he is in fact working on music behind the scenes. Production may be boosted once Healy has finished his round of pursuing side quests, including that of helping jumpstart a fans car. The photographic footage from this haphazard event was shared to TikTok resulting in a great deal of confused fans.
Fans everywhere are overjoyed to see Healy’s stage return especially in such a warming environment. We can only hope there are more The 1975, or solo Healy shows on the horizon.
You can donate towards Sunday For Sammy’s cause here.
