IDLES + HEAVY LUNGS – CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON 27.10.18
Epic Bristol 5-piece IDLES were back in Brighton as part of their first world tour, which was in support of their latest Top 5 album ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance.’
The bands lead single from the album is a pro-immigration anthem entitled ‘Danny Nedelko’ who made an appearance at tonight’s sold out gig as he is the support bands lead singer, and the Ukrainian immigrant, Danny, is also close friend of the band.
The lads (Joe Talbot, Adam Devonshire, Mark Bowen, Lee Kiernan and Jon Beavis) have scheduled a 55 date around the world tour with a welcome return to Brighton seafront at the Concorde 2.
We had witnessed the band perform at the same venue around two and half years ago when they were bottom of the bill in support to Diiv. Even back then we knew that the lads were going to go on a meteoric journey as they blew everyone away with their terrific hypnotic energetic performance.
They came back to Brighton again and played the compact Prince Albert and returned to woo the crowds at The Great Escape last May. They were back for their album launch at The Komedia recently and here they are again tonight and thankfully I have attended all 5 gigs.
I knew what we were going to be in for tonight and that was a reasonably controlled riotous performance with an ample amount of crowd interaction one way or another. So did they guys deliver? Well heck yeah! They were seriously at it tonight!
This Concorde 2 gig will live in the minds for those lucky attendees for many many years – It was that good. It was loud and fast as usual but it just that those extra super memories.
Well to start with during the end of the second track ‘Never Fight a Man With a Perm’, engaging singer Joe Talbot only fell off the stage didn’t he. He toppled over onto (ironically) one the security staff who was sporting the word medic on his back. It was about a five feet drop, but no party was outwardly injured.
Then at various times during their 18 song set both Mark Bowen, he of the tash cum beard look, and long haired Lee Kiernan, would scale the metal barrier and crowd surf whilst still playing their guitars! The were both successfully held aloft by the thankful enthusiastic fans. It looked very impressive indeed.
Briefly at one point Mark was standing in the crowd watching the rest of the IDLES getting on with it. I suspect that he was unaware that he was virtually standing next door to the Sex Pistols friend Jordan, who tonight was sporting the plum hair look.
During the set singer Joe Talbot would praise the NHS and immigrants, discuss male feelings and depression. IDLES are actually a cultured knowledgeable rock band that are totally in touch with modern day life. A great example of this was on entering the venue, there was a Samaritans stand for anyone who wished to go and talk to their staff. I have never seen them present at a concert before and although there is an IDLES track on the new LP called ‘Samaritans’, I suspect that they were attending for betterment of those concert goers. It was such a great idea, I don’t know why more bands don’t entertain the fact as surely they want to keep their fans.
Joe also praised local Brighton band DITZ, stating that “DITZ are the best band in Brighton and probably the whole world”. Their drummer Jack was invited on stage for a hug. This is quite a coincidence as I have seen DITZ within the past week and wrote about their terrific performance that “These lads have suddenly become Brighton’s answer to IDLES”.
IDLES don’t go in for fake encores and so once they were done, they were done. Always leaving the audience on a high and wanting more. Let’s hope that they return to Brighton in 2019 for some more mayhem!
Tonight’s setlist was: ‘Colossus’, ‘Never Fight a Man With a Perm’, ‘Mother’, ‘Faith In The City’, ‘I’m Scum’, ‘Danny Nedelko’, ‘Gram Rock’, ‘Divide And Conquer’, ‘Heel/Heal’, ‘1049 Gotho’, ‘Samaritans’, ‘Television’, ‘Great’, ‘Love Song’, ‘Exeter’, ‘Cry To Me’, ‘Well Done’, ‘Rottweiler’
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