Music > Live Reviews

Idlewild

The Adrian Flux Waterfront

06/05/19

Has it really been ten years since Idlewild last played in Norwich? If so an awful lot has happened round the corner at Carrow Road in this time. Back in 2009 the Canaries were having a nightmare getting relegated to League One and last week they were getting promoted back to the Premier League on one of the greatest nights in the clubs history.
Football and music for me go hand in hand and tonight one of my favourite bands and Britain’s best indie rock bands are taking centre stage, playing for just under two hours, Idlewild are back in the City led by their charismatic front man Roddy Woomble. He is just such an effervescent front man, he still has such a real coolness and great presence about him and is looking as youthful as the day that they were first around back in 1995.
They showcase some new songs from the new album Interview Music that has been in the making for four years now and is their first album in five years and their eighth in total. From it they open up with the quite excellent Dream Variations, then a couple more songs from IM get played during the set, but naturally when you have such a luscious back catalogue as Idlewild do then it’s always the classics that get the most engagement, cheers and hollers from the crowd at what looks like only an eighty per cent sold out gig this evening, but never mind as it doesn’t matter as those of us that are out this Tuesday evening are having a great time.
They smash their way through Roseability, Little Discourage and When I Argue I See Shapes, but it’s the encore that gets extremely tasty as they come back on for four more songs that includes two from their debut album Hope Is Important.
Their energy levels remain extremely high with Rod Jones leaping around the tiny waterfront stage taking centre stage as Woomble sensibly and frequently edges to the side, standing well clear before he gets his head knocked off, deciding that the lure of his bottle of Punk IPA is a much safer option.
Love Steals Us from Loneliness, American English and El Capitan are all played out slightly slower than the originals and sound just great, but it’s Make Another World for me that steals the show, they absolutely smash it out, it sounds quite fantastic.
They close with their trademark song, the excellent Scottish Fiction from The Remote Part and If anyone needed reminding as to just how good Idlewild were and still are, then they got it this evening, they are such a great band, one that needs to be well and truly treasured, may they go forever. What a band