IDLES
A self-proclaimed "angry band" from Bristol in Southwest England, Idles take the fury of punk rock and wed it to a muscular but moody instrumental attack that matches the literate, purposeful menace of their lyrics. The group existed in relative obscurity for several years while they were finding their sound, but that all changed upon the release of their debut album, Brutalism, which catapulted them into the public eye. Idles were formed in 2010 by vocalist Joe Talbot, lead guitarist Mark Bowen, rhythm guitarist Andy S, bassist Adam Devonshire, and drummer Jon Beavis. Eager to take their music to an audience, Idles established a club night in Bristol they called Batcave, and through live work they developed a passionate local following. After distributing a homemade demo among fans, Idles released their four-track debut EP, Welcome, in August 2012. The EP quickly earned positive press, but with Idles self-financing their own recordings, it wasn't until October 2015 that they released their follow-up, Meat, another four-track EP. A month later, Meat was followed by Meta, which featured remixes of the tracks from Meat by David Pajo, Peter Robertson, Sly One, and Thom Alt J. By the time Meat had been released, Andy S had left Idles, and Lee Kiernan had taken over on guitar. As the U.K. music press became increasingly enthusiastic about Idles, the band released a single in August 2016, "Divide & Conquer," a bitter critique of the budget cuts that had crippled the U.K.'s National Health Service. They also announced that the song was the first track from their upcoming full-length debut album, Brutalism, which arrived in early 2017 on Balley Records and received widespread acclaim. Many noted that the refreshing, ferocious heaviness of the album, with its brilliantly satirical lyrics, was a welcome sound in the arguably imitable alternative scene. Using the momentum gained from the release of their debut, the group toured extensively and continued to write new material throughout 2017. They re-entered the studio in January 2018 to begin recording their follow-up. The second album arrived after slight delays; Talbot experienced more personal tragedy and conversely gave up drinking. In reaction to those events, the themes of 2018's Joy as an Act of Resistance shifted focus to communities and supportive ideals, although it still found time to take shots at the failings of U.K. society. Idles returned in May 2019 with the single "Mercedes Marxist," later the same year releasing their debut live album, Beautiful Thing: Live at Le Bataclan. It wasn't long before a third album was on the way, continuing their prolific streak of a record a year. Ultra Mono arrived in 2020 and featured guest artists for the first time, including Jehnny Beth -- with whom Talbot appeared on her 2020 album, To Love Is to Live -- Warren Ellis, and Jamie Cullum. For their next album, 2021's Crawler, Talbot spoke about having more creative freedom, something which was evidenced by the soul influence on lead track "The Beachland Ballroom."© Mark Deming /TiVo Read more
A self-proclaimed "angry band" from Bristol in Southwest England, Idles take the fury of punk rock and wed it to a muscular but moody instrumental attack that matches the literate, purposeful menace of their lyrics. The group existed in relative obscurity for several years while they were finding their sound, but that all changed upon the release of their debut album, Brutalism, which catapulted them into the public eye.
Idles were formed in 2010 by vocalist Joe Talbot, lead guitarist Mark Bowen, rhythm guitarist Andy S, bassist Adam Devonshire, and drummer Jon Beavis. Eager to take their music to an audience, Idles established a club night in Bristol they called Batcave, and through live work they developed a passionate local following. After distributing a homemade demo among fans, Idles released their four-track debut EP, Welcome, in August 2012. The EP quickly earned positive press, but with Idles self-financing their own recordings, it wasn't until October 2015 that they released their follow-up, Meat, another four-track EP. A month later, Meat was followed by Meta, which featured remixes of the tracks from Meat by David Pajo, Peter Robertson, Sly One, and Thom Alt J. By the time Meat had been released, Andy S had left Idles, and Lee Kiernan had taken over on guitar.
As the U.K. music press became increasingly enthusiastic about Idles, the band released a single in August 2016, "Divide & Conquer," a bitter critique of the budget cuts that had crippled the U.K.'s National Health Service. They also announced that the song was the first track from their upcoming full-length debut album, Brutalism, which arrived in early 2017 on Balley Records and received widespread acclaim. Many noted that the refreshing, ferocious heaviness of the album, with its brilliantly satirical lyrics, was a welcome sound in the arguably imitable alternative scene.
Using the momentum gained from the release of their debut, the group toured extensively and continued to write new material throughout 2017. They re-entered the studio in January 2018 to begin recording their follow-up. The second album arrived after slight delays; Talbot experienced more personal tragedy and conversely gave up drinking. In reaction to those events, the themes of 2018's Joy as an Act of Resistance shifted focus to communities and supportive ideals, although it still found time to take shots at the failings of U.K. society. Idles returned in May 2019 with the single "Mercedes Marxist," later the same year releasing their debut live album, Beautiful Thing: Live at Le Bataclan. It wasn't long before a third album was on the way, continuing their prolific streak of a record a year. Ultra Mono arrived in 2020 and featured guest artists for the first time, including Jehnny Beth -- with whom Talbot appeared on her 2020 album, To Love Is to Live -- Warren Ellis, and Jamie Cullum. For their next album, 2021's Crawler, Talbot spoke about having more creative freedom, something which was evidenced by the soul influence on lead track "The Beachland Ballroom."
© Mark Deming /TiVo
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CRAWLER
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 12 Nov 2021
Although they are still the U.K.'s most vital punk band, Idles are on fire, not just in terms of their productivity -- four albums in four years -- or ...
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Ultra Mono
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 25 Sep 2020
After toiling in obscurity for nearly a decade, the Bristol, England, band Idles broke through in 2017—earning accolades for their big, heavy, ferocio ...
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Joy as an Act of Resistance.
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 31 Aug 2018
It's back to school for Idles. Six months after chomping down the chunky Brutalism, our five Bristol dropouts, standard-bearers for a no-frills punk r ...
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Brutalism
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 10 Mar 2017
With Divide & Conquer - a possible echo to the third opus from the Sleaford Mods - Stendhal Syndrom or even Heel/Heal, you could say that Idles have a ...
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Model Village (feat. slowthai)
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 20 Jul 2021
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The Beachland Ballroom
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 28 Sep 2021
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The God That Failed
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Blackened Recordings - Universal Music on 26 Aug 2021
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Car Crash
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 3 Nov 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Damaged Goods
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Gill Music on 28 May 2021
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Mercedes Marxist
IDLES
Rock - Released by Partisan Records on 7 May 2019
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Mr. Motivator
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 19 May 2020
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Colossus (Tricky Remix)
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by False Idols on 16 Aug 2019
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I Dream Guillotine
IDLES
Rock - Released by Partisan Records on 2 Aug 2019
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Samaritans
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 25 Jul 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Colossus
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 30 May 2018
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A Beautiful Thing: IDLES Live at Le Bataclan (Live at Le Bataclan)
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 6 Dec 2019
For a band with a reputation built on their electric performance and inclusion, a record documenting their live show is oddly counterintuitive. Their ...
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Crawl! (DGG Edit)
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 8 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Danny Nedelko
IDLES
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on 5 Jun 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo