I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: October 13, 2021] Idles

I saw Idles two years ago and the show was amazing.  A raw, raucous punk show with all kinds of slam dancing, crowd surfing (including the band), and shouting.  But also an incredible feeling of warmth and love from the band.

I’m gathering that the band always opens with “Colossus.”  A loud, slow, rumbling repeating bass note from Adam Devonshire shook the whole place.  And then Joe Talbot came out and started singing the slow, quiet introduction.

But the band and the crowd were just waiting in anticipation for the BOOM, when the song took of and the pit started flailing around.

Since I saw them last, they put out a new album, with another one on the way.  The only played one song from the forthcoming album, but they did play a bunch from Ultra Mono.  They sprinkled the songs throughout the set, interspersing classic tracks with the new ones.

It was kind of interesting the way the band played around with the set list compared to the last show as well.  Some songs that were near the front last time had been pushed until later (“I’m Scum” and “Never Fight a Man with a Perm” in particular).

Like last time, Jon Beavis was a maniac on the drums–how did these drum head survive the pummeling?  And throughout the set, both guitarists made their way out into the crowd (thank goodness everyone was vaccinated).  Lee Kiernan on the far side went out so far it seemed like he might not make it back.  There was even a moment where guitarist Mark Bowen (who I was more or less in front of) crowd surfed out to the middle and had a sing/scream along with a member of the audience.

During “Love Song” it seems standard practice for Bowen to go out into the crown and croon a medley of songs (whether to amuse or annoy Talbot is unclear).  Talbot was not amused by this collection of tracks, saying it was sloppy.  Although I think everyone was laughing during his My Heart Will Go on and his All I Want for Xmas.

As with last time, they ended with “Rottweiler.”  For this show they invited Gustaf out onto the stage to help make the unholy racket.  By the middle of the song, Joe had stopped singing and was behind the drum kit hit everything that Beavis wasn’t.  The Gustaf gang was hitting cans, drums, or just stomping around.  It was wildly chaotic fun.

Idles put on an amazing show.  They never do an encore and they don’t need to.  You’ll feel exhausted and good about yourself and your fellow person all in about 90 minutes.

Can’t wait to see them again.

Markit Aneight was there to record the whole show

© = Crawler (2021)
⊄ = Uktra Mono (2020)
ℑ = Joy as an Act of Resistance (2018)
ß = Brutalism (2017)