Live music review: England’s Idles delivered wild night at Moody Amphitheater May 21

Sometimes, chaos is laced with love. Bristol, England’s Idles have been shooting off musical mortar shells since 2009, and each new release has seen the English band building off the previous. If you’re a fan of post-punk, hardcore, dance-punk, or anything punk rock-related in new music, Idles is a band that will strike a chord with your music listening holes. On their latest album, Tangk, Idles enlisted the help of Radiohead’s right-hand man, Nigel Godrich. The result was a more dialed-back, calculated effort from the group, touching on hints of dance music and soft rock cuts that aren’t without the England band’s carefully calibrated  ballistic nature that their rabid fanbase has become accustomed to. Since embarking on yet another world tour to celebrate their new release, the venues have gotten bigger, the setlists have gotten longer, and the outspokenness of frontman Joe Talbot has gotten more of a focal point. For the Austin stop May 21  on their global journey at Moody Amphitheater, Idles delivered yet another empowering dose of noisy audio assault.

Moody Amphitheater isn’t a place fans of Idles would typically want to see the band. Luckily for fans, all the regular seats and sealed-off areas in the crowd were eliminated, allowing the mosh addicts to roam freely throughout the two-hour set. Nothing would stop the Tuesday night crowd from flailing and jumping about. It had been almost three years since Idles last graced Austin, and there was hell to pay. Fans flew into high gear with Joy As An Act Of Aggression cut “Colossus.” The all-general admission crowd started to let out their well-meaning vigor in a passionate fury, singing lyrics as loud as they could while tearing up all the turf out of a venue that could be recognized as one of Austin’s more boujee concert spots under normal circumstances. A newer cut, “Gift Horse,” followed, only to be plunged into total chaos as the rocket-speed of “Mr. Motivator” shifted the pandemonium into full force. 2020’s Ultra Mono is likely where Idles’ sonic ferocity reached a peak, as each cut of said record has become a crowd favorite. 

Idles didn’t let up, hashing out more selections such as “The Wheel,” which contained a nod to the current Israel-Palestine conflict with replaced lyricism that showed Talbot singing “Viva Palestine-ah” after a few rounds through the regular “Can I Get A Hallelujah?” While some musicians would complain about the heat, Talbot said, “It’s hot, but beautifully hot, just like all of you.” The England act didn’t hesitate to engage the crowd, allowing for some crowd-surfing sessions from guitarist Mark Bowen while he shredded on his stunning acrylic guitar. “War” made for a mid-set highlight, showing yet another nod to the conflicts raging on the other side of the world. There’s no sugarcoating it, there’s a fuckton going on in the world right now, and while there’s music to be heard, protest through art is the ultimate form of expression.

The crowd didn’t let up their excitement as Idles hacked through tune after tune after tune. As the crowd footage rolled on the stage screens, the vibe felt like a music festival, prompting Talbot to tell the audience that the Austin show was their biggest headlining appearance on their world tour. The Austin crowds for Idles have only kept getting bigger, showing the attendees doing their homework and singing every word of the set. An unexpected audience participation moment manifested with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” performed a cappella, resulting in the whole 5000-capacity venue engaging in an unlikely singalong, showing that even Idles fans aren’t too cool for some Mariah Carey. 

The evening’s finale came in the form of “Rottweiler.” The audience knew the end of the gig was coming due to the questionable city-wide 10:30 pm curfew on Tuesday nights. As the quintet marched toward the end of the set, the party didn’t stop, allowing the audience to jump and thrash about as the turf beneath became worse for wear due to the delightfully seatless setup that Moody Amphitheater had employed for the evening. The ending of the closing number showed Talbot joining drummer Jon Beavis on the kit for a raucous finish. Idles didn’t return for an encore, but the audience was visibly sated after the evening of mayhem the English outfit had just delivered.

Idles continues their world tour in the US before heading to Europe and then another leg in the USA in the Fall.

All photos by Drew Doggett

Listen to Idles’ latest album:

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