Finally returning to full-blooded touring mode, Idles bounce on stage like prize fighters ready to reclaim their title. This is the first of four back-toback nights at Brixton, and Joe Talbot and his artpunk hooligans are taking no chances with further covid cancellations, cramming enough energy for at least four shows into their performance.
To their detractors, Idles are an overblown cartoon joke band, bellowing simplistic slogans over a clobbering post-hardcore racket, and there is certainly plenty of rowdy testosterone clamour in the show, on punchy crowd-pleasers like Mr Motivator or 1049 Gotho. But there are hints of more emotional depth too, notably on songs from the Bristol band’s latest album The Crawler. When The Lights Come On and the brooding MTT 420 RR showcase Talbot’s underrated skills as a melodic crooner, while The Beachland Ballroom recasts him in incongruously tender, tearful, doo-wop soul-man mode.