Idlewild LIVE @ The King’s Head, 05.11.14

Rating:

As we enter The King’s Head member’s club in Dalston (after walking past it at least three times), we’re greeted with a range of unnerving taxidermy… At first I thought it was just the giant tiger leaping over the bar, but soon realise these huge – pretty terrifying – dead creatures are everywhere: whether it’s the bear in the back corner of the bar, the sharp-toothed baboon about to pounce as we make our way upstairs, or the mass of wild cats in the room that we mistakenly wander into on the top floor, where Idlewild are happily chatting pre-gig.

Luckily, down in the basement, where this incredibly intimate set is to take place there are “less stuffed animals, and more soundproofing” (Roddy himself points out mid-set): just a solitary chimp pointing a rifle, disturbingly, at Woomble’s head. However, this doesn’t seem to put the Scottish frontman off: after a warm welcome, Idlewild immediately rid my mind of all vicious, lifeless, creatures and treat us to a beautifully heartfelt rendition of ‘Little Discourage’ – casting the whole room “under a spell” with its acoustic delicacy. And, at once, I’m taken back to the first time I heard the band – sneakily sharing headphones with a friend at the back of a Maths lesson, and falling in love instantly.

This really is something special: sharing a room with no more than 80 people (“I thought it would be more crowded in here!” exclaims a surprised Roddy) and one of the bands most significant to me – a consistent, unwavering, companion throughout the last 15 or so years. It’s therefore pretty hard to resist shouting out “Thank you!” after every song, or even clamouring onto the stage just to give Woomble and co. a big hug of gratitude; it’s hard enough, actually, to keep my singing to myself as I mouth the lyrics to all my favourites. And they do play all my favourites, a perfect mix of new and old.

Following ‘Little Discourage’ is the 2002 classic ‘You Held The World In Your Arms’ and, as Roddy’s impassioned, velvety tones ebb smoothly from the stage, fragile folky melodies flow from the fiddle and the band have each and every one of us entirely captivated. Alongside the vocals and fiddle is the spitting image of Butch Vig on keys (I’m still not convinced it wasn’t the Foo Fighters producer/Garbage member moonlighting), the ever faithful Rod on guitars, Andrew Mitchell on bass and Colin (a quiet night for him) on drums.

As the evening goes on, it is not only the size of our surroundings that creates a memorable, intimate atmosphere, but the warm and humble nature of our hosts. In between each spellbinding song are snippets of friendly banter and endearing grins at the crowd – “Anyone been here before? I haven’t, I’m not from around here you know?” – only serving to heighten that hugging urge of mine. Whether I’m reaching for the tissues throughout the poignant nostalgic numbers (‘I Live In A Hiding Place’ being a particular tear-jerker), silently mouthing “Gertrude Stein said that’s enough” repeatedly or simply appreciating the exquisite charm of newer offerings such as ‘Every Little Means Trust’, every moment of this cozy set exceeds expectations. Ending with ‘In Remote Part’, Idlewild prove that they’ve still got it, charming all 80 of us with their sweeping melodies, profound lyrics and engaging Scottish magnetism.

Whilst the band may have mellowed with age, the acoustic nature of the evening marking a change from the usual vigour of many older numbers (pretty different from when I saw them at Truck Festival ’07), Idlewild have not lost any of the passion that initially attracted me to them. They remain one of the most underrated bands of the last couple of decades.  In fact, I’m left so utterly captivated by it all, that I hardly notice the tiger’s menacing stare as I meander out of the bar…

 

 

Everything Ever Written, Idlewild’s new album, will be out next February, followed by a string of live shows.

 

Mari Lane

@marimindles

Mari Lane

Mari Lane

Editor, London. Likes: Kathleen Hanna, 6Music, live music in the sunshine. Dislikes: Sexism, pineapples, the misuse of apostrophes.