Patrick Watson, La Force - EartH - Hackney, London - Dec. 10, '18

La Force
In a satin pink dress and otherwise just an electric guitar Ariel took to the stage a little later than first anticipated. Regardless the audience in the cold, old hall were captive from the get go. She played a few songs from her first solo release that's only weeks old before swapping to the cigar box for a few. Her voice is strong and distinct, pushing it to far registers at times, while handling that guitar well and varying the pre-recorded beats, one sounding like a club beat before she started into it. Inviting Little Scream to meld her vocals they sang one together which had a few moments where I worried the harmonies would go off the rails but in the end was a highlight as the crowd clapped them out. The true highlight was rightfully saved for the next song that would also be the last. "To prove that I have friends" a guitarist named Joe (from Patrick's band) came to layer onto the throbbing back beats and Ariel's own guitar while she sang us an anthem for our revolution, probably the strongest of the night and a tune akin to her work with AroarA.

Patrick Watson
Patrick Watson is in that upper echelon of performers that truly transcends with each show, giving you an ethereal experience that takes you out of the concert hall and into a new world. Taking to the stage in darkness the sound started before anything could be seen and began to not just surround but envelope us all. Along with his band of five - drums, guitars, bass, synthesizers, and Ariel's vocals  - they built up the songs from a hush until they filled your soul via your eardrums. Through fog and an assortment of ever-changing lighting, including a laser show and these lovely old-fashioned, oversized bulbs on stands with translucent mirrors that slowly twirled around them, you could just make out the variety of ways that they produced the magic. Patrick, from under a mass of hair, pumped his hands and giggled like a madman but they say there is a fine line between genius and mad and he seems to tiptoe it. He used everything from piano, to effect pedals and boards to a megaphone and even just shouting into the audience. Speaking of the audience, he also used us as an accomplished conductor would, milking everything out of our collective voices (once by encouraging us to sing like we were really drunk!), but we were willing participants throughout. Even without many 'hits' - they played Adventures in Your Own Backward but not any of Luscious Life, Big Bird in a Small Cage, or Beijing - it was still a compelling set.
Special moments came as the band huddled around one mic, family style, during the set as well as on absolute stunner, Into Giants, that opened the encore. The french horn also ended up playing out in the audience at one point of it too. This was around the time that it was made known that their drummer, Robbie Kuster, was playing his final show with the band after 20 years and the audience's roared approval carried on and on, multiple times continuing beyond when Patrick was about to introduce the next song, as Robbie stood proudly with a tambourine raised above his head. Somehow they followed this up with a beautiful solo piano tune from Patrick where he could really showcase throwing that incredible voice of his around, before they all returned for one last finale song. I realise this review doesn't do it justice and encourage you to go see it for yourself as there is new music in the pipeline for 2019!

Dan Mangan, Laura Gibson - Southbank Centre, London - Nov. 13, 2018

Dan entered the hall to a lot of whoops, trailed by the same three band members that had accompanied Laura as this was a shared band tour for these North American co-headliners. Starting off with new album opener, Lynchpin, and Lay Low, I assumed it was going to be the More or Less show which would make sense seeing as it just dropped however the next couple songs dispelled that notion immediately. Wanting to get the longtime fans on board right away he did the mighty Road Regrets followed by Pine for Cedars. After belting it out on Regrets he admitted just how relieved he was to be able to sing again at full volume after losing his voice in Hamburg right at the start of the tour and only now regaining it in full. 

There was a return to the latest with Cold in the Summer which unfortunately was not any extra special live - wouldn't have minded the equally mellow Fool for Waiting instead. Just Fear was next introduced by the tale of writing this while holding his second born in the immediate wake of Trumpy's election, as evidenced by the lyrics. Dismissing the band, who he had reintroduced - the males as old friends and the female as a new one - it became the Dan Mangan show for a few songs. This is quite a departure from the last album and tour circuit where he made a point of naming Blacksmith and calling out their importance to the songwriting process in interviews. He's singing a different tune this time around - metaphorically and literally. More or Less is at first blush a return to his folkier singer songwriter roots although there is definitely maturity and evolution in the songs which had made it another personal fast favourite. And the first fave of the favourite is Peaks and Valleys which he played next. Due to its density on record for some reason I was surprised to see it played just as him and his guitar but it was oh so thick, regardless, with a shout out to the real life Steve and Sally who were in the room (names changed slightly) and who saved his life at Glastonbury with a middle of the night papercup of tea. 

Next up he opened the set up to suggestions and got lots tossed at him, selecting Mouthpiece first, much to the chagrin of the vocal duo behind us. This was solid, still by himself, though my shout was for Jeopardy. Next was Basket which I don't think anyone could be disappointed in - even having seen it umpteen times before it's still such a powerful piece of music. 

Returning to a four piece he introduced the next song as one we could sing along to and sure enough it was his signature piece, Robots. Explaining that the robots are essentially the assholes he encouraged us to give them some vocal love. It was fun as usual but then I was gutted to see them pack up and walk off. What? We just got started! 

Alas after mere moments he returned saying "not much suspense there, was there?" Beckoning Laura back into the stage with just a guitar I thought they might duet on Indie Queens but they went with his more recent Robyn cover, Hang With Me. I wouldn't say they were the perfect couple but it was enjoyable nonetheless. That can't be it though, can it? Nope. Laura stayed and the band returned and played quietly in the background while Dan climbed onto a seat in the front, unfortunately without a spotlight, and led our uhh-uhhhs during his beautiful early song from before he was famous, So Much For Everyone. Lovely, lovely. 

It did feel an altogether too short set after having not seen him in so many years but it was an hour; sixty minutes of magic. 

Laura Gibson
Only minutes after the listed time of 7:30pm Laura took the stage accompanied by an electric guitar player, drummer and female violinist. Together they played a couple of tunes before Laura stopped to have a chat with us. She was charismatic in wishing her patch cable goodbye after all the years, the apparent culprit for a dead set of pedals, and then telling us about her experiences being interviewed around Europe. Apparently the title of her new album, Goners, threw a lot of interviewers off with one asking about her new album 'The Condemned' before introducing the title track as Goners (rhymes with stoners). She would usually record some backing sounds quietly into her looper before setting off on the track and a few times it took a minute of things sounding a little like a cacophony before it all lined up as melodic. The album is quite strong and fared well live, with older tracks also performing strongly. As a 2 for 1 co-headlining with Dan this was a lovely treat.

Idles, Heavy Lungs - Institute, Birmingham - Oct 26, 2018

Heavy Lungs
The band were all over the stage, in a good way. The drummer, shirtless from the outset, was either screaming into the mic (not singing, shrieking) or sticking his tongue out KISS style for the entirety of the set. Meanwhile the singer (the Danny Nedelko) couldn't dance but he sure did move - essentially repeating a chosen gyration a bunch of times until deciding to move on to the next. Arms swinging, head swirling, whatever it was it filled every gap between his vocals. In time he also removed his shirt and began doing push-ups on the kick drum. These two were the scene for me although the guitarist was pretty impressive, more for his actual musical talent. I can't say the music was mind-blowing yet I did enjoy it. Despite listening to their limited selection of online tunes a few times through in preparation I only recognized one of them when it was played live and it was the only slightly slower song of the set. Altogether it was a powerful, enjoyable showing of a hugely energetic group on the upswing.


Idles
With a 10pm curfew the room filled in swiftly between 7:30 when the openers hit the stage and 8:30 when the main event were due. In the past year, almost to the day, Idles have gone from headlining a mini local festival for a couple hundred to easily selling out the gorgeous Institute for a couple thousand not just fans but rabid admirers. The cheers began as Jon, the drummer, casually took his place at the kit, followed by Mr Beauty Beard (Adam) who revved things up drum and bass style, so to speak, with a protracted intro to Colossus, until the rest of the members arrived. And with the first snarl from Joe, the floor was transformed into a roiling pit that would not let up throughout the rest of the set.

Obviously being the Joy as an Act of Resistance tour they pulled heavily from the new release (playing everything but June actually), with an early highlight being Danny Nedelko, including an appearance from the inspiration for the song himself that ended with a kiss shared with Joe. Also during that tune the guitarist came down to the edge of the crowd to lead the spelling bee. The crowd ate up the hilarious Never Fight a Man with a Perm, shouting out the title to add punctuation to the tune. When Joe asked who here was scum plenty answered his call and voiced it loudly. So as not to keep early adopters waiting too long they dipped back into Mother and also tossed Heal/Heel into the mix with alternating thumbs up and down for each burst of the title.

Love Song didn't offer much new played live versus the record but it did give us a chance to hug our friends or consenting strangers on Joe's request which saw this reviewer in a joyous four-way hug with a mixed assemblage of punks. It was also around this time in the set they changed it up as the band started pulling people from the crowd onto the stage to sing, dance and play along. Yes, play! They gave out drum sticks and even a guitar to one girl to strum although she had no idea how and ended up on someone's shoulders by the end of the song, still clutching it. Easily a dozen lucky people clambered over the rail and onto the stage until the end of Exeter when Joe had to shoo them off. "I don't want to be rude but if I don't tell you to go you'll forget we're trying to put on a gig here and want to stay for a chat. It happened in Leeds!"

Television (or was it Cry to Me?) was introed by Joe with a quick word about depression, as he's known to be vocal about, well, being vocal and reaching out if in need. While he explained that Gram Rock was about the utter dummies (my word, I forget his) running the country, two of whom snorted cocaine at a funeral (in this apparently imagined scenario). The song then gave us the surreal experience of screaming "ten points for Gryffindor" in public.

Of course, it all crescendoed as mandatory Well Done revved everyone up and then Rottweiler signaled the end of the night. It still seems odd to have the face of the band leave halfway through the finale and skip the curtain call but alas the rest of the boys made a spectacle of it, drowning our cheers out with feedback and reverb. Mark came down to crowd surf, then back on stage balanced his axe on his head before skipping it like a jump rope, and then sliding it across the stage.
Although it was exhausting to even remain on two feet in the pit with all the commotion we still chanted along to Samaritans and found the breath to spell out our review of the gig - G.R.E.A.T. They're great!

All Years Leaving - Hare and Hounds - Oct 20, 21, 2018

Saturday

Dama Scout - A 3 piece including a female singer, and your standard guitar/drum/bass instrumental set-up offering up some grungy riffs. Came across as typical low-fi indie rock for the majority of the set though the final three songs brought it up a little, especially the tempo shifting Email Girl.

Independent Country - countrified version of indie songs including Jesus and Mary chain. Slide guitar and lots of the embroidered country shirts. 5 middle aged men.

Baywaves - 4 piece from Madrid which made sense I've they announced it with the hair and the vibe. Some light synths and perhaps in a nod to the name, surfy guitars. They were upbeat and appreciative "thanks for being nice to us" and could have played on if it were up to me

Menace Beach - 5 (1 f, guitar bunch of stuff, vocals shared with other man. Male guitarist had a lead vocals but sound want great) with a whole adornment of equipment, keys, synths, moogs, samplers plus two electric guitars and a bass. Headband drummer. Black rainbow sound song. Also had background screensaver that was kinda trippy.

Bank Accounts - one very outgoing singer guitarist, Sophie his small stand up drummer and his right hand jester on guitar too. It was more stand up comedy or performance art where the music, mostly short bursts of simple, tongue in check songs that guy us through to the next bit of banter, much of it planned with a bubble machine, passing around a bottle of champagne and then cheap corner store rum afterwards. A singalong almost got off the ground but not fully.

Speedy Ortiz - 4 piece with female lead and bass, had pretty decent music, not quite to dance to and not super rock out. Probably would have been better if I'd been more familiar

The Orielles - 4 piece of young and energetic musicians. Male guitarist was the ringleader but the female was the vocalist, and the curly, long haired kid on keys was the best addition. They played like they've had some seasoning which is probably true at this point. Finishing just a few minutes before curfew with what appeared to be their biggest hit single they pulled it off quite well but not leaving a lifelong impression.

Sunday

Mush - false starting with an electrified mic the all male four piece from Leeds went beyond the auspicious start. Although they started with jangly guitars over the driving drum beats they did show more mature songwriting then my first impression. Although there was one lead vocalist to others chimed in at times for echoes and call and response. Burning through the set to try and make up for lost time there wasn't much banter but they seemed casually funny in a dry way. In restarting one song due to an early misfire the singer chided them, "C'mon lads..!" A favourite refrain was "How do you survive in this gig economy? I live within my means!" The finale was a lengthy ride regarding Alternative Facts and was an enjoyable ride.

Snail Mail
True to the album she kept the whiny, almost crying vocals throughout. It was even more convincing as bathed in red light on the stage it was very reminiscent of their album cover. Unapologetically asking for more and less things in her monitor through the microphone in the middle of the first couple songs, plus a spot of feedback, didn't bode well and it seemed she might be put off it. However that didn't happen and after they soldiered through the first few they seemed to settle in. As with the album the music didn't quite grab and arrest me but it's obviously won them a solid following. They casually said they were from Baltimore which is hardly a notorious music scene that I'm aware of but carried on with American airs. She was the ringleader, with the drummer her go to, the two guys on guitar and bass hardly factored in, simply playing their notes on the wings. This went a step further when without any notice everyone just got up and left the stage, leaving the singer strumming until they were gone, never to be seen until they were going back up the stairs that we were filing out at the end. She was left playing a slow, drawn out tune solo with someone in the crowd failing to sing along loudly throughout for a high cringe.

Warmduscher
Four piece, with funky bass riffs. They were quite odd, especially the sunglassed lead singer with the multiple mega reverb mics. It almost seemed like a joke band, or something like that shitty English two piece * but I think they were taking it seriously and in this case the music at least was actually rather good. The name on the other hand, pronounced the way you wish it weren't, isn't.

Sunshine Frisbee Laser Beam
The local male four piece were billed as an acoustic set but but instead were crammed on the ground floor in the corner fully electric. With a new album out they did they were going to play it front to back. They only had a half hour set so I'm not sure that they accomplished it but they did play a bunch of great tunes, seeming to improve as the set went on. In spite of the band they aren't all out there or happy go lucky, it's clean indie rock, leaning towards rock grooves than indie hooks. I really liked it and even as most everyone else headed upstairs for Goat Girl I stuck with them.

Goat Girl
A six piece filled the stage with women holding down all the positions of two guitars, bass, violin, drums, and the lone male on the shaker (and keys? I couldn't tell as I was near the back.) I'd grown a bit tired of them on record but live they had strong song composition, a good lead vocalist and were engaging. Not much banter or nonsense except a weird delay before the second last song as the drummer seemed to be arguing to play a certain song and I think held it hostage until she got her way.

Dream Wife
Coming out to pump up music in a matching colour palette, the four piece had already stolen the show for the whole festival by the end of track one. And rightly so as they were the headliners and closers, for the first time they said initially then took it back to mock boos, remembering headlining a barn once. The lead singer (using IEMs for the first time) was absolutely beaming and pouring energy into the thing from the start to end, with the women flanking her doing much the same. The male drummer didn't factor in quite as highly but that's not the worst role for a drummer. Many women had already taken it upon themselves to be right at the front but a few songs in all the "bad bitches" got a proper invitation to the front and a bunch more took them up on it for Somebody. The technical definition given to be a bad bitch was not gender related as long as you supported the rest of your bad bitches, they filling the room. The guitarist with the drastic blonde haircut absolutely shredded whenever she got the chance, which was often enough. The highlight had to be Fuck You Up FUU as it had everyone in the front throwing their hands and voices in the air along with a solid clap along. All this even with the singer's mic dropping dead partway through, forcing her to grab the bassist's mic and the others to share making the moment all the more special. After that all that was left Let's Make Out which kept the energy up until they left the stage. The house music came up immediately dispelling any chance for an encore to the short 45 minute set (with a dozen minutes left to curfew) but there was still love in the air and it felt like people were going to take the finale's title literally, sure enough on the way out I saw a few couples who were doing just that.

Another Perspective of Arcade Fire [Guest Post]

Here's a slightly different perspective of that same Arcade Fire show in-the-round from Lauren Armstrong:

Arcade Fire is one of those bands where upon discovery, I wanted to buy thousands of CDs so I could take to the streets like a religious zealot and convert everyone. The fluidity of this band and its ability to test new waters is reminiscent of David Bowie, another musician I hold in high esteem.

Coming off the back of seeing Arcade Fire at Best Kept Secret 2017, when the announcement came for their Everything Now roundhouse tour, I was bursting with excitement to see the gig and snagged tickets a whopping seven months ahead of it.

The opener, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, seemed like an odd choice but upon their introduction to the stage, I began to beam and bop along to the beat of the six piece New Orleans jazz pumping into the arena. With the usual riffing off one another that comes with jazz, the master cap jumped from the piano to the sax onto the upright bass, to the trumpet, trombone and drums. My favourite of the troupe quickly became the jovial trombone player. His deep voice, playful whop whop whopping of his trombone with a plunger, alongside sliding and dancing along on the stage was just the trick to win me and likely the rest of the crowd. This band did a great job of amping up the audience ahead of the spectacle Arcade Fire were sure to put on.

Waiting alongside the ever growing crowd, we were met with fake ads for electric blue, the neon bible, and USB fidget spinners. A cosmic-faced cowboy was having us chant "Everything Now" while the roadies were busy putting up wrestling ropes around the circumference of the stage. Finally the lights dimmed and on came the song A Fifth of Beethoven (by Walter Murphy) while the members of Arcade Fire began making their way to the stage. Régine, wearing a sequined hoodie and shadow boxing stole the entrance as the crowd pushed to get closer.

The center of the stage began to revolve two drum kits and a piano while each band member took their initial spot on stage, quickly jumping into the single Everything Now. Having fun and moving about the stage, Win Butler quickly discarded his Everything Now bomber jacket only to be wearing an Everything Now shirt underneath.

Everything Now transitions into Rebellion and had us shaking our bums and singing along. This song never gets old; just feels like a longtime friend has come for a visit. A surprising amount of back catalogue songs were played, Here Comes the Night Time and No Cars Go before they moved swiftly into the current album for Electric Blue and Put Your Money on Me and then swiftly back to classics like Neon Bible, Suburbs, and more. The energy on stage, as well as the excellent light show and video boards kept the crowd on pace. Most of the audience was belting along with their favourite tracks and all in all the Brummie audience behaved themselves with no beers thrown or overly rowdy behaviour.

Not one to like goodbyes, I became blue when the eventual conclusion of the night came and the encore hit the stage, with the reappearance of Preservation Hall Jazz Band. I think the band felt similarly since they made a bit of a parade around the arena and had the crowd chasing them to the back stage.

Arcade Fire, NEC, Apr 15, 2018

Taking full advantage of the ‘in the round’ format Arcade Fire hammed it up with the full boxing ring intro. It wasn’t as tacky as the digitally-face-removed cowboy MC on the screen that kept trying to hype us with the prerecorded messages. As one crew they wound their way through the crowd and towards the stage/ring with an entourage of camera men and security parting the crowd so they could slip right by us. Numbering nine for most of the performance they entered through the actual boxing ropes and took up their starting positions for the rousing Everything Now opener. Of course, I say starting positions as throughout the evening they swapped instruments and roles in a well-coordinated dance. Getting to the goods early they went straight into Rebellion (Lies) before Here Comes the Night Time. During this track's frenetic breakdown they swapped out of the boxing formation for varied laser beams flashing from corner to corner above the stage which opened up things up even further. The drum set was centre stage and on a revolving platform so you really could see the majority of things from most vantage points. My only complaint is that personal fave, Richard Reed Parry, didn’t come to visit as often as I’d have liked though we did get a lot of Win when he was singing, as in the glow of our phones for Neon Bible, or guitaring, There was also Regine on keys and leading Sprawl II (along with her streamer routine) to wrap the mid-set Arcade Fire Presents the Suburbs that also included the title track and Ready To Start. The crowd sang and danced along throughout the night making it a joyous occasion for band and fan alike.

Considering it was the Everything Now tour the setlist did not seem overwhelmed by this, perhaps due to the band being self aware that it is not their strongest material. As Win admitted recently "Part of me hopes that this record is our stinker, our horrible record...If it’s the worst thing we can possibly do then I’m at peace.” That said Put Your Money on Me was actually stuck in my head for a week after the tour and coming back for the encore with We Don't Deserve Love really worked. Although we didn't get any special guests like London their musical hype man did a good at keeping us up and having the Preservation Hall Jazz Band rejoin them onstage and then winding back out through the crowd for Wake Up was an energetic move, even if obvious for how well it worked. Even after a couple of hours featuring career highlights I still wanted more and chased the band to the end of the arena as the Wake Up chorus continued right to the eventual back stage.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Rather than another indie upstart AF have this decades old jazz band from New Orleans do their thing as the opening act and let me tell you they nailed it. A very fun, bombastic set of popping jazz that people seemed to really warm up to. How could you not love the trombonist giving it all he's got? They may not have utilized the stage as the headline act but I was on the proper side so I wasn't complaining.

Setlist
Everything Now
Rebellion (Lies)
Here Comes the Night Time
No Cars Go
Electric Blue
Put Your Money on Me
Neon Bible
Rococo
Normal Person
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
The Suburbs
The Suburbs (Continued)
Ready to Start
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Reflektor
Afterlife
Creature Comfort
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)

Encore
We Don't Deserve Love
Everything Now (Continued) (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
Wake Up (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
Wake Up Chorus (with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)

Idles, Coventry Library Apr 14, 2018

Yes, it was Idles, one of the most rocking Brit bands in recent memory, playing in the quietest of places, Coventry. I mean the library in Coventry. Without much adieu, since there’s not much of a backstage in the middle of the stacks, they came to the stage at an early hour (8:30) for a Saturday night. Obviously wanting to get the crowd into it off the top they hit with the familiar Brutalism opener, Heel. And so it began as a small but rabid group of Idles fans began mixing it up in the pit. With only one released full-length thus far it's no surprise that the hits just kept on hitting. Date Night started with the crowd, instead of Joe, hollering the song title, perhaps, as he later explained, because of a headache that only bothered him in a talking but not singing voice. So the banter was limited but the music was not. Early in the set they dropped Mother to an appreciative audience and I hope the potency of “the best way to scare a Tory is to read and get rich” wasn’t lost on this library crowd. Continuing their crusade of lyrics-to-do-good they dropped 1049 Gotho and Faith in the City too. During another, it may have been Benzocaine, the punters were keeping it up and we opened the pit wide. However just as we crashed together the rhythm guitarist jumped into the middle with his axe. Intentionally or not the crowd crushed around him and the song went on. This was his first of many forays into our depths, while later both guitarists met in the middle of the crowd and the other  dropped his guitar on the floor to then skip back and forth overtop of it, finally breaking it down with a b-boy break.

Besides the majority of Brutalism, Divide and Conquer plus a stellar live rendition of Exeter included, they also dropped Danny Nedelko (the immigrant song) too, briefed by a short speech on our need for unity in a post Brexit age. There has been a fair amount of idle(s) chatter about a new record and they had a few on preview from that. First was Great, that spelled out it’s title in the track. Next was I’m Scum, that Joe almost dedicated before realising the title might make it offensive to the dedicatee. The last, and probably the most grabbing was The Love Song, endeared further by a light-hearted back and forth between Joe the guitarist he finally admitted he loved in a brotherly way.

On White Privilege the guitarist was back in the crowd, or should I specify at the far reaches of the crowd, still fully plugged in such that the mic cord was held taught above our heads while he gave most everyone a chance to yell the “yeah” refrain into the mic (myself included). With warning that they don’t do encores, “because we’re weird” they finally played Well Done to the delight of the fans. For the proper finale they did Rottweiler and did it indeed, even after Joe had left “back”stage the crew wound it to a close with the guitarist on top the crowd, along with a few game ladies as well. All told it was a friendly, fun gig unbecoming of its surroundings but just as well for it.

Lice
These are a few guys on the label that Idles have setup. Their billed as a satirical band and I wasn't sure how serious to take them as they didn't seem to take things too seriously themselves. The singer had a lackadaisical approach and the band overall played a bunch of short rock songs that weren't bad but none of which really stood out. They said they were playing their album in full and halfway through told us "That was side one. Any questions?" Someone playfully yelled out "How is side two?" and they replied "Pretty much the same" so at least they are self-aware. Kudos to the drummer who was filling in and learned all the songs in the last week.

Heel/Heal

Date Night

Faith in the City

Mother

Great

1049 Gotho

Divide & Conquer

I Am Scum

Benzocaine

White Privilege

Danny Nedelko

Exeter

Lovesong

Well Done

Rottweiler

Idles - Hard Luck Bar, Toronto - March 20, '18 [Guest Post]

A warm A/V welcome to guest blogger Kate Foster who just needed to spread the word on Idles:

I hadn’t felt as genuinely excited as I was to see Idles in a very long time, some combo of the promise of seeing an excellent live show and the thrill of the unfamiliar. I took the streetcar as opposed to the subway which I'd never normally do, and this was my first time at Hard Luck Bar. It’s hard to feel like a tourist in your own home town, but tonight I had it.

As I’m rocking up, I realize guitarist Adam is standing out front hacking a dart and checking his phone, along with the slew of fans lining the sidewalk doing the same. My immediate fanboi reaction is to run over and tell him all about how great I think the band is, but I quickly realize this is very clearly the opposite vibe of this night. This band brings no bullshit and often conveys that they appreciate their fans as much as we appreciate them, so keeping the symbiotic (and silent) respect seemed key.

I get up into the venue which is already quite crowded, seeing as I opted to show up around 15 minutes before set time. Again, I'm shocked as I take my first glance to the stage and see Joe et al. getting their gear set up, tuning, etc. It feels like forever since I've seen a band actually doing the "grunt" work for their own shows. Considering their tour schedule is back-to-back-to-back gigs, it clearly speaks to the character of Idles themselves and their passion. Worth noting, when not a day goes by you don’t hear about another band/pop star/DJ who has used their career to abuse women with impunity. 

Once I’ve saddled up beside the merch table and staked out a spot for myself, Joe appears again holding his hands up and spread out toward us, promising only ten more minutes to go. This update is met with cheers, and again, it hits me how cool it is to see a band giving this much of a shit about the crowd. They’re nowhere near behind schedule (if anything they’re early) yet their urgency to deliver a killer show is evident before a single note has even been struck.

As promised it’s suddenly showtime, they launch into Heel/Heal which gets the crowd going in a hurry – bodies are thrashing around in a quickly formed pit before the chorus hits. At this point I’m a few rows of bodies back from the action, the crowd is easily 85% men it seems. I begin the recurring debate of whether or not to stay put where I can dance freely or push to the front where I can get in a good workout and likely lose a possession or two. Telling myself my pit days are behind me, I’m thrilled when song two hits and it’s Idles Chant and nothing up front looks like it’s slowing down anytime soon. As I’m “WHOOOOOOAAA”-ing along I realize everyone around me is standing dead still, seeming confused something is being played that isn’t on Brutalism.

Next up is Mother – which I had been highly anticipating if only because I wanted to see how this song translates to fans – being mostly men. I can’t think of a song in recent memory that confronts rape quite as head-on as this. Well, I can, but there are never any dudes involved in the making of these songs. Now, here’s a fivesome of cis-men singing about the realities of sexual assault, reminding listeners that it is oh SO much more than the horrid act of rape itself – something many, many men need daily reminders of, apparently. So how does this confrontation go over with crowds of people who have likely participated in rape culture to varying degrees their entire lives? As the song is approaching the spoken word bridge (precisely the thing that made me adore Idles in the first place), the two young men directly in front of me turn to each other with smirks slowly spreading.

“Oh yeah, you gonna sing along with this part, eh!?” one chides the other, they both laugh. As if these lyrics are a joke, and not the reality of life for those of us not born with a dick. Rage is rising in me and I try to lean in a little to hear what the rest of the conversation is (mostly because I am dying to call them out at this point), but they’ve leaned into each other closer, presumably as they discuss how hilarious rape is. This is the moment my brain clicks into “fuck it all” mode and I shove past these men and the slew of others to get myself right into the thick of things. 

It’s a funny sort of immediate relief to feel myself lose control over my movements and give into the ebb and flow of the pit, my body aggressively yet slowly getting pushed around while I make sure to scream the lyrics at the top of my lungs when it hits:

'WOMEN ARE SCARED IT’S THEIR LIVES MEN WILL TAKE'

I’m angry because despite the message of this song, of everything happening in the world today, being so goddamn clear it still isn’t understood. I digress.

The energy from both the band and crowd is massive and only seems to grow and fuel each other as the night goes on. No one from the band has spoken much at this point, but Joe is thanking us profusely in between songs and commenting on how great the night is for them. At one point he makes a statement regarding how important it is to him everyone has a good time and is feeling OK, and as the band is starting to play the next track, he directly asks if everyone is in fact OK, but the band more or less drowns him out. I assume they’ll continue on full throttle, imagining the answer wasn’t all that important to them anyway. I’m thrilled to find out I’m dead wrong – Joe insists, stops the band from playing, and again begs the question to the crowd. His inquiry is met with silence, and so he repeats, just to be sure, is anyone at all NOT feeling safe right now being here? and as the silence continues, he turns his back to motion to the rest of Idles to get the song going again. All I can do is yell THANK-YOU! as loud as I can, hoping they realize how incredibly important that moment was for me, and surely others.

Where I’ve ended up in the pit there are many more women than expected, and despite the fact I’m alone at this gig, there is an undeniable feeling of comfort. At certain points throughout the set, Joe is graciously giving fans a hand either getting up or off of a crowd surf. He encourages several kids to get up and go for it, offering a hand to many of us in the front to take a turn. He even taps someone’s shoulder who has spent the majority of the set bracing themselves against an amp with their head down, and after a thumbs-up exchange to confirm they are OK, he’s back to business with the song. Lead guitarist Mark has made several trips into the crowd too, navigating himself to a spot to play and dance around a little surrounded by fans before making his way back on stage. These interactions just keep proving how fucking genuinely cool this band is. 

They blaze through most tracks from Brutalism, tossing in Queens, which Joe leads into by declaring “Fuck selfies!”. I’m personally thrilled to hear 1049 Gotho which is introduced as being about something horrible his friend suffered from greatly – depression. I can’t help but wonder if this song is actually more autobiographical, but it really doesn’t matter either way. Again, they are unapologetically diving into taboo waters, driving home the realities of living with depression. I’m excited to hear (personal) favourites like White Privilege, Faith in the City and Date Night. They introduce a new song, titled simply, The Love Song, as one of their final tracks which takes a minute to build up, but ends up getting us going just as much as Benzocaine had. Slower song Divide & Conquer was tossed in too, which I hadn’t imagined would be all that exciting to see live (despite being an awesome track). But the way the band builds the intensity throughout the song as Joe is pacing with it, finally getting the drop where he smashes his outstretched arms down around him seeming larger than life, makes this an excellent addition to the set list. 

We get fair warning when they approach their final track, which comes with the promise of “we don’t do encores, so this is it” to the crowd’s disappointment. For me, this is yet another reason to add to my ever-growing list of why Idles just might be the best band to come out of the last decade. No bullshit. After the lights come up, I scan the floor in a futile hunt for one of my tunnels that’s been pushed out of my ear by one of the many bodies passing over head during the last hour. I remember being a teen declaring there's no way I had a good time at a show if I didn't lose something, after countless scarves, jackets and pieces of jewelry got sucked up by dance floors and pits - and now here I am, wondering if maybe that still rings true. After giving up on the tunnel, I make my way down to the street, only to find Mark has beat me to it. He's shimmying his way up to a friend with a cigarette dangling as she waits, hers already lit. My brain again flashes to rushing up to him gushing, but I can only grin as I pass him, my clothes soaked through with sweat now and freezing me to the core on this 2 degree evening. 

Young Fathers - Institute 2 - March 20, '18

Entering the stage one by one, the drummer followed by the three vocalists - pinstripes (Alloysious), the guy who poses (Kayus), and button-down (G)- took their places in front of the sold out smaller Institute room. With the recent release of their excellent third LP, Cocoa Sugar, there is another wave of buzz around this Scottish outfit that despite being slightly mellower this time out, still refuse to be pigeonholed. They started up with a slow builder before getting into it. A good selection of the new stuff was on offer, with tracks like Toy coming across even better live. Same with Tremolo and Wow, and seeing the already great In My View brought to life was special indeed. Not sure what I was expecting in terms of instrumentation, there was a large drum kit centred around one giant drum, played standing with oversized felt-tipped sticks, and a bass drum side stage for Alloysious. Both these kits had absolutely mangled cymbals that crashed and died out with very little sizzle, adding to the low-fi effect. Besides that there was a bank of effects that G would fiddle with his back to us but it was primarily prerecorded tracks. And that was just fine as it was their vocals - singing, rapping, layered, yelping, yelling - that made it. The crowd seemed to need a shot in the arm early on so they dropped Get Up to get the crammed peeps grooving. Little later on was Old Rock n Roll, while a special track from the EPs was I Heard. There was very limited interaction between the members or with the audience besides one call and response track opener. Then they stood in the dark for an extended period before asking Birmingham what we wanted. Some wanted to party, others to dance, others wanted Shame, and they all got just what they wanted as Young Fathers closed with their ultimate ass-shaker. With that they exited one-by-one stage-left while Kayus belted it out until he too departed. Despite an effort by the fans to overcome the house music, and then the house lights they did not return, choosing to leave it at what felt like a brief hour-long dose of..whatever you call it.. I still can’t stick a title on it but it was damn fun. 

Wwwater

This gal sang over some mixed tracks and drums provided by her two male accomplices. Her voice wasn't bad but there was very little variation between the songs. Even within the songs themselves things seemed to get repetitive and this was on first listen. An impressive vocal display near the end gets some props but I likely won't be adding it to my playlists.