One of my all time favourite gig going anecdotes came about when Idlewild played at Leeds Beckett University back in 2019. After the band had performed their first few songs a concert goer barged his way to the front of the crowd and threw his jacket at the feet of singer Roddy Womble. “Is this your coat?” asked Roddy, slightly bemused. “Yeah, I thought you looked a bit cold so you can wear it” came the slightly mystifying reply from the punter.
Whether that incident has anything to do with why Idlewild have taken six years to return to Yorkshire is unclear, but with their self titled ninth album recently securing their highest chart placing in two decades it was a band full of confidence the took to the stage at Leeds’ Project House. This was my first visit to one of the newer venues on the Yorkshire live music circuit and despite the slightly awkward just out of the city centre location the facilities and sound quality matched the positive reports I’d heard about it.
Whilst recent Idlewild tours had seen a slight softening of the band’s sound, for this tour they seemed to have gone and back and embraced once more the loudness of their early career. Kicking off with a bass heavy rendition of Roseability the band paced the set perfectly, mixing in the songs from the new album with the highlights from their iconic first four albums. Whilst the the frantic energy that characterised their shows as they emerged in the late nineties is significantly reduced, guitarist Rod Jones’ endless bouncing and bounding across the stage ensured a stage presence worth watching.
As always the take home from any Idlewild live show is just how many classic songs the band produced that never saw the band gain the acclaim that they merited. Whether it was the punk pop rush of the likes of Little Discourage and When I Argue I See Shapes, the polished rock of You Held the World in Your Arms or the REM styled sing along anthem of Love Steals us From Loneliness there was a sense of a band that never quite gained the success their material should have garnered. At the same time the new material didn’t feel out of place, with Make it Happen feeling like a worthy successor to stand out early single A Film for the Future.
The strength of the band though was shown in the two songs selected to finish the sections of the night. Whilst main set finale In Remote Part / Scottish Fiction saw middle aged men emotionally hugging their mates before last song of the encore A Modern Way of Letting Go blasted through the venue, its power riff prompting mini moshpits to appear around the venue. The performance was a triumphant return to Yorkshire and not once did Roddy Womble look like he was in need of additional layers to keep him warm.
Have you been to see Idlewild in their current run of tour dates? Have you ever offered up items of clothing to performing musicians? Make sure to leave your comments below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the blog or follow on Twitter for more reviews and music opinions.
Idlewild performed:
Roseability
Like I Had Before
Little Discourage
Live in a Hiding Place
It’s Not The First Time
Everyone Says You’re So Fragile
Stay Out of Place
(I Am) What I Am Not
American English
Interview Music
Actually It’s Darkness
I Wish I Wrote It Down
Let Me Sleep (Next to the Mirror)
Make It Happen
El Capitan
When I Argue I See Shapes
A Film for the Future
In Remote Part / Scottish Fiction
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Love Steals Us From Loneliness
You Held the World in Your Arms
A Modern Way of Letting Go
Alex Reviews Gigs 
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