IDLES, Manchester Apollo. 8th December 2024

Tonight is IDLES third night on the bounce in the Apollo and it’s my fourth gig on the bounce this week, I really need something to wake me up. I’m hoping IDLES aren’t feeling as tired as I am. They’re on an ever upward trajectory. I said last time I saw them that CRAWLER was their best album yet. That’s now been superseded by this year’s TANGK and I’m beyond excited to hear it live. There’s a cinematic quality as ‘IDEA01’ builds. Talbot’s poetic vocal teases as a steady beat pulses along with layers of piano and a subtle guitar. It’s a lovely intro and a reminder that they’re not just all about raw power. They’re not short on that though as ‘Colossus’ brings the bass. You can feel the strings vibrate, almost like they’re touching your skin. As it kicks in, the band go wild, throwing themselves around the stage, even the lad with the saxophone! It’s powerful but controlled. The energy quickly spills from the stage into the crowd, as Lee throws himself into the pit and the floor explodes. He’ll do this a lot, he’s in the crowd almost as much as on stage. The sound is thick and meaty on ‘Gift Horse’. It suits them in here, but I do miss the danger of trying to contain them in smaller rooms. They’ve sold this out every night though, so I guess those smaller rooms are a thing of the past. They play like they’re being electrocuted. Mark spins with his guitar, letting his frock hit full voluminousness as Talbot swings the mic. ‘Mother’ is sung back at the stage at full volume, the Apollo sounds good! Talbot has his work cut out to compete, but he wins of course. That baritone growl is intense. ‘Car Crash’ with its slow brooding menace is a welcome breather, but it’s still bone shattering and builds to quite a finale. Whoever is on the lights, I assume must’ve fallen on the desk and thrown every switch, it’s like a firework display. Talbot breaks out his sexy dancing on ‘I’m Scum’ and we get the everyone get down and jump up bit with some added “fuck the king” chanting. I know Talbot and the guitars take the limelight, but for me it’s the drums and bass that drive this. Jon and Adam are phenomenal. ‘Roy’ is definitely one of the more melodic songs in the set and the whole band positively soar on its chorus. It’s the new stuff that sounds most exciting to me, but the older songs aren’t shabby. Talbot it has to be said isn’t a cheery soul, every story is about something bleak like ‘The Wheel’ about “my mother’s death”. I guess that’s the hook with IDLES, turning this into something positively powerful. I’ve used that word twice in a couple of sentences, so there’s gotta be something to it. Considering it’s all pretty brutal there is nuance in their sound. ‘Jungle’ isn’t as visceral as some of their catalogue live, but it’s still brilliant. As if to prove my point ‘When the Lights Come On’ changes gear again. It’s broody, the sounds of dystopian dark days. It’s quite gothy and makes me think of wandering wet suburban roads on a cold night. There’s a chance I might be starting to feel a bit delirious. ‘Heel/Heal’ brings in the hour and it’s here with this driving juggernaut that I realise this crowd is actually quite calm. There’s a pit, but it’s pretty small. I’m down the front to the right of the stage (see photo), but it’s all very civilised. This is probably doing me a favour. I guess it is a Sunday but ‘Divide & Conquer’ wakes everyone up. The punk pace picks up and Talbot wiggles his bum. Before declaring “This song is about shit drugs and wonderful friends” introduces ‘Benzocaine’. I’m definitely flagging now. The heavy songs starting to take their toll. ’POP POP POP’ is what I need. It’s more chilled with a trip hop vibe but it’s what I’m craving and it really hits the spot. The bass is bouncy with a bit of bite and I can feel the rush of much needed energy hit me. ‘Television’ is a pure room-wide euphoric release. That pit has now grown, but you’ll see as many people singing arms aloft or around each other as much as jumping up and down. ‘Crawl!’ is massive, but it’s the space in ‘The Beachland Ballroom’ that moves me. It’s utterly beautiful. We’re getting to the end and a final salvo of ‘Never Fight a Man With a Perm’, ’The Dancer’ (“Manchester It’s time to dance”) and ‘Danny Nedelko’, pound the ecstatic crowd before they close with the extended

‘Rottweiler’ with its customary introductions and seasonal interlude of ‘All I want for Christmas’. This is their 106th gig of the year “let us go home” Talbot pleads. I’m not far off that myself and I’m still not done. I’ve a night off before resuming again on Tuesday… which is gonna be a bit special! As was this.