I went to a gig, a real life proper gig. Yes they are actually a thing. In a week where I had four gigs cancelled for upcoming shows in Jan and February by international artists at least the UK artists didn’t let us down. The added bonus to this Idles show was a late addition to the bill of Wet Leg who we saw at their first London headline show in Omeara back in October. It was also my first visit to Brixton Academy for ten years which took me aback especially as I went there four times that year.
Anyhoo onto the show. Arriving at the end of Wych Elm, the first support act, the place is already 70% full as we make our way to prime floor real estate near the front dead centre for Wet Leg. A very brief discussion between me and ‘Monster Energy Drink’ Andy agreed that we would be retiring to a slightly less hectic area of the stalls when Idles took the stage.
So Wet Leg, I was a little apprehensive to see how they would make the big jump from the small intimate stage at Omeara in front of 300 punters to the 5000 capacity huge stage of the Academy. I needn’t have worried as their sound was beefed up and the multi guitar/keyboard setup does give them more depth that translated very well. It’s a short thirty minute set with no banter just a rapid run through of the yet to be released album closing with the ‘hit’ ‘Chaise Longue’. It was at this stage that the floor started their first mosh of the night and given our proximity to the stage I was swept along with the youngsters. Sadly I would guess there were a few causalities as fifteen stone of middle aged man let rip in the melee for three minutes before oxygen was required and normal order was restored.
Next up Idles, and after moving to mid-way in the stalls with our backs to the barrier for some surge protection we settle in for the show. That’s of course if it’s possible to settle in for a punk gig. These rearranged gigs were originally to support their third album but in the intervening period they have released a fourth album ‘Crawler’ and the set draws heavily from this their ‘soul’ album.
What follows in the next ninety minutes is a visual and aural assault of the senses. Its loud, its brash, its bright, its energetic, did I mention it was loud but most of all it was great and pure visceral enjoyment. After seeing these guys at Glasto in an afternoon slot the show and intensity was ramped up in this more intimate (cough) setting with an amazing light show to support the music.
It’s not all one hundred miles an hour brashness and there is light and shade and by that I mean it gives the 2000 individuals in the stalls a moment to catch our breaths. Outside of that the mosh was brutal on the odd occasion and oh to be young again to sustain that amount of energy over a longer period. We held onto our dignity on the edges of the madness... just about.
Highlights were still probably the handful from ‘Joy as an Act’ although I thought the new songs more than held their own but it was on the anthemic immigrant song ‘Danny Nedelko’ that saw both band and audience meld into one. It’s a joyous cacophony of noise and only cements and brings home what live music is all about and how much I have missed it over the past two years. Of course what I haven’t missed is being covered in beer, smelling stale farts, sweat, weed, sick and the like but hey it’s a typical night in Wetherspoons albeit without the good music.
Glad to break my duck this year and fingers crossed that my remaining gigs stay intact.
Keep on punk rock and rollin y’all