It’s difficult to put into words what it’s like to experience an IDLES gig. Plenty has been written, there are reviews all over the internet, but this is one of the few bands around where the words “You had to be there” really do ring true. IDLES have outgrown venues this size. With a capacity of just over 2000 it’s no wonder this gig, indeed the whole tour, took little time to sell out. Summer festival appearances, especially those such as Glastonbury where IDLES incendiary performance was beamed out for millions to see on the BBC, mean that more and more people now have a new favourite punk rock band. Add in the fact that the mosh pit at any IDLES gig will erupt within minutes, if not seconds, and seeing this band becomes a genuinely exciting prospect whether you’re there to take part in the mayhem or to observe it from the safety of a balcony.
The atmosphere is intense, full of anticipation and IDLES do not disappoint. They open with ‘IDEA 01’. It’s haunting, meloncholic, beautiful, subdued but incredibly powerful. The hammering drone and screeching noise of ‘Colossus’ follows and the place explodes. The sounds pummel you, the mosh pit is huge and from this point on there is absolutely no let up. ‘Gift Horse’ sees guitarist Lee Kiernan in the crowd, held aloft and still managing to slice out sounds that cut right through you, 2000 people calling “Fuck the king” in unison. And unity is a huge part of an IDLES gig. To a casual observer it might look to be full of aggression, violence and anger but as they say, “We’re not fighting, we’re just dancing” with every song a release of pent up energy.
‘Mr Motivator’ is relentless, it’s underlying beat and guitar riff a constant call to simply get up and leap around. Joe Talbot prowls around the stage, every imaginable emotion etched across his face as he growls out his lyrics. Behind him Adam Devonshire is almost motionless as he delivers his throbbing bass lines whilst Kiernan and guitar/keyboardist Mark Bowen dance about to their own sonic soundscapes. ‘Mother’ screams outrage at the destruction of Britain by the Tory government and their determination to grind people into the ground, whilst ‘I’m Scum’ offers a rallying cry to the disenfranchised and marginalised. Talbot is heart wrenchingly honest in what he says, freely admitting that if it wasn’t for his bandmates, what he’s now doing and the audiences supporting them he wouldn’t be around nowadays. IDLES songs shout loudly, clearly and angrily about the trials of everyday life. Some, such as ‘Benzocaine’, approach head on the personal traumas of Talbot’s previous life, others state clearly his anger about the oppression, inequality and discrimination so many face just getting through the daily grind, the destructive consequences of the manipulation of people by those in power, ‘Divide and Conquer’.
But it’s not all a manic, crowd-surf inducing noise. ‘Roy’ is slow, darkly menacing, a breathing space before the assault of ‘1049 Gotho’ and huge soundscape of ‘Jungle’. ‘Pop Pop Pop’ is dreamy, trippy, psychedelic. But it’s the noise, thumping beats, massive screeching guitar sounds, and snarling vocals of songs such as ‘Car Crash’, ‘The Wheel’, ‘Gratitude’ and ‘Crawl’ that set the place alight. Circle pits, crowd surfers, a mass of surging bodies, arms punching the air, lyrics yelled in unison, a band and crowd feeding off the energy of each other. Together, these are what make an IDLES gig so special. Songs that are from the heart and the gut, songs that mean everything to the band and to the crowd.
IDLES close the night with a run of four huge, fan favourites. ‘Never Fight A Man With A Perm’, ‘Dancer’, ‘Danny Nedelko’ – the dedication to the immigrants who worked “so fucking hard to build this country”, a celebration of multi-culturalism and diversity, friend of the band and singer with Heavy Lungs, and the war cry against the hate of the tabloid press that is Rottweiler. IDLES have been on stage for two hours but it seems to have flown by. People drip with sweat, there’s exhaustion, hugs, huge smiles and a real sense of joy as people slowly come down from the high they’ve been on. IDLES continue to go from strength to strength, one of the most powerful bands around.
Massive shout out also to Willie J Healey, support on the English tour dates who brought something completely different to the headliners with his set of funky, bright, energetic indie songs.
Photos/word: Steve White
