Two nights in a tent to be front row for The 1975 gig

9 months ago 70
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Jasmine from Melbourne

Image caption,

Jasmine travelled from Melbourne, Australia, for the gig in Glasgow

Megan Bonar

BBC Glasgow & West reporter

Devoted fans of The 1975 are spending two days sleeping outside the Glasgow Hydro in the hope of being in the front row of the rock band's next gig.

Followers from as far away as Australia are braving sub-zero temperatures ahead of the first date of the band's UK tour on Thursday.

There were about 50 people already in the queue of tents on the concourse outside the venue on Wednesday morning, but the numbers are continuing to grow.

Among them was Jasmine, 25, who travelled from Melbourne, Australia, to see the band, led by frontman Matty Healy.

The journey to Scotland took 31 hours and she plans to spend 48 hours queuing for the show.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

The 1975 have played at the Hydro in 2016

"My husband is from Glasgow, so I've brought him with me," she told BBC Scotland News.

"He loves the band too. He doesn't come camping this early with me but he comes to the shows later on."

She says her love from the band's lead singer is a bit of a "contentious issue" in her household.

"We don't go [to see The 1975] together, I just see him afterwards. I collect him on the way out."

Jasmine followed the band across Australia for the Oceanic leg of the band's tour, and will attend 19 more here in the UK.

Image caption,

Jessica, Emi, Olga and Grace all became friends through the 1975

There are also fans from the US, Italy, The Netherlands, as well as the UK, in the queue.

Jessica, from Boston, Massachusetts, is even managing to continue to do her day job.

"I work remotely while I'm doing this," she said.

"I work US hours so I'll log on from my tent at like 14:00 until 22:00 so that makes my day go by pretty quick.

"My employers know I'm here, they don't understand [why], but they understand it's something I love so they don't care. I get my work done so they don't care where I do it from."

The 30-year-old said the freezing temperatures in Glasgow were "pretty on par" with the cold Boston winters she was used too - except with more sunshine.

She is camping alongside three women she met at previous shows, after they all stayed in touch via social media.

Image caption,

Emily, Georgia and Charli are among those camping at the Hydro

Grace, 20, from Amsterdam said it was snowing when she woke up to use the toilet at 02:00.

"It was so beautiful, I was the only one out of my tent so it was like a little winter wonderland just for me.

"But it did dawn on me, 'wow I'm a little bit crazy camping out in this weather'."

Meanwhile Georgia, an Australian who has been travelling around the UK for six months, has never seen snow before.

"I slept through it last night but when I woke, I was like 'oh my gosh it's so beautiful,'" she said.

The 20-year-old sent photos to her family back home - before being informed that the white stuff on the ground was grit - not snow.

She said the best thing about seeing The 1975 play is the community of friends she has met along the way.

Image caption,

Janae, left, from Glasgow said Scottish crowds were the best

Temperatures are forecast to drop to -4C overnight, but the fans say they will keep warm inside their tents with layers of clothing and blankets.

Janae, 17, from Glasgow, has seen the band three times before and as the local among the waiting fans, she has been put in charge of showing everyone around.

"I've been telling the girls there will be lots of screaming and shouting. The Glasgow crowd will be the best on the whole UK tour," she said.

The 1975 are playing two nights in Glasgow on Thursday and Friday, before heading to play Wembley Stadium in London.

Image caption,

The group say they use loads of blankets to stay warm

Camping before gigs isn't a new trend but it has gained popularity in recent years.

Last May, fans camped outside Murrayfield in Edinburgh to see Harry Styles take to the stage.

Some UK venues have clamped down on it, enforcing no camping rules the night before some gigs due to health and safety reasons.

According to the OVO Hydro website, external, camping is "not permitted" and early queueing is "discouraged".

But these 1975 fans say the feel "safer" in Glasgow than any other city they've visited.

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