IDLES, the unstoppable force, returns!
I do not get out to enough concerts. I work in live theatre which means when I’m on a “show run” I’m locked in with only Monday nights off for the next two months of my life at a time, so I have to fit in whatever I can between plays. Therefore, it’s almost serendipitous that the first show I’ve been to since May happens to also be an IDLES show, this time at The Wiltern in Korea Town.
Surfbort
Surfbort is fucking fun, which in an age where there is so much to be angry about, speaks volumes to a bands power. That is not to say that their songs don’t have plenty of anger, but they blend in humor and turn the energy level up to 11 which makes for a unique blend of pure punk rock. Frontperson Dani Miller does not let the high stage and barricade prevent her from going right into the crowd. Conversely she makes good use of the stage; strutting and dancing around without a care in the world.
While The Wiltern’s stage setup is probably not the MOST ideal for crowd interaction, Surfbort doesn’t let things like that get in their way. The band plays front and center to the crowd, blasting through a 35 minute set and leaving everyone in the front gasping for air. They closed their set with Miller heeding the call of some of the more well-versed fans in the pit and jumping down to sing and dance with them working her way toward the elevated section behind the pit to finish up the song.
IDLES
What can I say that hasn’t been said? This band is everything a band should be and considering their trajectory by venue in Los Angeles (The 600 cap Teragram Ballroom to the 1200 cap Fonda Theatre to the Wiltern) notwithstanding their epic summer of Festival performances, all while in the midst of recording their third album, they certainly don’t show any sign of slowing down. Their message of acceptance, unity, and community rings loud and clear at every performance as they blast through an almost two hour set of music from their first two albums, replete with some of the craziest crowd interaction I’ve ever witnessed.
It is common place for guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernen to leave the stage and head out into the crowd, guitar and all, surfing and moshing around with them. They don’t let the size of any venue prevent this kind of interaction, which I admire greatly. It also happened to be quite a treat for the LA audience as it was Adam Devonshire’s birthday. Joe launched the entire crowd into a singalong of happy birthday that even found Surfbort’s Dani Miller coming back out to join in as a cake, candles and all, was brought out for Devonshire to blow out.
At the tail end of “Faith in the City” a voice loudly proclaimed “I love you!” which prompted Talbot to respond in kind and invite a young man, Jose, up on stage after a heartfelt moment, Talbot asked the crowd to keep Jose up (crowd surfing) for the next song, “Love Song,” which is quite a feat, as IDLES extends the middle of the song at their live performances to include references to a number of well known love songs (in this case: Grease – You’re the One That I Want, Sam Cooke – Cupid, Sinead O’Connor/Prince – Nothing Compares 2 U, The Four Seasons – Working My Way Back to You, Harry Nilsson – Without You) while Bowen and Kiernen pushed themselves way out into the house only to be followed by Talbot. The finale of the song found the house still carrying Jose back toward the front of the pit while chanting his name. What a fucking day for Jose. Talbot took a moment to talk about how what just happened was a microcosm of the efforts of a community, before launching into their pro-immigrant anthem, “Danny Nadelko.” It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t anticipating the upcoming third album as well as future performances, from a band that has easily become one of my favorites of all time.
