Willie J Healey is a much respected and sort after artist and has been tipped as one to watch by none other than the Guardian. This former plasterer and boxer has released three albums and toured with Florence & the Machine and The Arctic Monkeys. Jamie T was an early supporter and Idles singer Joe Talbot has also championed him and therefore he is the main support on this tour of Ireland and the UK. He shared an enjoyable short set tonight which included songs such as the introspective `Little Sister`, `True Stereo` and `Fashun`. A singer songwriter whose a little difficult to pigeonhole and maybe that`s why he`s enjoyed such popularity, an entertaining introduction for me this evening, nevertheless.
It`s been nearly three years since I last saw Idles and having released Tangk, their fifth studio album earlier this year, an album of gratitude and power with singer Joe Talbot having said that he “needed love”, the band head out on a brief tour entitled `Love Is The Fing` in support of said release. The lights dim and a tinkling piano leads us into `IDEA01` from the latest release with the band walking on stage. `Colossus` follows and it`s just that a behemoth of a number and a kind of diatribe on the dangers of toxic masculinity, which begins quietly and grows before bursting into life. Another newbie `Gift Horse` is spat out before `Mr Motivator` sends this ecstatic crowd into a frenzy. The reflective `Mother`, an appreciation of women like the singer’s mother who do so much which goes unrecognised and `Car Crash` are belted out before the group seems to finally come up for air before more of the same.
In `I`m Scum` we are encouraged to chant “fuck the king” which everybody complies with before the set is sprinkled with some more reflective cuts such as `Roy` and `When The Lights Come On` and more tribal offerings such as `Jungle` and `The Wheel` which touches on the difficult subject of alcoholism.
The direct `Wizz` is referred to as the band`s homage to local Grindcore band Napalm Death while the thoughtful `Gratitude` is dedicated to Willie J Healey.
`Love Song` is interlaced with snippets of Prince/Sinead O`Connor`s `Nothing compares to you`, Celine Dion`s `My Heart Will Go On`, Sabbath`s War Pigs, Duran Duran`s `Rio`, and Maiah Carey`s `All I want for Christmas is you` amongst others as guitarist Mark Bowen ventures into the audience and is surfed back to the stage on a sea of hands.
The home stretch includes the hypnotic `POP POP POP` with the word Freudenfreude interspersed throughout which equates to finding pleasure in another person’s good fortune, `Crawl` and the ballad almost waltz like `This Beachland Ballroom` which relays the band`s rise in popularity.
The nigh on two hour show closes out with the mesmerising `Dancer`, `Danny Nedelko` a tribute to the singer`s Ukrainian friend and member of the band Heavy Lungs which has a wider reflection on immigration and `Rottweiler` about which the singer has said “It’s a war cry where I wash my hands of the torrid hateful tabloid press and put my reading glasses on”, indeed a reference to the dangers of The Sun newspaper is made in the introduction to the song by the frontman.
An Idles show is as much a shared experience as a straightforward gig. The subject matters shared are brutally honest, resonating and at times a little challenging but they are presented against a robust but captivating cacophony of captivating sound which at times is angry but powerful. They are back in Brum tonight and have three shows in Manchester which are all long sold out but if you can obtain a return or resell ticket , this tour is a must see.
