Idles – Tangk review

Few bands produce such a divided reaction amongst the listening public as Idles; with the support of a fanatically devoted base to rely on, where the haters condemn them as hectoring three chord do-gooders, the partisans have formed a bubble of do-no-wrong support.

The Bristolians though have been anxious to talk recently about being misunderstood; they’re not a punk band, nor do they use anger as fuel, nor are they willing to take everyone with them creatively if they don’t want to come. The basis of Tangk is a semi-rejection of their musical past, in the guise of a Nigel Godrich-inspired re-examination of how they approach songwriting, instrumentation and most importantly themselves as artists.

The result is yet another giant leap forward from their debut Brutalism‘s post-hardcore, a mix of soundscapes chanelling amongst others Killing Joke (Gift Horse, Gratitude) and inevitably Radiohead (Idea 01). Singer (Yes, singer) Joe Talbot finds and holds new ground on the likes of Roy, whilst fun is still to be had on the stroppy punk of Hall & Oates, but it’s via A Gospel that a new realm of possibilities opens up, a ghostly ballad delivered with a genuine mastery of the form. Call them what you want – they don’t care – but Tangk’s lasting impression is much more of what Idles are, not what they were.

You can read a full review here.