IDLES PLAYED 3 SOLD OUT SHOWS IN HOLLYWOOD: WE SURVIVED NIGHT 2
The UK, nay, planet Earth’s finest punk band, the mighty IDLES, rolled through Southern California recently, playing a ungodly SEVEN shows [plus an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel] scattered throughout the South Land. We here at Get Some Magazine were fortunate enough to catch the band’s second, of three, sold out shows at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood last Thursday.
The line to get inside the venue wrapped around the block. The fortunate souls who made it inside early were treated with the post punk antics of NYC’s Gustaf, who’ve been killing it on the road as IDLES support on this massive North American trek of theirs, selling out just about every date on the tour. By the time Bristol’s favorite lads hit the stage, the capacity crowd inside The Fonda was more than ready.
IDLES kicked things off with the slow building, madness inducing opening track off 2018’s Joy As An Act of Resistance, “Colossus.” Before the song’s manic crescendo, frontman Joe Talbot asked the crowd if they were ready to take care of one another out on the dance floor, before the Braveheart style ‘Wall of Death’ mosh pit mania ensued. Despite that grizzly name, and the massive amounts of shoving and sweat flying in the air all night, the atmosphere inside The Fonda was festive and upbeat. The outside world might suck, but it’s always a joyous celebration when IDLES hits the stage.
Their music can be abrasive, but it’s also beautiful. Song’s like “War” and “Divide and Conquer” highlight society’s dark side, while tracks like “Grounds” and “Danny Nedelko” shows humanity at its best. “LOVE YOURSELF!” Talbot screamed during “Television.” The crowd moshed their hearts out during “Anxiety” and “Never Fight a Man With a Perm” and danced their butts off to “I’m Scum.”
The new songs off the band’s upcoming album, Crawler, all went over great live. When you’ve cranked out four killer albums in under five years, narrowing down a setlist might be a daunting task. However, when you’re beaming with charisma and energy like IDLES you can sort of get away with performing the phone book, or launching into impromptu Beatles covers like guitarist Mark Bowen did when he dove into the crowd during “Love Song.”
IDLES closed their set with “Rottweiler” and were joined by the members of Gustaf to end things with a bang. Go see IDLES when they stroll through your town. Grab a copy of Crawler when it drops November 12 on Partisan Records, and remember to love yourself and everyone around you…except fascist dickheads. IDLES has zero tolerance for intolerant reactionaries, as they told the crowd numerous times last week and explicitly stated at the start of “Rottweiler” when Talbot said: “This is an anti-fascist song.” Like we said before…Earth’s finest!
