Jessie J might be the most recognisable name on Sunday’s line up but its Bristol’s Idles that steal the show this evening. Their unstoppable ascent over the past eighteen months shows no signs of abating and even amidst a relentless touring schedule that’s set to run well into the next year and beyond, the band never give less than 100%. After their set, singer Joe Talbot tells Gigwise he only rated his performance a 6/10 this evening.
However, judging by the response he and his band elicit out front its unlikely anyone watching their set on the Hangar Stage would score them anything less than a perfect 10. What makes Idles so special is the way they engage with the audience, creating their own community wherever they go in the process. As is normally the case with an Idles show, expect the unexpected and they’ll surely deliver. So here, we have crowd invasions, instrument swapping, Mariah Carey covers and an hour’s worth of the most vital punk rock this generation has witnessed in decades.
Songs from the forthcoming second album ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ blend magnificently with the more familiar numbers off last year’s ‘Brutalism’. Resplendent in an NHS baseball cap and a t-shirt proclaiming ‘No One Is An Island’ which lifts its tagline from a 17th century poem by John Donne, Talbot introduces songs about immigrants (‘Danny Nedelko’), depression (‘1049 Gotho’), men being afraid of showing their feelings (‘Samaritans’) and of course, the national health service (‘Divide & Conquer’).
While undoubtedly specific to the band’s surroundings in the most personal of senses, there’s a universal nature to Idles’ material that draws people in so by the second verse of opener ‘Heal/Heel’, there’s already a giant moshpit at the front of the stage. With work having already started on album number three and a fanbase that’s growing in droves by the day, Idles’ prominent rise looks set to continue.
Cancer Bats’ visceral punk also results in a circle pit that’s not for the faint hearted, singer Liam Cormier cutting an imposing figure throughout their impressive set. Sandwiched in between Cancer Bats and Idles, Jessie J’s set on the Main Stage attracts arguably the biggest crowd of the weekend. Hot off the back of winning Chinese talent show China’s Singer in April, she bookends her set by playing big singles ‘Do It Like A Dude’ and ‘Price Tag’. As is a regular feature at a Jessie J show, she also invites a ten year old girl on stage to perform a duet and asks the audience to shake hands with someone they don’t know as a show of strength and unity.
Later on, Russian four-piece Little Big play a mixture of techno, hip hop and rock that’s part Die Antwoort, part Confidence Man and part Aqua. They also whip Electric Castle’s late night revellers into a frenzy, particularly on the rabble rousing ‘Big Dick’, which is as ridiculous as its title, suggests yet also infectiously bouncy.
Elsewhere, Nothing But Thieves delivered a set to a surprisingly healthy audience while Will Holland aka Quantic wows the audience twice, his early evening live show and late night DJ sets both attracting big numbers.
