Mine hosts were our old “live” favourites, wild, woolly and windswept Scots indie-poets and R.E.M. acolytes Idlewild, for the 15th time of asking overall (including 3 times in a week in California in 2005, when they effectively formed the soundtrack to my and Rachel’s honeymoon!) but the first since their excellent “Shiiine On” showing in 2019 (gig 1,161). This one however sees them venturing South of the Border to deliver a start-to-finish rendition of their defining 2002 album “The Remote Part”; not only the album that moved them forward from their early fast-and-frantic “flight of stairs falling down a flight of stairs” sound into a more coherent, widescreen and literate oeuvre, but the one that (mainly thanks to the utterly brilliant leadoff single “You Held The World In Your Arms”) really put them firmly onto our gig radar. Lots to thank this album for, then, and high hopes for a performance tonight to do it justice…
An Idlewild gig had been on Logan’s wish list for some time, so I was happy to fulfil his wish by taking him along to this one. Also joining us today for the ride was Pete “Monkey” Butler, so I picked the man up mid-afternoon, and we hit the road for an easy and chatty drive up to Osterley tube car park, just underneath the Heathrow flight path. Rammed on arrival (first time ever!), we however lucked into a parking spot after a short wait, then tubed over to Camden for the now traditional (and delicious!) Chinese street food pre-gig tea at Camden Lock. A short wander up to Kentish Town Forum saw us hit the venue 20 minutes before doors, then in early on the O2 priority (hooray!) with Logan and I bagsying a barrier spot, house left, Pete initially joining us then preferring a viewing spot further back for the bands. First up at 8 were support Voka Gentle, a 2 girl/ 2 bloke synth-based, white-suited combo, coaxing some very odd spaced-out sounds from their equipment. A weird melange of noises, this lot; experimental bleeps and bloops, echoey vocals, weird backwards off-kilter time signature drums and some occasional very lovely actually 3 part harmonies, but not really making much sense as a coherent whole. Bits of Webb Brothers psych-pop and Scissor Sisters disco falsetto as well; Logan very accurately likened one track to The Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive”, then commented, “they sound like what you think drugs are going to be like!” Hmmm, note to self; play Love’s “Forever Changes” for Logan at some point… Anyway, back to Voka Gentle; verdict? Not sure…
Luckily, next up was as close to a sure thing as you’re likely to get; keeping a full (sold out on the night?) and expectant crowd waiting until just after 9, the 7-piece Idlewild (the 5 core members being augmented by an extra keyboardist and violinist tonight) sauntered casually on to a 50’s crooner backing track, then burst into “You Held The World In Your Arms”, sounding sparklingly pure, polished and spot-on from the outset. “We’re playing “The Remote Part”, it came out 20 years ago…” murmured affable vocalist Roddy Woomble, close-cropped, perennially youthful and stylish in black sweater and white chinos, before an amphetamine-fast and frankly incendiary “Modern Way Of Letting Go” then ceded to an astonishing, spine-tingling “American English”, possibly the best I’ve ever heard this hallowed track, the sky-scraping hook sung back lustily by the devoted. What. A. Start!
“Anyone
see us at do “The Remote Part” at Brixton Academy in 2002? [If so] thanks for
the returning custom!” deadpanned an effusive Roddy, before the delicious
violin embellishments of a tender “Live In A Hiding Place” saw them hit the
album mid-point in remarkably short order, Roddy commenting, “we’re racing
through this album! Luckily, we’re going to play lots of other songs…” An off
kilter “Century After Century” was discordant yet delicious, “Stay The Same”
(“one of our pop-punk numbers!”) was an unheralded and unexpected delight, then
album closer “The Remote Part” eased in like a touching folky elegy, before
breaking into a squalling noise-fest, the unstoppably kinetic guitarist Rod
Jones channelling his inner Bob Mould to perfection. A brilliant rendition of a
classic album, well deserving of the lengthy ovation.
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That
wasn’t it though; the glam stomp of newie “Dream Variations” led into a
brilliantly savage yet singalong “Roseability”, then the angular, off kilter
riff of “These Wooden Ideas” and a sweeping “El Capitan” with its haunting repetitive
circular hook outro, again sung back by the masses, were highlights of set part
2, before the soaring “whoa-oh” harmonies and understated contemplation of
“Love Steals Us From Loneliness” rounded off the set. A 4 song encore,
“dialling it back to the 90’s,” as Roddy put it, kicked off with the repetitive
terrace-chant hook of “Little Discourage”, a brilliantly taut and wiry “When I
Argue I See Shapes” and the fire alarm blare of “Film For The Future” ultimately
closing out a triumphant and quite majestic performance, Roddy leading the band
off after profusely thanking the crowd for their support down the years, and
the all-action, monitor-straddling jumping bean Rod unmooring his set-list for
me, before heading off for a well-earned rest. Result!
Again, that wasn’t it, though; the cross-town tube trek saw us back at Osterley just before midnight, however on arrival we discovered a fellow parker had crashed into the high kerbs at the top of the ramp and was blocking the only – and very narrow – access route whilst trying to replace a damaged and flat front wheel! D’oh! After scraping ice off our car and noting the lack of progress, we went back up to offer assistance (everybody else seemingly just stewing in their cars at this point!) and soon realised the guy was struggling with a continually slipping jack, so I solicited aid from fellow waiting motorists and ultimately ended up practically project managing the situation (yeah, “more ornament than use” little old me!), our team of (un?) willing helpers eventually clearing the blockage by ¼ to 1. Woah! So, we then hit the road, dropping Pete off and eventually hitting home at a bleary-eyed 20 past 2. Yikes! This was one for the books, though; a brilliant Idlewild performance, doing full justice to that classic “The Remote Part” album and then some, with a proper adventure thrown in at the end. What a way to end the gigging year!
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