An open air venue and the threat of rain never fails to bring nervous tension to a gathering crowd. Grey clusters gather over the Brisbane CBD as quick as the merch tent line. Eyes scan the horizon, as if in a stare down of the weather gods. Another force of nature has arrived and it’s written on in 10 metre high letters on the back of stage – IDLES.
The Bristol lads have brought their Love is the Fing tour to town, inducing angst, anarchy and anticipation among their ever expanding fandom. But first, a group of noisy Brisbane locals, Voiid, take the stage. Let’s just be clear – Voiid are excellent. After a recent short hiatus to work on mental health, the band sound wonderful. These ears heard a blend of great 90’s indie Australian sounds such as The Clouds and Spiderbait, and even Waikiki. Lead singer, Anji Greenwood, delivers great lyrics and is supported by Kate McGuire on guitar, bassist Antonia Hickey and Mina Cannon on drums. They deliver in spades with older tracks like ‘Ctrl Alt’, and some new tracks such as their new single ‘Anatomy of a Hug’.
Those aware of Nation of Language know what’s coming. The sound difference of the support acts is miles apart, and a credit to the IDLES team for inviting variety and quality. This is the very first Australian gig for Nation of Language, and a huge sigh of relief for fans who’d probably made peace with them never gracing our shores. A three-piece from Brooklyn, New York, they know their way around early 80’s electro and post punk. A delicious mixing bowl of OMD, Ultravox and early Depeche Mode is served up. Ian Richard Devaney is active out front, swaying and striding to each groove.
Partner, Aidan Noell is a maestro behind the synths, producing all beats and bulk of instrumentals. Alex MacKay softly guides his bass lines through the retro mist. Beginning with ‘On Division St’ (from debut album – ‘Introduction, Presence’), the band immediately clutch the audience. ‘Sole Obsession’ gets head nodding with it’s big electro loops and beats. But it’s the goosebump inducing ‘The Grey Commute’ and ‘Across That Fine Line’ (from 2021s ‘A Way Forward’) that stand out. They deserve a headline tour next time.
Nation of Language Gallery
By now, the rain has arrived. It started as gentle sprinkle but grew to a heavy shower, before becoming a downpour. It’s a beautiful metaphor for the performances tonight. The rain doesn’t dampen spirits. In fact, it adds flavour and spikes a sense of carefree through the crowd, as if inviting a challenger. Blood red lights hold over the stage and fade to black. Dark figures enter as the cheers rise from front to back. Mark Bowen dandily dress swirls behind him as he sinks behind the keyboard stand. A skittish piano loop introduces ‘IDEA 01’. Joe Talbot’s calm delivery lulls the crowd into the bands arms. Calm it might be, but the sense of menace and brewing vitriol is palpable. ‘Colossus’ follows without pause, throwing a murky grunge over the crowd while pushing the spirit of Australian legends, The Birthday Party, into the room.
IDLES have captured the sound of angry, clenched teeth. Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan throttle their guitars with obtuse notes, but somehow blend them into a narrative. It’s the sandpaper to Talbot’s matchhead lyrics. On Talbot’s request, the crowd willingly parts up the middle to ‘run at each other and give each other hugs’. You can’t fool us, Joe. It’s around this time, that we see Kiernan walking on the crowd…literally. Raised Arms transport him across the front section, as if he were riding an invisible skateboard. ‘Gift Horse’ and ‘ Mr Motivator’ get the crowd emulating a boiling cauldron. Choruses and chants are yelled as if it’s a new age mantra. ‘I’m Scum’ sees a fan run past me singing the chorus at top volume as he careened into the crowd to get closer (we were 70 metres from the stage).
The band is dedicated to the punk attitude. Gender norms, class systems and toxic positivity are all challenged. While they lean heavily on great punk lyricists such as Jello Biafra and Bob Mould, they musically channel ‘Trout Mask Replica’ era Captain Beefheart and experimental ‘hit anything in the studio’ Tom Waits. IDLES aren’t afraid to sit fast, furious rock ‘n roll right beside abstract, merciless poem punk. The vastness of their range is reflected in the audience. Around me is the highest number of young kids in attendence (accompanied by parents/adults, of course), some as young as 4 or 5 years old. It’s head scratching, but is obviously a sign of what variety creates.
The set covers a solid cross-section from across their five albums. ‘Divide and Conquer’ is a ripper, ‘Pop Pop Pop’ appears (sans LCD Soundsystem dammit!), ‘Never Fight a Man With a Perm’ and ‘Dancer’ jump out of the list. They close with the gut-punch ‘Rottweiler’ (from 2018s ‘Joy as an Act of Resistance’). A fitting note to round out a gloriously messy night. The night has been long for the drenched attendees, but it seems to all fit. Some have already succumbed to the skies, but it’s forgivable. However long they stayed at the show, they undoubtedly felt the sheer power from the stage. The weather gods definitely had their work cut out for them to slow the IDLES advance.
With thanks to Live Nation & Maric Media for the media access, all image credit Chris Searles
IDLES Gallery
