IDLES, Electric Ballroom, London

Last year IDLES released magnificent second record ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ to a fanfare that could only be described as biblical. The record was a 40-minute respite to all the bullshit of 2018: a divided country eating itself, toxic leaders spewing falsities and a rallying cry for hope in the face of cursed circumstances. After a solid few months of touring, the band return to London for three highly-anticipated sold-out shows at Camden’s Electric Ballroom.

The band begin with a weighty, molasses-thick ‘Colossus’, the bass notes sending pulses of anticipation through the crowd. Before the track kicks into its rapid-fire ending, one that causes the mosh pit faithful to collectively lose their shit, frontman Joe Talbot urging the crowd to “look after each other please”. It’s these moments which define IDLES both live and on record: moments of tenderness belying outright ferocity.

As the set progresses, seeing the band whip through ‘Never Fight A Man With A Perm’, ‘I’m Scum’ and ‘Great’, it becomes increasingly clear that IDLES’ rise is richly deserved. Every track is greeted with the same frenzied energy from the crowd, a barrage of crowd surfers hauled to the front, riding a wave of sweaty ecstasy. During these moments, guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan bob in and out joining the throng, leading them into a higher level of frenzy.