Hip To Hip: Five Takeaways From Idles' Bristol Homecoming
Tuesday, 05 August 2025
Written by James Palaczky
Photo: Tom Ham
There would have been a lot of sore heads in Bristol on Sunday morning. But as they wiped the crust from their eyes, their battered bodies limping to boil the kettle as bruises continued to blossom, a smile might linger on the face of anyone caught up in the rampageous brilliance of Idles’ two-night hometown throwdown.
Having set up shop in Queen Square, right at the centre of the city, the post-punk heroes delivered two nights of joyous, exuberant bedlam, bringing the curtain down on their latest era while proving that they’re not only one of the best live bands around, but also one of the most important. Here are five things that stuck with us long after the final note was carried off into the night sky.
They’re Not Fighting, They’re Just Dancing
On Friday you’ll get Mark Bowen’s arse in your face, on Saturday you’ll get his fretboard. But that’s part of the beauty of Idles. The band want to be in the pit just as much as you and across the two sets, guitarists Bowen and Lee Kiernan spend half their time straddling the faithful.
“Are you ready to Collide?” vocalist Joe Talbot bellows into the dusk. The ensuing whirlpool of punters slamming against each other, bodies upon bodies, limbs upon limbs, is a beautiful sight to behold. Though not for the faint hearted, it is one of the more welcoming pits.
Countless times you may fall to the floor but every time a multitude of hands will reach out to get you back on your feet. New friends bounce arm in arm, sharing the odd peck on the cheek and snapping selfies with strangers. While a lot of bands can open up a pit, few can fill them with love and affection like Idles can.
Pull Them Up
On Saturday, Hinds brought some jubilant Madrid sunshine with them. Displaying more energy than a rabbit on Redbull, the indie-pop band took a moment to thank Idles for inviting them and acknowledged them as one of the first bands to accept them in a rock scene where anyone who’s not a white CIS dude has long been sidelined despite their talent and drive.
Being an all-male group with a mainly male fan base, that might seem hypocritical. But in curating this line-up, Idles chose to bring a diverse group of acts together to create a truly unique event, walking the walk after talking the talk.
It’s Not Punk, It’s Better
As Soft Play launch into the career-reigniting Punk’s Dead you can’t help but contemplate the sentiment. The internet is littered with thousands of blogs and podcasts chipping in their two cents but this weekend Idles proudly showcased that punk is ever-evolving.
Spitting in the face of the misogyny and homophobia that plagued punk history, Lambrini Girls delivered a ferocious set calling out sexual harassment and transphobia. They were relentless as they tore the early crowd a new one, setting the bar high.
Community
Festivals can feel like they happen in a vacuum, cut off from the culture of that corner of the world. But there was something in the air this weekend where it felt like you were partying with the rest of Bristol.
It was a stroke of genius to have local DJs Mr Steve Bob, SICARIA and Tash LC spin a mix of drum and bass, hip hop and dance, celebrating the rave culture Bristol is famed for while offering the opportunity for Idles to honour the city they love.
Saturday’s opener Grove, meanwhile, brought a powerful and defiant aura to kick off proceedings on their own patch. In these politically frustrated times, they offered the sort of teeth-bared power that might ignite a revolution of their own — we look forward to seeing them dominate festival line-ups in years to come.
Love Really Is the Thing
Pointing over the walls of Queen Square, Talbot reminisced on the corners of Bristol that shaped him. Naming the dancefloors and clubs surrounding all sides, tonight is very much a celebration of the city.
Voice cracking, he shares with the audience a time he considered taking his own life. The gratitude for his friends and bandmates that kept him afloat spills out of him, followed by an eruption from the crowd. The outpouring of support is not exclusively for the frontman, but for anyone who might be going through it.
Whether it’s politically, socially or mentally, everybody seems isolated these days. Separated by division, stagnant beliefs, and everyday battles, we forget that while there is a lot of hatred spewing out of the world, there is also a lot of love. The ‘TANGK’ chapter of the band’s story is over, and we still don’t know the definition of the album’s title. But we think we know what it means.
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