Idlewild + Sparrow & The Workshop
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Tue 20 Apr
words & photos: Tom Hartrey
Clwb Ifor Bach played host for the Cardiff leg of rock stalwarts Idlewild’s Cardiff latest tour this week. For those with a selective memory, The NME championed Scot-rockers achieved what most indie-darlings can only dream of, supporting rock royalty U2 and releasing a bunch of big-selling albums in the early Noughties.
But you’d be forgiven for the ignorance – despite the impressive launch, their star trajectory failed to reach the pending stratosphere and latest album Post Electro Blues’ stalled at number 90, although Tuesday’s sell-out gig showed no sign of a band past their prime.
There were guitar-driven gems aplenty, kicked off by fellow Celts Sparrow And The Workshop’ – their acclaimed brand of Americana musings getting the crowd off to a toe-tapping start.
It’s easy to see why this earthy three-piece have been compared to Cat Power – their folk-tales of heartfelt rebellion were delivered with dusty passion their likener would be proud of.
On highlight I Will Break You mesmerising frontwoman Jill O’Sullivan enquires ‘who do you guys hate the most?’ before deciding Tony Blair is the deserver of such an accolade.
So they may have the balls of Power, but these guys are thankfully bereft of her onstage issues, instead playing a tight and all too short set explaining their appearance on BBC’s Introducing stage at last year’s Glasto.
It was then the turn of our indie-rock headliners to take centre stage. They had a stellar act to follow, but once they’d launched into their expansive and eclectic back catalogue, it became apparent why the women next to me had travelled “250 miles for this.”
They’ve had a few commercial successes – underrated pop-gem Love Steals us From Loneliness being a particular highlight’- and these rightly received some rowdy applause. But equal praise is (and was) warranted for the plethora of album tracks preformed, spanning their entire 15 years.
I suspect Idlewild have fallen out of Joe Public’s favour due to some not-too-savvy single choices after hearing these lesser known numbers, but these guys aren’t bothered by chart positions. Such is their disregard for following the musical norm that within ten minutes, the set list’s binned and the band instead cater to the sonic requests of a gentleman in the 2nd row.
It’s this understanding of just what the fans want, delivered with a genuine talent for performing that explain the existence of hardcore Idle-fans, and their continuing (if not more minor) presence on the music scene. They may not currently be playing the same colossal stages as Bono and co, but if the gigs continue being this flipping good, they may encounter a second blast off yet.