Let’s begin at the end. The encore to be precise. Seems fitting for a band such as Idlewild, where arty and literary aspirations and references are never far away. In the main, encores are needless and performative. However, on this chilly Thursday evening in Cardiff, Idlewild use this much-maligned device as effective punctuation to raise the bar.
Following 18 songs of ebb and flow, spanning 10 albums and over 20 years, the three-song encore provides a thrilling finale. Digging deep into the back catalogue, the wiry and ever-youthful singer Roddy Woomble launches into Paint Nothing – a vintage racket from debut album proper Hope Is Important, sounding as fresh and bratty as it did in 1998.
More delight follows with fan favourite (and maiden top 40 hit) When I Argue I See Shapes. While it lacks the hyperactive Tourette’s of a younger Idlewild, Woomble’s measured delivery adds a subtle maturity. The curtain comes down with the timeless rumble of A Film For The Future, Woomble almost crooning: “I know what you think, you think this film is about you, but it’s not about you,” like Carly Simon if she spent time hanging out with Girls Against Boys or Superchunk. The impact may be softer and more musical than Idlewild of yore, but it’s an incendiary full stop to the evening.
Rewind to the beginning, and this frenetic finish was preceded by a sedate start. Opening with (I Am) What I Am Not, from 2007’s The Remote Part, the band – now a six-piece – glided through Like I Had It Before, from the latest eponymous album, and Live In A Hiding Place. The first visit into the archive came with Everyone Says You’re So Fragile, delivered with customary velocity and boosted by guitarist Rod Jones scampering and leaping about the stage, all spikes and shards of six-string noise.
The mixture of old and new favourites proves irresistible. New tracks like Stay Out Of Place sit perfectly next to the quiet/loud barrage of Little Discourage, American English, and A Modern Way Of Letting Go. Similarly, Roseability (from 2000’s 100 Broken Windows) reveals how Woomble’s dexterous lyrics really shine amid a thoughtfully shifted cadence: where once he yelped, now he guides the words amid the controlled chaos to great effect.
Idlewild really are a band firing on all cylinders, and they still feel like a bit of a best-kept secret. With a cast-iron back catalogue and decent, recent offerings, there will hopefully be plenty more encores to come.
Idlewild, Tramshed, Cardiff, Thurs 9 Apr
words JAMES W ROBERTS photos TIM ALBAN
