Opening for LCD Soundsystem for their first Malahide Castle show in six years is no small deal. Idles at Malahide Castle was always going to be a treat but the James Murphy-sized shadow looming over an ever-growing crowd is noticeable. The long-running punk band has split the room as they later do with their crowd for a booming Colossus, with the release of their latest record, Tangk. They are losing their edge, according to those everyday listeners. Love has replaced spite, yet the message is all the same and ever-pressing. Their performance at Malahide Castle is filled with the expected language and prose. They are a band with their finger resting gently on the pulse of a movement. They are listening in, still struggling to balance their stage presence with the answers they give in interviews.
Because of delays, townhouse viewings and the uncomfortable urge to rot on the couch watching episodes of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, the Malahide Castle gig has come and gone. It has lost its relevancy. The scope of a headline slot on the Other Stage has shifted the conversation. Idles at Malahide Castle was an excellent experience for those who toured Iceland blasting Dancer as a way of dealing with a near-death experience. Hearing it live was a soft comfort and a personable approach to mortality and love. The rest of their set had much of the same vigorous political stance as the Glastonbury showcase, but because one was broadcast on TV and featured a Banksy piece, the conversation drifted to imagery instead of message. When everything is at our fingertips, to be reacted to, it becomes inevitable the conversation begins with wider issues.
But use this as a chance to evaluate Idles. Some may say their sound has not developed when they have been at the top of the charts; others would say it is the point. Their music is a reaction to the world around them. Many are doing the same but with a comfortable array of different artistic measures. Still, Danny Nedelko and Rottweiler linger as comfortable and identifiable examples of those horrifying realities. Idles can show off what they know about the world but rarely marry it to specifics. Slogans and catchphrases can only get you so far but with Never Fight a Man With a Perm and Mother in the set it is easy to hear their conviction.
Conviction to what, is the question. Idles has a consistent sound but an agonisingly simple statement. Can we live as hypocrites? Enjoy the spectacle with Joe Talbot. He is a demanding and experienced frontman in good stead. But we can scratch our heads as we lose the subtlety which runs through punk. As far as their instrumentals and sound go, Idles is an essential listen. The likes of Mr. Motivator and even the middling work on Gift Horse sound much better on the stage. They split the crowd with Colossus and the Twitter/X hivemind at home with their Glastonbury work. Is speaking of an act as important as defining the message? Idles are pursuing the same structure that Andy Warhol did with Empire. Time will tell if they pull it off, but they remain an intensely enjoyable live experience.
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