They may come across as the classic punk rockers, but this Bristol five-piece preach love, not destruction – when they’;re not protesting about modern society they’re raising money for the Samaritans.
Following up the 2015’s furious debut Brutalism, these angry young men have a message they’re not afraid to shout out. From the anti-racist ‘Danny Nedelko’ – “Fear leads to panic, panic leads to pain, Pain leads to anger, anger leads to hate“ to the Brexiteer baiting ‘Great’ (“Blighty wants her blue passport, not quite sure what the union’s for, burning bridges and closing doors”) it’s a 100mph rollercoaster ride through the barriers of hate and ignorance.
There’s starkly contrasting light and shade in their fury – ‘June’ quotes Hemingway as a tribute to singer Joe Talbot’s deceased baby daughter: “Baby shoes. For sale, Never worn”.
It’s not all serious however, ‘Never Fight A Man With A Perm’ will provide the soundtrack to a night of indie clubbing. But you want to think as well as drink, Idles are the band for you.
out now. This article originally appeared in the Glenrothes Gazette.