IDLES

IDLES took a little time to get warmed up. Singer Joe Talbot and bassist Adam Devonshire, the founding members of the Bristol band, were unsure of their eventual musical direction at first, and the results sounded awful. But then they were joined by three friends and aimed for the essence: stripped-down rock with committed lyrics that don’t beat around the bush. “We don’t want to start a revolution. But we talk politics in the pub all the time. It would be strange if we didn’t sing about it too.” They know how to have a laugh though; they are British, after all. The ball started rolling faster and better in all aspects for IDLES. The new album, ‘Tangk’, is their fifth in seven years and reveals a driven outfit that is noticeably less angry and reassuringly more cheerful.