The 1975‘s Matty Healy has looked back on the on-stage comments he made at Leeds Festival about replacing Rage Against The Machine as Reading & Leeds 2022 headliners, clarifying that he and his bandmates “fucking love Rage so much”.

The 1975 were called up to replace RATM as headliners just two weeks before the twin festivals took place in August, with the latter pulling out due to frontman Zack de la Rocha’s ongoing leg injury.

Speaking on stage at Leeds Festival on August 26, Healy told the crowd: “I’m sorry we’re not Rage Against The Machine, but who’s Rage Against The Machine?

“I mean, give it up for the greatest rock band of the previous generation, ladies and gentlemen please… Being literally in Rage Against The Machine and having a gammy leg is quite funny, though.”

Healy, who subsequently praised RATM during The 1975’s Reading headline set two nights later, later clarified his comments following a social media backlash, adding that he intended to say: “I’m sorry we’re not Rage Against The Machine, but who can be Rage Against The Machine?”

Speaking to NME in The 1975’s latest Big Read about his RATM comments, Healy said: “I watched it back and I was like, ‘That delivery was so bad!’

“There are no records that me and George [Daniel, drummer] know more than Rage. Even ‘Renegades’. We fucking love Rage so much. I think I was so conflicted by how weird it was for me to even accept putting myself in the same league as them that I couldn’t even get my words out right.”

Healy then added: ”If I’d have slagged Rage off then I would have leaned into it and had a bit ready. I’m not scared of doing that!”

Read the full NME Big Read cover story interview with The 1975 here, where Healy also discussed cancel culture and quitting Twitter as well as the view that The 1975 are a “post-Arctic Monkeys” band, and the heart and humour on their new record.

The 1975’s new album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ was released last Friday (October 14) – you can read the NME review here.

The band will be heading out on a UK tour in January 2023. Visit here for tickets and more information.