IDLEWILD - event info

Whether you describe them as indie, rock, punk or folk would depend on which song you’re listening to, but whatever label you choose, the Scottish quintet, led by the incredibly named, Roddy Woomble, are never a disappointment.

When I Argue I see Shapes, Little Discourage, Roseability, American English and a Modern Way of Letting Go, are all anthems on dancefloors and radios alike and that’s just a snapshot of the seven album catalogue this band have notched up in the last eleven years, a snapshot which culminated last year in the self released but by no means shoddy, Post Electric Blues.

With a bulky back catalogue soaked in boisterous, if melancholic, guitar rock the expectation this time for Idlewild was for them to make their Automatic for the People: a weighty album which crystallised all their most extreme emotions. Post Electric Blues gathers up the requisite joy, breathless excitement and even the impudence for such a project.

‘Readers and Writers’ is a shot of pure crystalline pop, and while the brass parps and the guitars ring out, Roddy seems almost flirtatious, even if lyrically he remains joyfully obtuse at points. The Johnny Marr-esque swing and swoop of ‘All Over the Town’ is tucked in behind the monolithic guitar strangling of ‘Post Electric’, a double bill that illustrates their six-string chops to perfection.

A great live band at both festivals and their own shows and certainly one worth getting down to 53 Degrees for on the 12th March.