“We’re gonna play again soon, don’t worry” said Idlewild’s Roddy Womble as the band demonstrated why they need to make good on that promise to a sold out London crowd at the Roundhouse on Friday night.
I have to make a confession: I’ve never seen Idlewild live before. I’ve always appreciated them. When I’m listening to a song on the radio and thinking “this is great”, I’m always happy to discover it’s another Idlewild tune, but I wouldn’t have called myself a fan. I am now realising my mistake.
Idlewild have just released their self-produced album Everything Ever Written after being out of the spotlight for five years. Although you could argue that they’ve never really been in the spotlight at all. This is an issue that should be rectified following this tour.
The new album is a mature offering with songs contemplating the big questions in life, such as how we define our place in the world and how civilisations develop, blended with Womble’s forlorn vocals and sophisticated arrangements. It is beautifully put together and this was mirrored by the live performance. The Roundhouse felt like the ideal venue for this return with it’s theatrical layout but feeling of intimacy.
The set list (in full below) was, as you’d expect, a mix of the old and the new with crowd-pleasers Roseability and American English appearing alongside new gems Collect Yourself and Come On Ghost. Womble is an interesting frontman to watch. Engaging and personable at the microphone but also very understated – demonstrated by the way he stands at the side of the stage for instrumental breaks and just watches the rest of the band , nodding along. It’s a far cry from the raw intensity of their early gigs. I hope he enjoyed watching the raucous guitar work at the end of (Use It) If You Can Use It as much as the delighted audience did.
The crowd continuing the ‘woahs’ at the end of Love Steals Us From Loneliness while the band just stood and awkwardly watched was a highlight and summed up the passion for this band that is still very much alive in their fan base.
Comebacks aren’t always great and they seem to be in fashion at the moment but some returns are so welcome and natural we wonder how we ever coped without the band in question. “What a wonderful crowd you are” said Womble “thank you so much again for supporting the band all these years”. We should hope that the understated brilliance of the new album and this performance gets this band the recognition they deserve as well as some new fans. I’m now happy to count myself as one – better late than never.
Set list:
Nothing I Can Do About It
You Held the World in Your Arms
Collect Yourself
Little Discourage
Make Another World
Every Little Means Trust
Roseability
Live in a Hiding Place
Come On Ghost
Quiet Crown
A Film for the Future
Captain
So Many Things To Decide
Love Steals Us From Loneliness
(Use It) If You Can Use It
American English
El Capitan
Utopia
Encore:
Too Long Awake
I Understand It
A Modern Way of Letting Go
In Remote Part / Scottish Fiction