The first thing I noticed when I walked onto the main floor
of Plug and saw the stage for the IDLES gig was the bass drum. It was adorned
with the words “IDLES A.F.” in some sort of tape. This and the band coming on
to stage and not being totally ready to play contributed to a sense of a
somewhat ad-hoc nature surrounding the band. Lead singer and engaging frontman
Joe Talbot joked with the crowd whilst the band finished preparations and when
they kicked off head first into ‘Heel / Heal’; the opening track from their
superb debut record Brutalism; it was
the catalyst for what ended up being an incendiary, excellent gig.
The band worked their way through a short but sweet set.
They can’t have played for much more than 45 minutes whilst showcasing all the
best cuts from the aforementioned debut record. Each track hits you like a
freight train. That combination of blitzing punk attitude and surgically
precise musicianship that is evident in spades on the record translates
effortlessly to their live performance. It’s fascinating watching each member
of this band. Lead guitarist Mark Bowen flies around the stage with reckless
abandon like the Energizer bunny but always keeps his performance tight. I
could barely see drummer Jon Beavis from my vantage point but he just gets the
groove and rhythm of the music perfectly right, people always mention how John
Bonham was a master of ‘feel’ and Beavis has this quality also. It’s evidenced
by some scorching Bonham-inspired fills throughout the set, I’m surprised his
sticks didn’t spontaneously combust. Bass player Adam Devonshire has an assured
stoicism at times, it’s a bit odd to see somebody in a punk band not flailing
their instrument around but his brooding basslines are so integral to the
band’s success that I can see why he’s calm in relation to his fellow band members.
Rhythm guitarist Andy S’s face is masked by his long locks but his virtuoso
guitar playing is there for everybody to see.
Special mention has to be given to Talbot though. He is so
engaging throughout the entire gig. He has a cymbal on a stand within arm’s
reach at all times throughout the set. Sometimes he smacks it with reckless
abandon on opener ‘Heel / Heal’ or he’d carry it over his head on the
rambunctious ‘Mother’ as if he’s rallying his army and we’re his troops. In
between songs he plays around with his bandmates joking that he should never
have given the drummer a mic after Beavis lets out an ear-piercing screech and
he talks to crowd informing us that he is not drinking Yorkshire Tea from his
mug much to the chagrin of a certain audience member. Who drinks from a mug on
stage? Joe Talbot, that’s who! All of this is just minutiae to what really
matters from Talbot though and that’s his voice. That distinct angry snarl from
the record makes its presence known here and it’s oddly pleasing on the ears as
his scathing wit attacks people like Mary Berry and the Tories, it’s all superb
stuff.
The real high point of this gig was during the slower track
‘Exeter’ (if you can call it slower, it’s still relentless, firebrand punk)
when Bowen jumped off the stage into the crowd to sit on a barrier and start
waving at his band mates. He followed this up by getting amongst the masses and
starting a furious mosh pit, all whilst keeping up his guitar playing. It was
funny and real showmanship. This kicked the crowd into gear and set the
precedent for the remainder of the gig. When the band moved on to ‘Well Done’
for their next track, the moshing started and it didn’t stop for the rest of
the gig, just what you want at a good punk gig. I spoke to the band after the
show and they were genuine, lovely lads. If Talbot didn’t have bleach blond
hair and many tattoos you would never guess he was in a punk band because he
was super appreciative to me and throughout the set to the people in attendance
and was just happy to be playing music for people. I tried to buy a copy of
their record but it was sold out and after this performance, it’s very easy to
see why. Please go and see IDLES if they’re near you, you won’t be
disappointed.