Idlewild - London Astoria - 20/4/02
4/5
By: Andy Willson
The crew at the Astoria must have been expecting royalty this evening. After all, what with the red carpets laid-out on stage for Roddy and co. to trample on during their performance, as well as the fact that we're treated to a projector-show of odd green things (I think they are called trees, but such specimens don't tend to exist in London) - all backed up by an Aphex Twin soundtrack, of course - it seems that tonight's act are really adjusting to the potential that 2002 could be their year.
Not wasting time, Idlewild kick things off with the memorable 'Captain', the result received avidly well by their expectant fans - rather unsurprisingly. However, something must have clicked to indicate: 'Right, time to crank things up'. For, indeed, they then embark on an epic version of 'Little Discourage', which jolts the audience into life. Swiftly followed by the new Smiths-sounding single, 'You Held The World In Your Arms', it's clear that as frontman Woomble flails shamelessly around the stage like a Morrissey clone, whilst Rod, Bob and Allan prefer to eloquently thrash their way through, you're witnessing a band whose appeal is wider than once before - and is far more tempting to grasp a hold of, too.
The following hour is mainly made up of key tracks from the two previous albums, and with new songs intertwined, you get a feeling that the more dynamics-enforced latter-day 'Wild is just as furiously vital as before. An undeniable highlight of the evening is old single 'Roseability', which sends all in attendance expectedly barmy. Such is its impact, the number thankfully prompts the band's onstage return for three more tunes as an encore, which includes the thrilling madness of 'A Film For The Future'. As tonight's show ends, the sentiments of 'seeing this band again when they're next in town' seems an unquestionable likelihood.
After a two year absence, Idlewild have shown that they have been worth the wait, and have made much use of their time out. On the basis of these events, Idlewild have also proved there is more to Bonny Scotland than Travis, and have been around long enough now to further their credibility (or was that Roseability?).
Either way, what with the current crop of bands crossing the Atlantic to the UK, we now have something we can finally give back in the form of Idlewild... But with heavy interest included.
Artists in this article: Idlewild
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