The 1975 is currently on tour in London after a run of US shows that found frontman Matty Healy keeping the band’s shows weird with antics like getting tattoos and devouring raw meat onstage. The tour has also seen its fair share of surprise guests, which included Phoebe Bridgers and Jack Antonoff. But they apparently saved one of the biggest surprises for the European phase of their tour, where Antonoff’s frequent collaborator Taylor Swift joined them onstage at the O2 Arena, singing an acoustic version of the band’s 2012 Facedown EP single “The City.”
| @TaylorSwift13 singing “The City” by The 1975! pic.twitter.com/2d7LkvfwvW
— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) January 12, 2023
She kicked things up a notch by singing one of her own hit songs live for the first time: Midnights standout “Anti-Hero,” which brought a rousing singalong from the crowd.
TAYLOR SWIFT IS PERFORMING ANTI HERO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A 1975 CONCERT OMFG?!?!
— miguel I taylivia stan (@cowboyinwoods13) January 12, 2023
| Taylor singing “Anti-Hero” for the FIRST time ever! pic.twitter.com/biZZxyXRPX
— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) January 12, 2023
Swift’s only other live performance of any music from Midnights was in October 2022, when she also joined Bon Iver onstage — again in London, albeit this time at the OVO Arena Wembley — to sing “Exile,” their collaboration from 2020’s Folklore. At the time, Justin Vernon gushed that she is “the most talented person in the world,” a compliment she was quick to return.
Throughout late 2022, it was rumored that Swift had collaborated with The 1975 on Midnights — rumors that Healy himself shot down before later confirming that their collaboration had been vaulted. Meanwhile, her appearance at their concert will likely only fuel fan fervor for the unheard collaboration. Until they decide to release that, though, you can check out fan videos of Taylor at O2 Arena above.