The band is notorious for its cathartically unhinged performances that the Guardian compares to the feeling of "being punched and hugged at the same time." In fact, Idles, which formed in 2009, dedicated an unheard-of eight years to mastering its live sound, only dropping its first album in 2017. The result? A five-album arsenal of punk anthems within the following eight years.
Whether you're an Idles die-hard or a recent convert, it's a lot to take in. Before you go braving the pit, here's a refresher on the band's hit-studded discography.
"1049 Gotho"
Hailing from the band's debut album Brutalism, this song seems an unlikely choice against contenders like "Mother," a scorching feminist anthem that would thematically set up much of the group's later works. The lyrics tease a vulnerability and desperation personal to frontman Joe Talbot that would be gradually coaxed out of the hardcore Brits in subsequent records. A two-step punk classic, "1049 Gotho" takes inspiration from Talbot's close friend and his vivid description of his mental health struggles. The futuristic title is the name of an asteroid discovered in 1925 that eerily mirrors his friend's analogy of depression being a "huge black shadow surrounding you all the time that is cripplingly heavy, but not seen by others.""Never Fight a Man With a Perm"
Right when you think that all the best songs have been written, Idles comes out with a diss track on the infamous broccoli boy and his tapered curly cut. "Never Fight a Man With a Perm" is a cutthroat attack on toxic masculinity and all the stereotypes that embody it, from beefy necks to a weird obsession with concrete and leather. The song's music video keeps the joke running, playfully mimicking a round of Street Fighter between two brawny men in a painfully macho universe. In a refreshingly transparent turn of events, it's also a confessional for the frontman, who admits in an interview with Kerrang! that he "used to be a real piece of shit.""A Hymn"
The penultimate track of the band's pandemic album Ultra Mono, "A Hymn," is a committed return to the candid sensitivity hinted at in the first record. This time, Talbot isn't shy about his existential state of mind, instead choosing to lyrically dive headfirst. The song centers around the suffocating nature of shame in the quest for love and marks a shift both musically for the group and personally for Talbot. Fuzzy guitars invite listeners to sulk instead of thrash, laying the groundwork for the experimental direction of the band's following album, Crawler. Simultaneously, the frontman discloses that the track is a projection of his inner work in therapy as he switches from accepting his past to pragmatically changing his outlook on life in the name of emotional maturity."The Beachland Ballroom"
Thought you'd never catch yourself waltzing to Idles with a single tear rolling down your cheek? Think again. "The Beachland Ballroom," the centerpiece of the band's fourth studio album, has all the soul-baring qualities needed to make that happen. Named after a notorious music venue in Cleveland, the song is a pensive tune about reeling and recovering from trauma. A wailing organ and climactic guitar parts draw you into a stupor you'll be hard-pressed to shake off. The stark departure of Crawler from previous records is arguably the band's most dramatic shift in its discography. Though echoing the group's original sound, it explores a much more intimate subject matter, shedding light on Talbot's struggle with addiction and involvement in a near-fatal car accident."Dancer"
It's no surprise that an album title with the distinct auditory appeal of Tangk would have a euphoric preview like "Dancer." Released as the record's first promotional single, the track epitomizes Idles' sound — aggressive, emotional, primal — while putting a rhythmic spin on it. The band collaborated with Brooklyn-borne LCD Soundsystem, featured in the track's backing vocals, to create an ode to the sacred spaces of the mosh pit and the dance floor. From its opening Dean Martin-eqsue strings to the closing crunchy feedback, this song will have you busting a move and joining the company of the carefree amateur dancers featured in its music video.Idles. With Ekko Astral. 7 p.m. Monday, June 10, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-449-1025; jointherevolution.net. Sold out.
