Joe Talbot of Idles on May 14 at The Hollywood Palladium.
By Lacey James
There’s something special about Idles shows.
Idles played a two-hour sold-out show on May 13 at the Hollywood Palladium to plenty of anxious fans for their American leg of their "LOVE IS THE FING" tour. Needless to say, Idles absolutely crushed it, per usual.
The dimly light venue was packed with people of all ages, scouring up and down the halls of the retro style Hollywood Palladium, wearing Idles merch shirts and ready to mosh.
The band ripped through their songs from their vast catalog and pounded out a variety of songs from Brutalism, Joy as an Act of Resistance, Ultra Mono, CRAWLER, and their newest album TANGK.
Idles took to the fuzzy, smoke-filled, and dark stage around 9:15 with soft white lighting shining on leader singer Joe Talbot. They opened with “IDEA 101,” the opening track to TANGK. The piano driven tune was a calm intro and warmup for what was to emerge for a band that is known for their highly energetic shows.
Idles guitarist, Mark Bowen on May 14 at The Hollywood Palladium.
Next was “Colossus,” which was their opening track from their 2018 album Joy as an Act of Resistance. The energy immediately shifted.
The warm and ambient red lighting coated the stage as the crowd sang along and clung onto every word. After the brief refrain and change up in “Colossus,” The Hollywood Palladium exploded.
Talbot, guitarist Mark Bowen, bass player Adam Devonshire, guitarist Lee Keirnan, and drummer Jon Beavis wowed the crowd with their tight playing, passion, and synchronicity.
Their innovative guitar riffs, rumbling drums, and deep and heavy basslines were played to the fullest in Hollywood. Talbots powerhouse vocals explode and catapult each song into another dimension, all while somehow screaming and singing beautifully and combining passion, anger, and love into every word and syllable.
Idles then blasted through “Gift Horse,” “Mr. Motivator,” “Mother,” and “Car Crash.”
Not shy of getting deep into the pit was guitarist Keirnan, who dove into the audience as much as possible, giving a chance for mosh-pitters to interact closely with the band.
Before getting into the high spirited, classic, sing-a-long ,“I’m Scum,” Talbot said “I’d like to dedicate this song and the rest of this set to the innocent people of Palestine.”
(Left) Jon Beavis (Center) Joe Talbot (Right) Adam Devonshire on May 14 at The Hollywood Palladium.
“Are there any scumbags in the audience?” Talbot asked. “I said are there any fucking scumbags in the fucking audience?”
Talbot walked the audience through their index of musical work in a narrative style.
At one-point talbot said “This song is about drugs. Well 90% of our songs are about drugs.”
Talbot also dedicated “The Wheel” to his late mother who “drank herself to death.” A photo of his mother was also included on their debut studio 2017 album, Brutalism.
Their songs “Jungle,” “War”, “When the Lights Come On,” “1049 Gotho,” “Wizz” and “Television” were also wrapped into the beautiful, poetic, vibrant and dynamic setlist.
"I said are there any fucking scumbags in the fucking audience?” - Joe Talbot
“POP POP POP,” “Television,” and “Crawl!” were also executed and included in the show.
The crowd was sent into a frenzy when Idles played the first notes of fan favorite “The Beachland Ballroom.”
Guitarist Lee Kerinan on May 13 at The Hollywood Palladium.
“This one’s for Marco,” Talbot said before “The Beachland Ballroom.”
Talbot also dedicated “Divide and Conquer” to the late Steve Albini, who passed away last week, the behind-the-scenes music wizard and audio engineer who worked with Nirvana, The Pixies, The Breeders, and The Jesus Lizard.
Idles closed out with “Dancer,” “Danny Nedelko” and “Rottweiler.”
Their fans are dedicated, rebels with musical hearts, joyful lovers, and devoted to Idles message about love and adversity.
Idles are here to stay.
They will no doubt go down as one of the best and most entertaining live bands of this generation.
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