Joe

Not a fuckin thing, that’s what. At least not by me. What I would like to instill in you above all is the contrast between their severity and their emotional earnesty, particularly as it relates to them actually giving a shit about their fans, so let me tell you a story.

I saw Idles for the first time in New York City in October of 2021. They played a venue that I don’t love, but was the only one that could meet their capacity draw. They’re quite big, apparently. The show began promptly at nine, with no fuss and no ego and no hype, though palpable and insatiable hype was born the moment the first bass note of ‘Colossus’ made its way from the front of the stage through to the back of the crowded room. The show banged on and I found it difficult to leave the pit despite the gashed and giggling heads. Blood dripped on the floor but there were only smiles and kisses and hugs and love. At a point between songs, Joe Talbot, the lead singer and interviewee, called out a name in the dark, and a hand shot up from the side of the room. Joe beckoned and the man darted up on stage with grins. What they explained together is that the man’s mother had recently passed away, and that Idles’ music (much of which describes conflicts, reverence, and grief for Talbot’s mother) had helped the man through it. The band invited him to drum through his favorite song with them on stage to the applause and joy of the audience, and as the man pounded the floor tom, tears came, and he was beautiful.

Words by Naz Kawakami

I think my favourite Australian band is The Chats. I think they get looked down on

by the press a lot