IDLES Proves that it's More than Just a Band

Believe the hype. That’s what I’ve been saying to friends after witnessing the Bristol, UK band, IDLES, at the Metro Gallery in Baltimore Tuesday night where they performed to a sold out crowd. The band – which includes singer Joe Talbot; Adam Devonshire on bass; Mark Bowen (“Bobo”) on guitar/vocals and Lee Kiernan on guitar/vocals; and Jon Beavis on drums – has been selling out clubs across the UK and now here in the US (seriously, at the time of this writing there was one stop that wasn’t completely sold out and very well may be when you read this). The combination of great music, charm, and often stage antics that meld acrobatic flare with manic tent revivalism sets this band’s shows from other rock shows.

Starting off the set with “Heel/Heal” from the 2017 LP Brutalism, IDLES immediately turned up the temperature and kept it up through the evening. As Joe took center stage, Bobo and Lee seemed like men in a spastic trance and having a great time with it. In fact, every member of the band were possessed by some unseen force.

At times both Lee and Bobo went out into the audience – Bobo walking atop the fans clad in his underwear and little else – and brought the crowd into the performance… and at one time literally when Joe brought one fan up on stage after saying, “We are so thankful we have the National Health Service where he are from and we wish you had it too…” before showing how people can pull together to help one another by having the crowd keep the young man surfing around the room for the entire next song. Oh, yeah, and just before the night ended they brought up two women from the audience to play guitars turning the evening from people merely coming to see a band perform to becoming part of a community around this one event. After Joe pushed open the curtain to a window overlooking the street during one point in the show I noticed that a woman had walked up from the street and was dancing outside to the music – expanding the experience beyond the walls of the Metro Gallery.

It becomes clear when you listen to IDLES or, better yet witness the band live, this is a group that has something to say. Whether it’s addressing toxic masculinity in “Samaritans” and “Mother” to caring for your own self / self-esteem with “Television” with the refrain, “If someone talked to you the way you do to you I’d put their teeth through… Love yourself” it’s a powerful message amplified (literally) by way of angular and catchy riffs. As an added example, take the the pro-immigrant love and respect that’s expressed in the words of “Danny Nedelko” from last year’s Joy as an Act of Resistance:

My blood brother is Malala
A Polish butcher, he’s Mo Farah
He’s made of bones, he’s made of blood
He’s made of flesh, he’s made of love
He’s made of you, he’s made of me
Unity
Fear leads to panic, panic leads to pain
Pain leads to anger, anger leads to hate

All this is really to say that experiencing IDLES is a must! IDLES is currently on tour and such a force to witness. Find more dates here.

The setlist for the show at the Metro Gallery included: