Idles at Marble Factory review: Fans go wild at intimate Bristol homecoming

Neither torrential rain or a 6pm start dampened the enthusiasm and dedication of Idles fans at their intimate Bristol homecoming.

A band formed in the city where they met as students, the rise of Idles has meant they are now infrequent visitors to Bristol but it’s still where they have roots and a solid fanbase.

But there were as many Welsh accents as Bristol ones at Marble Factory for this sell-out show, one of three in the UK to launch their new album, Tangk. 

There were a huge number of fans who had travelled from Wales - they clearly couldn’t wait to see the band’s huge Cardiff Castle show this summer.

This promises to be a pivotal year for Idles, one that sees them move up another gear when it comes to live shows. They already have several stadium gigs and festivals lined up and their major UK tour of larger venues is already selling out.

The new album has been co-produced by Nigel Goodrich, best known for his work with Radiohead, and it’s a more melodic and thoughtful record compared to the previous four.

Frontman Joe Talbot is also a more restrained and emotionally mature character than before. Now a father to a young daughter who was watching the show (at one point the doting dad asked her if she'd had her snacks), he has overcome his addictions and wild behaviour and is a more mellow, loved-up figure.

Of course, he still paces around the stage like a coiled spring, often with arms hanging by his sides like an ape, but this was a slightly less frenetic performance than previous shows.

And with a headband holding his hair back and his walrus moustache, he still looks like a 1970s Australian cricketer - a look emulated by many of the mullet-haired fans.

Before the band appeared, one fan next to me was talking to his friend and admitted that he still didn’t know how to describe the band’s sound. They settled on ‘punk with a bit of rock because Joe shouts more than sings’, which is a little unfair as the new songs show a softer, more melodic side to Talbot. At one point, he was almost crooning.

There are still plenty of shouty, political rants in the songs but it’s less aggressive and crude than it was. New songs like Hall and Oates and Dancer are a lot poppier than Idles fans are used to but they lapped them up.

Long-haired lead guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kieran remain as much a focal point as Talbot, with drummer Jon Beavis and bass player Adam Devonshire happier to stay out of the spotlights.

Bowen, who co-produced the album, is also using more keyboards and programming these days, which adds to the bigger, almost 70s prog-rock sound that is tailor-made for the larger venues they will be playing this year.

Of the new material, Gift Horse and Pop Pop Pop are already cutting through as future Idles classics.

But it was old favourites like Danny Nedelko, Mr Motivator, Never Fight A Man With a Perm, Mother and I’m Scum that had the Marble Factory crowd dancing and throwing themselves into the frenzied moshpit. 

Playing for 90 minutes, this was a full-blown Idles show in a relatively intimate setting. Just wait until they play even bigger venues this summer - it promises to be a golden year for Bristol’s hottest band.