Pinch Points and cover photo by NikNak
IDLES photos taken by Will Johnstone
I don’t think I have ever been to a concert where I don’t know one song from either the support or headlining band.
And, full disclosure here, the only reason I went to the IDLES show in Brisbane was because one of my best mates really wanted to go, but it was sold out. So, in a way I went out of duty, although after having a quick listen to some of IDLES material I was sure I would find some enjoyment in their set.
The first I heard of the opening act Pinch Points was when I read their name on the run sheet, and the second was when I saw on a time sheet posted at the entrance to Fortitude Music Hall that showed their set length had been increased by 15 minutes.
Which has to be a good sign.
When the Melbourne four piece bounced onto stage the first thing I noticed was their enthusiasm, which was tempered only by their relatively young age and strikingly brilliant matching stage attire.
Soon after that, both of those things vanished from my thoughts as the sheer majesty of their music took over and sent the already massive crowd into a seething swarm of moving bodies and inquisitive admiration.
I am going to attempt to name some of their songs, but in all honesty I am just going by pure guesswork according to the lyrics, so if anyone out there is a fan and I get it wrong please don’t crucify me.
It was clear from the outset that Pinch Points were an Australian support – with further research proving me correct when I found out they are Melbourne natives.
Their Australianism stood out from their flippant and often funny as fuck outlook on whatever they were singing about, with the mention of Koala’s in one of the early songs ramming that point home.
Comprised of two male guitarists, a female bass player plus a female drummer, Pinch Points are blessed with the fact that all four of them can sustain a note, with the four part harmonies a highlight and the constant wonderment of who would sing next keeping the crowd guessing.
Playing a brand of non-invasive punk laced with servings of rockabilly and pure rock goodness, Pinch Point were a breath of fresh air with their genuine happiness to be on stage accentuated by comments like “wow, there’s a lot of you!”, to “we got up at 4am to be here” accompanied by an exuberant smile showcasing the appreciation of the moment rather than the magnitude of their achievement by even being there.
Their 45 minute set was punctuated by a number of timing and tempo changes that added an eclectic nature to the music, each unexpected moment adding to the intensity of the performance rather than stagnating the band’s efforts to be heard.
My favourite track was Copper (check it out, you can’t get more Australian than this), with Am I Okay? – which was preceded by a beautiful speech highlighting the importance of communication -, and Spelt Out (I hope I got this one right haha) also highlights among a collection of songs that all hit the spot.
By the time Pinch Points finished with Reasons To Be Anxious I am confident in saying they had converted over 90% of the crowd into fans. I know they threw me on the bandwagon.
Put them on your playlist now. You will thank me later.
The half hour set between Pinch Points and headliner IDLES was a touch too long for the full house, who began fidgeting uncomfortably and becoming increasingly restless not even fifteen minutes in. If I can offer a bit of advice to the people running the show, it would be to turn up the music between bands so that the crowd had something else to focus on other than their impatience. But that’s just me.
Then the lights went down, and a deafening roar filled the venue before a one-note repeating bass intro with a heavy as fuck bottom end introduced the band.
Vocalist Joe Talbot sauntered onto stage, filling in the gaps with a dreamy, almost Doors-esque vocal line that squared off against the bass in a mesmerizing sonic battle that beautifully set the tone for a frenetic and ferocious ensuing 90 minute set that was unrelenting from start to finish.
Opening track Colossus was followed by Car Crash and by the time Mr. Motivator was finished IDLES had already produced more highlights in the opening salvos than your average band does in a full show.
Guitarist Lee Kiernan had already leapt into the crowd while still playing, the only thing tethering him to stage his guitar chord which was stretched to its limit.
On the other side of the stage, fellow guitarist Mark Bowen – dressed resplendently in a full-length dress of sorts – managed to almost circumnavigate the whole of Brisbane before transferring his talents to an abstract-looking sample desk that supplied a strangely beautiful sequence of notes which somehow accentuated the crazy antics of the rest of the band.
Before the second song, Talbot had ordered the crowd split down the middle and the obedient subjects dutifully obliged before smashing into one another with reckless abandon without the frontman having to officially bark his orders.
Talbot was his usual commanding self, at times animated and others more subdued, but always menacing. The command of his assembled musical army bordered on dangerous, but thankfully his only demands from the masses come in the form of thanks for their continued and sustained support.
You got the feeling that had he been in a mischievous mood, Talbot could have easily persuaded the crowd to wage war on whoever or whatever they were directed to, but tonight’s show was not about control.
It was about respect.
And that was given in equal parts by the band and their disciples.
Highlights for mine were Mother, Divide & Conquer and When The Lights Come On, but to single out individual songs would be failing to acknowledge the fact that each track had its own highlight and/or special meaning to each member of the crowd.
At one point Talbot disappeared from stage after letting us know he was stricken by a case of food poisoning, which would explain the constant stream of phlegm spat to all corners of the stage. I swear there was more spit flying around than your first high school kiss, and you could see the entire front row bracing themselves for contact at any moment. Not that any was fired in their direction, but you never know…
I know IDLES despise being called a punk band, but there isn’t a better way to describe their sound. It is mixed with a number of other prominent genres, but at the end of the day watching IDLES live is akin to seeing a musical version of Green Street Hooligans.
It’s tough as fuck, uncompromising and brutal, but always directed only at those who wish to embrace it.
I got to the end of the set still not knowing one song from either band, but, for probably the first time ever was not influenced by that realisation.
It actually made the fact that I had just witnessed possibly the best show I have been to this year even more poignant. It’s not often I can connect with music I am not familiar with, which speaks even greater volumes for the quality of performances from IDLES and Pinch Points.
If I had to sum up the night in two words, it would be pretty simple.
Fuck Yeah!
