Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Originally published by L.S. Media. April 24th 2010.

There is only one thing better than catching a band on top form for a gig and that is to see them at few venues during the tour and know for certain that the band have been on fire for the vast majority of it.

Idlewild played Liverpool during the Summer Pops last year and since then they have been busy recording and promoting the latest studio album Post Electric Blues. With that in mind, it is nothing less than stunning to see them play with such dedication to the music and to the audience, some who have travelled the country with them, never letting up on their devotion to arguably one of the finest bands to have survived the late nineties music scene.

The band kicked off an exciting set with Younger than America and Readers and Writers from that new album. From that point there was no let up in the proceedings as vocalist Roddy Woomble took the loyal crowd through a lyrical and musical heaven by playing songs from almost every part of the bands history.

These included the early success of When I Argue, I See Shapes, No Emotion from the brilliant album Make another World, You and I are both away and the superb Roseability from the second studio album 100 Broken Windows.

Guitarist Rod Jones, who in amongst all the touring has been preparing his first solo album, is nothing short of exceptional, and even when his equipment momentarily failed, he was the consummate professional. He gave a first rate display of how to entertain a crowd on the tracks City Hall and Love Steals us from Loneliness.

The band finished an impressive set in a new venue with Everyone Says you’re so Fragile and the crowd pleaser Little Discourage.

The lads deserve their long awaited break but it is fair to say that the music scene and venues will miss this exceptional band that are still a big draw despite little or no interest from the more commercial radio stations who in all honesty don’t know what they are missing.

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Ian D. Hall