IDLES – KOMEDIA, BRIGHTON 3.9.18
I’ve just returned home from witnessing the Bristol based 5-piece nouveau punk band IDLES at their brand new album launch signing at The Komedia in Brighton.
This was my fourth IDLES gig having first seen them two years ago supporting DIIV at the Concorde 2, which incidentally they are returning to on 27th October, but this time as headline act. It easily sold out.
The album launch was initially to have taken place within Resident Music in nearby Kensington Gardens, but demand for this band is sooooo hot that a more sensible option was achieved and the event was expanded with further tickets available and so the nearby Komedia being the natural option. Fans simply had to purchase the new album ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ from Resident Music and thus this would entitle them to the free gig until venue capacity was reached.
Suffice to say, the event sold out in a matter of hours and tonight IDLES weren’t just sitting there signing their new platter, they willingly beforehand put on an energetic concert in their inimitable style and as one would have expected the crowd went wild. I was located right at the front in the centre and my knee caps bore the brunt of the moshpit as they continually slammed against the speakers. A small price to pay for such a band. You won’t be able to see these boys perform in a venue this size anymore as they are surely heading for rock stardom!
The guys came on stage at around 7:15pm and performed the new albums opener ‘Colossus’ which starts slowly and builds and then unleashes raw power. This set the tone for the evening.
This was not a super-long set, we were treated to something like a dozen tracks, but this was more than I have ever experienced with an album launch before. The band initially performed a few tracks of their own choosing and then singer Joe randomly selected a few individuals from the eager audience to introduce themselves and where they were from and to choose a track for the band to perform next and they duly obliged. Arguably the best on the night from this lot was ‘Mother’.
We also had tracks from their debut album ‘Brutalism’ including my fave tune ‘Well Done’. Joe crowd surfed during the performance which added that special rock feel. Track after track the heat was rammed up right until the end, when we were treated to recent popular download single ‘Danny Nedelko’ which is also found on the new album.
Gig done with, it was time for the vinyl and CD signing. The wonderful thing was that vocalist Joe Talbot, bassist Adam ‘Dev’ Devonshire, guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan plus drummer Jon Beavis were actually humbled by the fans reactions and thanked every individual for their purchase and coming along this evening. Brilliant touch lads! See you at the Concorde 2 and your album in the Top 3! (UPDATE: The ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ album entered the Official Album Chart at No.5 and at No.1 in the Vinyl Album Chart – ‘Well Done’ lads!).
More info on IDLES:
https://www.idlesband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/idlesband/
https://twitter.com/idlesband
https://www.instagram.com/idlesband/
