Last month saw IDLES release their brand-new album CRAWLER – their fourth in as many years and the follow-up to their first No. 1, 2019’s Ultra Mono. Met with widespread acclaim, the album was produced by IDLES’ Mark Bowen alongside Kenny Beats and marked a real turning point in the evolution of the band, adding a whole new dimension to the music the Bristolian five-piece make.
Following the soul-soaked comeback single “The Beachland Ballroom” and the abrasive “Car Crash” today they release a new single “When The Lights Come On”. With its motorik rhythm and propulsive bass lines, the track harks back to the days when frontman and lyricist Joe Talbot would DJ in Bristol clubs until the early hours, chasing the party into the night only to be confronted by the harsh realities that turning the lights on can expose. See Below the Lee Kiernan directed Video.
The band will also embark on a sold-out (bar one date) European tour in the new year. With 4 nights at London’s Brixton Academy, 3 at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, and 3 at Glasgow’s iconic Barrowland Ballroom, the tour is set to delight fans with their signature socially aware take on manic aggression. See full ticket information here.
Clearly bored of having downtime, the band have also taken on an excess of extra-curricular activities including remixing St. Vincent’s track “Pay Your Way in Pain”, and working with literal guitar legend Tom Morello (from Rage Against the Machine of course) on a track from his solo outing The Atlas Underground Flood, The Batchelor. They are even choosing to round out the year playing with The Strokes on New Year’s Eve at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
.@IdlesBand put their spin on a @St_Vincent single https://t.co/FTyybyIibv
— Pitchfork (@pitchfork) December 9, 2021
The release of CRAWLER back in November was marked with a show at EartH in Hackney, London. IDLES were insistent on making this a show to remember, giving out records at the end of the show, inviting fans on stage, and clambering into the audience themselves to sing Christmas songs in the middle of November.
Regarding the new single, lead singer, Joe Talbot, explained, “When the lights come on. Our third offering from Crawler. A poem of light and sound exploring the cold light of day. Thank you x”.
All the dates to their 2022 tour are sold out, the only exception at the moment being the final Brixton Academy date, see below for more details.
16/01/2022- O2 Academy Brixton- London
17/01- O2 Academy Brixton- London
18/01- O2 Academy Brixton- London
19/01- O2 Academy Brixton- London
21/01- Motorpoint Arena Cardiff- Cardiff
22/01- O2 Academy- Birmingham
24/01- Vicar Street- Dublin
25/01- Vicar Street- Dublin
26/01- Vicar Street- Dublin
28/01- O2 Victoria Warehouse- Manchester
29/01- O2 Victoria Warehouse- Manchester
30/01- O2 Victoria Warehouse- Manchester
01/02- O2 Academy- Sheffield
02/02- O2 City Hall- Newcastle
03/02- Barrowland Ballroom- Glasgow
04/02- Barrowland Ballroom- Glasgow
05/02- Barrowland Ballroom- Glasgow
