More about: Idles

Call it performative politics as much as you like, but there's no denying that the atmosphere of an IDLES gig is the real thing. To use the band's own metaphor, there is an avalanche of snowflakes present at the third of four sold-out Brixton Academy shows this week—and there's every sense the warmth and inclusiveness that IDLES champion is alive and genuine among them. 

Besides, IDLES have proven themselves keen to learn. After receiving criticism for their lack of non-male support acts in the past, they have remedied their mistake in style: the people warming the crowd up for IDLES at Brixton Academy are all womxn. Tonight, it is Big Joanie who take the first slot, followed by Sinead O'Brien, who proves that her remarkable sprechgesang krautrock tunes work perfectly in as big a venue as this. As you might expect from someone who is used to far smaller crowds, Sinead is a touch wooden in her stage prescence, a skill that will undoubtedly come with time: the originality and brilliance of her music will guarantee lots more practise.

It is still tracks on IDLES' debut full-length album Brutalism that hit the hardest in a live setting, and it's songs from their Joy As An Act of Resistance era that get the most enthusiastic reception from the crowd, but tonight Joe Talbot & co. prove that songs on their excellent, reinventive comeback album CRAWLER fit right in. In particular, the three-track run of 'Divide and Conquer', 'The Beachland Ballroom' and 'Never Fight a Man with a Perm' is heady set-list building. 'The Beachland Ballroom' isn't as well known as earlier hits yet, but the soul-rock slow-burner—one of the very best singles of 2021—is a highlight of the evening, a large disco ball descending for its rendition.

Time away from the stage has not dampened IDLES' ability to blow many of their contemporaries out of the water when it comes to performance power. Joe Talbot prances, drummer Jon Beavis lets it all loose, bassist Dev thrashes back and forward and the guitarist duo of Lee and Bowen see-saw back and forth across the stage, the latter rocking a dress that makes him look like a more masc version of Jonathan Van Ness.

It's all conducive to a raucous evening of joy and warm feeling, reintroducing IDLES as a force on the live scene just as their recent album CRAWLER resurrected their credibility as top tier studio musicians. 

IDLES played:

Colossus
Car Crash
Mr. Motivator
Grounds
Mother
Meds
Divide and Conquer
The Beachland Ballroom
Never Fight A Man With A Perm 
The New Sensation
1049 Gotho
Love Song
The Wheel
Television
When The Lights Come On
I'm Scum
Date Night
Wizz
Danny Nedelko
The End
Rottweiler

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More about: Idles