Back in 2018, when frontman Joe Talbot told NME the name of IDLES’ upcoming album was “a brave naked smile in this shitty new world”, it had felt like a line in the sand. After almost a decade of austerity and an EU referendum that exposed nationwide xenophobia, recording sessions for Joy as an Act of Resistance had come in the wake of an election that unexpectedly unseated the Tory majority, and the record’s title reflected this newfound optimism. Set against years of expecting the worst, daring to hope had itself become a radical act, and with Joy… IDLES were presenting their manifesto.
As the government comes under fire for PPE shortages and the health secretary distorts official figures to save face, two years on that optimism feels naïvely misplaced. Even so, IDLES’ call for positivity in times of hardship has become more vital than ever, something the band took to heart last Friday when they released footage of their entire set at Le Bataclan for free (watch below).
The band spent last week doing daily streams of the show followed by live Q&A sessions with each member. As of Friday (the 1st of May) in an effort to bring comfort to housebound fans, the set was made available via their YouTube channel to view on demand.
All next week at 19:00 BST we're doing screenings of our Bataclan show on @youtubemusic. Subscribe for info & notifications at https://t.co/aRQkgIwydM.
We'll be doing a live Q&A with @AFGANGAF hero Brian straight after screenings. Ask questions live or comment below x pic.twitter.com/3knymVUPXN
— I D L E S (@idlesband) April 24, 2020
Filmed at the iconic Parisian theatre, the set was the final show in the Bristol outfit’s 2018 world tour and spawned the live album A Beautiful Thing, released in December last year. In the liner notes, Talbot said of the recording:
“Our show at Bataclan was the end of a very long journey for us. On that tour we learnt so much about ourselves, each other and the audiences we have grown with over the past 10 years. That show was nothing short of catharsis and nothing more than love. We love what we do and the people who have carried us here, there was no hiding that at Bataclan and we are so very grateful that the moment was captured in all its glory, love and fatigue. Long live the open minded and long live the moment”
As far back as September 2019, the Bristol outfit have been ramping up anticipation for a follow-up to Joy… by posting shots of the studio on their social media (not to mention teasing appearances from Bad Seeds member Warren Ellis and producer Kenny Beats no less) but as of now, no official announcement of a third album has been made. Good thing we’ve got this to see us through.
