Idles have fucking stormed their way through Dublin again and this time we get to hear their chaotic tunes in the legendary 3Olympia Theatre. A big difference from the last performance seen in Malahide Castle, supporting LCD Soundsystem. This time, the chaos was even more noticeable.
Like a school of sardines trying to break from the can, the crowd was busting to get in. Couldn’t move in the place, but this doesn’t stop members of the band jumping in and out of that packed human soup.
IDLES are known for political lyricism and punk-esque stage presence, screaming out their opinions at the top of their lungs and Josef Talbot is the man of the people, The man of the MEN may I add.
Josef is no shy boi when it comes to speaking his mind, and a main topic on the tip of his tongue is mens mental health. Pulling the narrative from such icons like Greysson Perry and his excellent book “The Descent of man”, it focuses on toxic masculinity and how young boys are brought up to be the “man of the house” and learning that “Boys don’t cry”.
Back to Josef, and he is touching on the same topics within his lyrics and making the modern day man feel more secure in his skin and to not shy away from who you are and not allowing the likes of OCD and anxiety to control ones life.
Songs like Samaritans should be the new Mens national anthem. This song sees IDLES dissect toxic masculinity with lines such as ‘Man up / Sit down / Chin up / Pipe down / Socks up / Don’t cry / Drink up / Don’t whine…That’s why you never see your father cry.’
Josef has even teamed up with Irish street artist legend, Art Of Asbestos and BipolarBear Wear to create a really cool collectors item in the form of a Baseball bat with the words “I BEAT MYSELF UP’ along the side. The bat was created to raise awareness and money for suicide prevention and World Mental Health day. Topics that speak direct to Josef as we can see from most of his lyrics and the dedications of the albums to his own struggles with Mental Health, Drug abuse and the loss of his mother.
IDLES are creating such a beautiful space for all their fans to thrive and speak up about real issues. There has even been a fan Facebook group created for men to come and chat about how they are feeling and to seek support for their own struggles. This is what MUSIC is for. Creating change and providing a musical hug.
It was easy to see that, although the crowd last night were full of beans and the mosh was hard, there was still that feeling of safety and love amongst one another. And that is a feeling that IDLES have created.
From spitting into the air, to crowd surfing guitarists, microphone lasso and incredible vibrations, IDLES are putting on one of the best shows this year. And its happening three nights in a row. How good is that 🙂
They are making the most of their time here in Dublin also. Bassist Adam Devonshire was spotted in Dublin’s newest top class tattoo parlour, Secret Door Studio. Sitting in with the Argentinian legend German Ferreiroa, Adam got a cute Tennis racket and some traditional flowers to commemorate his time in Dublin. Guitarist Lee Kiernan was also spotted in Dublin’s best Guitar tech store SOMENECK, and picked up a guitar pedal from Brian May’s own collection.
Great to see the lads enjoying their time here in Dublin, and I am so happy to have seen them now for the second time this year.
Belfast based band CHALK was support for all three nights also, and if you don’t know this band, you need to fix that. Serious sounds out of these lads. If you are a fan of that one great track by the band UNDERWORLD Titled Born Slippy, (You know it, the main track from Trainspotting) then you will love CHALK. 90s vibes with a total don’t give a fuck attitude over some heavy guitar with some techno like drumming and an emo screamer on top. The perfect opener for IDLES indeed.
Last night saw the band perform there last show during this tour, but sure look, if you got the funds, go follow them around the rest of Europe. Lets get a new Grateful Dead like movement going LOL.
Chalk photos:
Idles photos & set-list:
Set-list:
IDEA 01
Colossus
Gift Horse
Mr. Motivator
Mother
Car Crash
I’m Scum
Jungle
Well Done
The Wheel
When the Lights Come On
Divide and Conquer
Gratitude
Love Song
POP POP POP
A Hymn
War
Wizz
Crawl!
The Beachland Ballroom
Never Fight a Man With a Perm
Dancer
Danny Nedelko
Rottweiler
Words & Photos Carl Foran – @carlforanphotography