Fans screamed as British post-punk band IDLES took the stage at South Side Ballroom in Dallas on Thursday night, quickly turning the room into a proper rock show sweatbox – where the only refuge from body heat was the outer perimeter of the venue.
Haze pumped across the room from the stage, giving ambiance to the opening notes of “COLOSSUS,” a broodingly resilient single from IDLES’ sophomore album Joy as an Act of Resistance. Their latest 11-track offering TANGK dropped in February this year, marking the fifth album in their 15-year career.
Pronounced like “tank,” TANGK reveals a softer side of IDLES – emphasizing themes of love, gratitude, and defiant empowerment. These themes were felt deeply at the show in Dallas – where everywhere you looked, fans were going through a cathartic experience.
“I hope there’s no crowd surfers, there’s only four of us up here, ” a security guard at the front of the stage jokingly remarked. But at a show like this, you bet your bottom dollar there’s going to be at least a dozen crowd surfers throughout the 2 hour-long set.
Known for their fierce and unapologetic approach to punk rock / post-punk, the band’s music is characterized by intense energy, unbridled emotion, and socially conscious lyrics. The music address issues such as mental health, social inequality, toxic masculinity, grief and self acceptance.
One of the most refreshing aspects of the show had to be the genuine love in the hearts and voices of the fans. IDLES inspires listeners in a way that’s hard to come by in a shallow world. Righteous and raw by nature, lead singer Joe Talbot invites the crowd to be present with him.
“This song is about cycles of addiction. If you’re an addict, you’re not alone,” Talbot said on stage before playing “The Wheel” from their critically-acclaimed 2021 album CRAWLER.
There were people of all ages in attendance, speaking to the band’s ability to pierce through multiple generations and strike a chord. The juxtaposition of hard and soft moments gelled through the band’s emotive performance, leaving it all on the stage for their last show of the tour.
The band returns to the states in June, with shows in Florida and Louisiana – plus a spot at Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee. They won’t return to the US again until September after that – with a handful of dates lined up in North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and California. (see tour schedule here)
Jessica Waffles is a freelance photographer/videographer and regular contributor to KXT.
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