Idlewild @ Astoria, London, 20.04.02

You may have come to experience the spiritual wealth and the noisy conundrum that characterised their early bursts of anger, but as James Berry suggests, they've sandpapered the fury down to a neat gleam that only the forthcoming album ‘The Remote Part’ could confirm.

30/04/2002

8.30pm? EIGHT-THIRTY in the evening!!? That’s the time for spooning the sugar into your last cup of tea before you come out, hazily confirming to the bartender that yes, indeed you will have another pint pre-gig, or at the very least shouting insults at the gurning nobodies masquerading as a support band. It is not – we concur after years of seasoned gig-hopping – when the headline act swoops in to claim their trophy from the masses. And certainly not on a SATURDAY NIGHT! We only know Idlewild took to the stage at 20.30 however because as we stumble up the stairs and crash panicking through the hall’s doors at just gone 9pm they have their heads down, pummelling manically through the final straights of their set, before pirouetting off stage to the sound of definite departure feedback and some thankfully – considering our mood – soothing projections of a gloomy seascape.

It may be some small saving grace that they return for a two song encore, but if we seem a touch irked, that is most certainly because we are. And why exactly? Apart from the obvious? Because from the three and a bit song set that we experience – through this combination of our own ineptitude and that of the tour manager (sheeesh!) – the nu-Idlewild smack us square in the face with an aptitude that we’re sure always just evaded them before. The final goodbye, ‘A Film For The Future’, jolts its way to the expected adolescent-angsty, noise-riddled climax, Roddy stuttering around the stage hovering between ours and another plain, newly self assured, comfortable, poetic even. He ends simply staring up at the projection on the back wall: “support your local poet”. Worthy words perhaps after a couple of years when rhyming ‘Devon’ with ‘lemon’ could be considered high verse. Then greeting the silence with a wry smile he’s off, as if he barely knows where he’s stumbling to. A star.

Even guitarist Rod has grown, pinning down his centre of gravity so those defying spasms never quite get the better of him, until one concluding crash brings him to his knees. And bassist Bob, while not yet joining the Grandaddy league, has at least grown a pretty substantial beard. This is an older band, and if not a wiser band, a band that’s lived. The only new song we catch, closing the main set, demonstrates their now intuitive ability to weave colour and melody, experience and spiritual wealth into the noisy conundrum that characterised their early bursts of anger. If they’ve sandpapered the fury down to a neat gleam then it’s only because they’ve learnt to control the fire for their own gain. Or at least this is what we gather from our brief time with them tonight. You’ll have to come back to us to see if the forthcoming album ‘The Remote Part’ stands up to this. Now, just don’t get us started on also missing Ikara Colt in support.

More dates:
MAY 2002:
Wednesday 1st - Newcastle University
Friday 3rd - Edinburgh Queens Hall

Festival appearances
JUNE 2002
Glastonbury Festival @ Glastonbury, England, UK
Friday 28th June
JULY 2002
Lost Weekend @ Docklands Arena, London, UK
Friday 12th July
T In The Park Festival @ Kinross, Scotland, UK
Saturday 13th July

James Berry for Crud Magazine© 2002

04/02 1 Giant Leap - My Culture 04/02 Elfpower Interview - Andrew Rieger - Creatures 04/02 Frou Frou Interview - Guy Sigsworth/Imogen Heap 04/02 Gomez Interview - Ian Ball 04/02 Idlewild - Live - London Astoria 04/02 K's Choice Interview 04/02 Leaves - Live - Camden Dingwall 04/02 Longwave Interview - Exit 04/02 Lucy Mongrel Interview 04/02 Oasis - The Hindu Times 04/02 Phantom Planet - Interview 04/02 Unwritten Law - Interview 04/02 VUE - Coordinates Interview 05/02 BRMC - LIve - Kentish Town, London 05/02 Breeders - Title K 05/02 FC Kahuna - Machine Says Yes 05/02 Moco - Live - London Monarch 05/02 Need New Body - Interview 05/02 The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Live - Soundhause, Northampton 05/02 The Bellrays - Meet The Bellrays 06/02 Fleadh Festival - Finsbury Park 06/02 Frou Frou Coordinates Interview 06/02 Incubus - Interview - Mark Einziger 06/02 North Mississippi Allstars - Interview 06/02 Papa Roach - She Loves Me Not 06/02 Proud Mary - Live - Northampton, Soundhaus 06/02 Pulp - Live - Sherwood Pines, Edwinstowe 06/02 Reindeer section - You Are My Joy 06/02 Silverchair - Diorama 06/02 Something Corporate - Leaving Through The Window 06/02 Soinc Youth - Interview 06/02 The Burn - The Smiling Face 06/02 The Coral - Live - Roadmender, Northampton 06/02 The LIbertines - Live - The Social, Nottingham 06/02 The Vines, Sheffield Leadmill 06/02 Trik Turner - Interview 06/02 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Live, Soundhaus, Northampton 07/02 12 Stones Interview 07/02 Arolo -Interview 07/02 Buy To Let Doncaster - Anti Social Behaviour 07/02 Cassius - Interview 07/02 Farrah - Interview 07/02 Glassjaw - Interview 07/02 Neil Michael Haggerty - Interview 07/02 Hoobastank - Running Away 07/02 Leaves - Interview 07/02 LL Cool Jay Interview 07/02 Oasis - Live - Finsbury Park, London 07/02 Polyphonic Spree - Live - Camden Monarch 07/02 Queens of the Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf 07/02 Super Furry Animals - Interview 07/02 The Beatings - Live - Metro Club London 07/02 The Bellrays + The D4 - Virgin Megastore, Oxford Street London January 2001 July - August 2001 September - October 2001 November - December 2001 January - March 2002 April - July 2002 August - December 2002