IDLES + WILLIE J. HEALEY – BRIGHTON CENTRE 1.12.24
The date is 25th September 2018, and I’m settling in for a late night viewing of ‘Later… with Jools Holland’ as it comes back onto our screens after three months of inactivity. Following an opening performance of Jess Glynne comes a troupe of five Bristolian gents, tearing apart the stage with a song surrounding the subjects of immigration and unity, named after a close friend of theirs known as ‘Danny Nedelko’. The song is frenzied, furious and ferociously raucous in timbre, and immediately became my new favourite sound, with confirmation of my fresh love for them arriving in the form of a subsequent listening of a song called ‘Great’, which reflects on the 52% majority that overruled the Brexit poll many years ago now, leading to a purchase of their current record of the time. The album in question? ‘Joy As An Act of Resistance’. The band in question? IDLES.
The five-piece formed in 2009, with an early formation crafting and refining their live performances to become the prominent iteration that sought triumph in their 2017 debut ‘Brutalism’, a record brutal in both soundplay and messages that explored the working class, a hatred of Conservative government and the death of frontman Joe Talbot’s mother. The powers of Talbot’s songwriting broke into full creative force on ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’, released the following year to critical acclaim, still standing as my favourite of the band to date.
2020’s ‘Ultra Mono’ and 2021’s ‘Crawler’ further mutated the band’s sonic arrangements, incorporating distinctive bents on post-hardcore and electronica, the former album featuring collaborations with Warren Ellis, Jehnny Beth and David Yow among others and the latter touching on the sounds of powerviolence and synth textures. Their first album in three years, 2024’s ‘TANGK’ sees the production talents of Nigel Godrich, Kenny Beats and IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen, along with featured vocals from LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and Nancy Whang, as well as further odysseys into more experimental territories from the band’s post-hardcore sound design towards leanings of electronic music, garage and pockets of ambience.
‘TANGK’ landed at the top of the UK albums charts, their second album to do so after ‘Ultra Mono’, and for good reason. Demonstrating their ever growing skills towards creating heavy, hard-hitting rock music that flips the punk ethic on its head and embraces positivity, self-love and immigration, IDLES refused to rest on their laurels and departed towards the Brighton Centre (courtesy of Lout promoters) in the tail-end of a 20-date UK tour, spanning across a brief July period and the last half of November. Hold on to your TANGK caps, because it’s going to get rowdy!
With over half an hour to go until IDLES are due to take the stage, the main auditorium at the Brighton Centre is slowly filling up to the rafters with fans and gig-goers, waiting patiently to see their favourite Bristolian rockers for a stellar two-hour performance. Opening waves of feedback and ambience swarm the room before drummer Jon Beavis introduces the ‘TANGK’ opening track ‘IDEA 01’ with its 3-3-2 kick drum pattern, leading to the arrival of guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan, lead singer Joe Talbot, and bassist Adam Devonshire, looking less and less like Buster Merryfield as Uncle Albert every day! This track demonstrates IDLES’ trajectory of perfecting some of their darker and slow-paced cuts, with its eerie high end pianos and soft but menacing dynamics.
A gradual and inventive transition brings us into ‘Colossus’, a track that might just sit inside my top 5 IDLES songs, with its forebodingly dark monotonous guitar lines. Joe begins tiptoeing his way across the stage before splitting the audience in half, hinting the first mosh pit of the night in the song’s closing punked-out section. The track ‘Gift Horse’ is delivered with such extraordinary gravitas that presents itself in a much more disjointed and twisted force than that of the version that appears on ‘TANGK’, with Joe’s cry of “F**k the king! He ain’t the king, she’s the king!” uniting IDLES fans across the room, as well as signalling the flying of drinks, jumping bodies and even a sweatshirt.
The only track performed from 2020’s ‘Ultra Mono’, ‘Mr. Motivator’ reads sonically as the ultimate IDLES workout tune, complete with propulsive and grinding guitarwork (note: skipping the lyric about Conor McGregor was well played, Mr. Talbot). It’s at this song where the first of several instances of security guards fishing out crowd surfers begin to arise… told you it would get rowdy! But, does it reach the thrilling heights of security escorting elderly attendees back to their seats after dancing to Squeeze at the start of the month here? Never…!
‘Brutalism’ classic ‘Mother’ opens with a slightly extended intro where the audience are singing before Joe starts, proving the impact the band seem to have on their fans! The iconic statements of “the best way to scare a Tory is to read and get rich” and the brutal honesty of the final verse regarding sexual violence still stand incredibly strong after all this time too. The song ‘Car Crash’ is easily one of the most twisted and bewitching tracks in the performance, thanks to its grinding and screeching distortion manipulated by Mark, which sits underneath Jon’s stern and strict drum groove. The band are joined onstage for this show by Colin Webster, whose saxophone performances are utterly monumental during this song in particular.
Another all-time favourite for me, ‘I’m Scum’ makes use of galloping tom grooves and a chorus melody that one could even hear in a folk sing-a-long! Joe brings the audience down to the floor as he brings out a chant of “f**k the king!”, which he regards as the new British anthem. ‘Roy’ is a much needed comedown in the set, placed within a 6/8 shaker beat and romantic overtones that are touched upon only briefly in other IDLES songs. The intensity begins to turn back up again on the song ‘1049 Gotho’, named after an asteroid that orbits our Sun, used as an allegory for depression. Joe spends the majority of this song employing his guttural vocal performances under deep red lighting that gives the stage a totally menacing depiction.
‘Jungle’ is a much more progressive cut, with its hypnotic drum pattern turning thunderous against the wild guitar patterns from Lee and Mark, not to mention a call towards the start of the track shunning the police (in a much more expletive manner than I describe, you understand). Hearing IDLES live after six years of being a fan, for me, has helped me look at particular songs in a new light; ‘The Wheel’ is a key example for me, centred around the death of Joe’s mother two years before ‘Brutalism’ was released. Dedicated to anyone who suffers through addiction, Joe urges people to share their feelings and struggles with someone as it could save their life or someone else’s.
The patient and more gradual cut ‘When The Lights Come On’ sees Mark’s nonchalant guitar performances go down a storm with the crowd, while the anti-fascist, yet lyrically sparse ‘Divide & Conquer’ welcomes the insane drum mechanics of Jon, who still remains to be one of my favourite drummers on the planet. Joe takes a moment to show his gratitude to Willie J Healey for opening before aptly journeying the set into ‘Gratitude’, the penultimate track on ‘TANGK’. Despite not being a highlight on the album for me, the fuzzed out and weighty sound was still something to behold, particularly with Mark’s exploration of distorted textures from his board on the left of the stage.
“We’ve recently been sharing the stage with some great Brighton bands”, proclaims Joe, giving nods to Lambrini Girls, DITZ and TRAAMS (a Chichester band, but I’ll let it slide). Following the circle pit insanity that Lee and Mark experience during ‘Benzocaine’ comes ‘POP POP POP’, whose Streets’ ‘Turn The Page’-esque rhythm is a refreshing change of sound that works so well for a band like IDLES. Joe stands before his congregation of fans under washes of gold and blue lights while Mark’s screeching power electronics bring the song to an abstractly-textured close. The incredibly impactful ‘Samaritans’ centres around the various definitions of masculinity, whether it be through the stereotypical remarks of “man up, sit down, chin up, pipe down, socks off, don’t cry, drink up, don’t whine, grow some balls!”, or the chorus refrain of “this is why you never see your father cry!”.
Albeit a more conventional IDLES track in comparison, ‘Crawl!’ is yet another strong live highlight for the band, with Lee taking yet another jaunt in the crowd, guitar in hands and riled up. As we approach the last leg of the set, ‘The Beachland Ballroom’ is one of the most heartbreaking songs the band have to offer, with its waltzing rhythms, glimmering Farfisa organ tones and Joe’s gut-punching vocal performances. The rough and rowdy track ‘Never Fight A Man With A Perm’ receives the biggest audience reaction of the entire evening, under absolutely monstrous lighting work and Jon treating us all to a stellar drum solo.
Joe blesses us with an invitation to dance before heading into the ‘TANGK’ lead single ‘Dancer’, which features some of the best guitar tones of the performance and some pre-recorded backing vocals from James and Nancy of LCD Soundsystem. The second to last track of the night came in the form of the high-octane and propulsive ‘Danny Nedelko’, described by Joe as about “the support and strength of the immigrants that built this country”, and named after a friend of the band who sings in the group Heavy Lungs. IDLES bid us farewell on the song ‘Rottweiler’, where they commit total sonic kamikaze through waves of distortion and flailing drums atop calls from Mark for a “Ceasefire now!”. It feels so thrilling to check IDLES off my gig bucket-list; in the space of two hours, the five members (plus Colin) totally enthralled me with their empowering songwriting, magnificent musicianship and intense performances to make one of the best shows I’ve ever witnessed. All I can say now is, to quote Joe just before ‘Rottweiler’, “Don’t read the Sun, it gives you cancer”. All is love.
IDLES:
Joe Talbot – lead vocals, drums
Adam Devonshire – bass guitar, backing vocals
Mark Bowen – lead guitar, backing vocals, electronics, keyboards
Jon Beavis – drums, backing vocals
Lee Kiernan – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Colin Webster – saxophone
IDLES setlist:
‘Idea 01’ (from 2024 ‘Tangk’ album)
‘Colossus’ (from 2018 ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ album)
‘Gift Horse’ (from 2024 ‘Tangk’ album)
‘Mr. Motivator’ (from 2020 ‘Ultra Mono’ album)
‘Mother’ (from 2017 ‘Brutalism’ album)
‘Car Crash’ (from 2021 ‘Crawler’ album)
‘I’m Scum’ (from 2018 ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ album)
‘Roy’ (from 2024 ‘Tangk’ album)
‘1049 Gotho’ (from 2017 ‘Brutalism’ album)
‘Jungle’ (from 2024 ‘Tangk’ album)
‘The Wheel’ (from 2021 ‘Crawler’ album)
‘When The Lights Come On’ (from 2021 ‘Crawler’ album)
‘Divide And Conquer’ (from 2017 ‘Brutalism’ album)
‘Gratitude’ (from 2024 ‘Tangk’ album)
‘Benzocaine’ (from 2017 ‘Brutalism’ album)
‘Pop Pop Pop’ (from 2024 ‘Tangk’ album)
‘Samaritans’ (from 2018 ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ album)
‘Crawl!’ (from 2021 ‘Crawler’ album)
‘The Beachland Ballroom’ (from 2021 ‘Crawler’ album)
‘Never Fight A Man With A Perm’ (from 2018 ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ album)
‘Dancer’ (from 2024 ‘Tangk’ album)
‘Danny Nedelko’ (from 2018 ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ album)
‘Rottweiler’ (from 2018 ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ album)
Joining IDLES on the last leg of their tour is Willie J. Healey, a singer-songwriter from Oxfordshire, who has enjoyed relative success with three albums and a myriad of EPs under his belt, as well as support slots with the likes of Gaz Coombes, Florence + the Machine and Arctic Monkeys. Himself and a band of guitarist Chris Barker, drummer Roy Lowe, bassist Leo Clarke, and guitarist and keys player Callum Parker, walk on, pretty dapperly, to the classic War track ‘Low Rider’, before opening with the beautifully warm indie pop stirrings of ‘She’s Heroin’, backed by a garage rock soundplay and a very well-balanced arrangement of the three electric guitarists (including Willie).
Willie’s yelping vocals and slightly erratic stage presence made themselves known from the get go, giving a whiff of Wunderhorse’s Jacob Slater if he was primarily inspired by Neil Young. The song ‘Little Sister’ hits on just the right touch of angular vocal and guitar work for this type of indie pop with its chugging guitar lines, despite prompting fellow B+H News writer (and editor) Nick Linazasoro to lean towards me and mutter “is it me, or are they very normal for this type of support?”, to which I agreed. Don’t get me wrong, Willie J. Healey is a very talented artist and songwriter and was a thrill to witness live; just the pure contrast between himself and IDLES was found quite humorous considering Brighton favourites Lambrini Girls took the support act throne for the Alexandra Palace shows and not here.
‘True Stereo’ reminds me of a cross between The Strokes and Palace with some great syncopated grooves in its chorus and jagged waves of electric guitars in its verses. The track ‘Sure Feels Good’ is a much breezier point in the setlist, utilising some slick chord changes that feel like something out of a Her’s song. During this song, I spot some eager Willie J. Healey fans scattered predominantly around the room, pounding the air and swaying to the song as it rises to this massive crescendo that ends the track marvellously. After a quick natter to the audience and a moment of thanks and appreciation to IDLES, Healey and his cohorts progress into a one-two punch of a pair of songs that I unfortunately couldn’t catch the name of. The latter of the two in particular was a very exciting track for me, thanks to its slightly sludgy instrumental and Weezer-esque chord changes, topped with a demented guitar solo from Chris.
‘My Room’ was one of the prominent highlights in the set, portraying itself as a rhythm-skipping classic 00s indie blowout, while ‘The Apple’ made use of a more pop-centric sound and familiarly comforting progression, despite Willie’s vocals quickly becoming progressively more tortured and ragged by the end of the final chorus. Following the 60s-kissed musings of ‘Songs For Joanna’, complete with band introductions, came the closing ‘Fashun’, a song whose instrumental reminds me a lot of Worthing-based local heroes Telecom, with its big Kinks, summery, feel good vibes painting the sonic arrangement wonderfully as a last hurrah for Willie before his swift departure from the stage.
Overall, Willie J Healey was a super talented introduction to the night, with beautifully tight and well-arranged instrumentals and songwriting to offer… but, part of me still wishes I got to experience a support slot in the form of Lambrini Girls; or better yet, one of my all-time favourite bands, American experimental rock legends Battles who opened at the previous night’s Ally Pally show. But, I wasn’t there, so I’m still happy to have been introduced to the world of Willie J Healey.
Willie J. Healey:
Willie J Healey – electric guitar, vocals
Callum Parker – keys, electric guitar
Leo Clarke – bass
Chris Barker – electric guitar
Roy Lowe – drums
Willie J. Healey setlist:
‘She’s Heroin’
‘Little Sister’ (from 2023 ‘Bunny’ album)
‘True Stereo’ (from 2020 ‘Twin Heavy’ album)
‘Sure Feels Good’ (from 2023 ‘Bunny’ album)
“Unknown” (New song)
“Unknown” (New song)
‘My Room’ (from 2017 ‘People And Their Dogs’ album)
‘The Apple’
‘Songs For Joanna’ (from 2020 ‘Twin Heavy’ album)
‘Fashun’ (from 2020 ‘Twin Heavy’ album)
Click HERE to view 25 different photos from tonight’s show!
