After keeping their legion of fans waiting two long years, beloved UK punk band IDLES have returned to Australian shores to tour off the back of last year's album 'Tangk'.
On Tuesday night at Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl (21 January), the band delivered the same face-melting energy first heard in 2017 on their debut album 'Brutalism'.IDLES entered the stage already stoked with a raging fire within. They seemed to mirror the passionate fury that had engulfed much of the audience, witnesses to the tyrannical politics of the current world stage – and it felt like the band came out to deliver a response for the people.
IDLES opened the floodgates of their set with the tranquil 'IDEA 01', and slowly evolved that into the first stirring bars of 'Colossus'. Lead singer Joe Talbot introduced fan favourite 'I'm Scum' by inviting the audience to join him in the "United Kingdom's new national anthem", which culminated in the crowd chanting "f... the King!" with one voice, in proper anti-establishment fashion.
Image © Dante Griffith
IDLES collaborated with fellow oddities LCD Soundsystem to record the track 'Dancer' and Danny Brown on 'POP POP POP' – both of these tracks were belted out with energy and impact, even without the presence of those lofty collaborators.
Lead guitarist Lee Kiernan created an unforgettable moment when he launched himself into the crowd and ran up to a child who stood in the aisle. Lee knelt on the floor, raised his guitar above his head, and invited the starstruck kid to strum the guitar while he took care of the chord patterns. It was a surprisingly poignant moment for all, and that young 'un certainly had his first peak experience!
Image © Dante Griffith
Talbot took some time out to deliver a soliloquy to the audience, reminding them all of how imperative it is to share. Joe entreated us all to "share when you feel alone, when life has worked out, or when everything has gone wrong. Share by writing, drawing, or singing, or ultimately, share by telling someone you love them." Joe connected every single person in the audience by inviting them to express themselves to each other.
Both guitarists spent more time in the pit than onstage, engulfing themselves in the sweat-drenched crowd before being thrown up and getting crowd-surfed back to a group of security who seemed uncertain if they should pull them back to safety or push them back into the grip of the wild crowd.
These moments captured the aura that is IDLES, and their constant driving rhythms and blood-pumping vocals never fail to turn a group of fans into the largest, most seething moshpit you've ever seen.
Image © Dante Griffith
IDLES have set a new bar with their incredibly influential sound and lyrics, which have already changed the landscape for rock and punk music across the world. With their tour soon to wrap up, fans have already started voicing their excitement and anticipation for the band's next project.
IDLES is a one-of-a-kind act that you need to see to believe, and their reach over their audience evokes a days-of-yore battlefield speeches to assembled troops – this incredible reach and influence is sight to behold in a world where musician and audience so often seem quite disconnected.
More photos from the concert.
