IDLES kicked off their ‘Beauty From Ashes’ US tour last week in St. Paul, MN, putting on an insane performance for the sold-out crowd.

After releasing the first single The Beachland Ballroom off of newly announced album CRAWLER a week prior, IDLES blasted into the states to kick off their US tour on October 7th. The band’s appearance did not disappoint, many fans in attendance citing this as their most highly anticipated show of 2021.

The five-piece took the stage slowly. Frontman Joe Talbot quietly assessed the crowd, judging the energy in the room. After sternly asking the crowd to split down the middle, the clicks and guitar strums of Colossus began to build. As Talbot began to sing “goes and it goes and it goes,” the crowd lost their minds. The audience deserves a special shoutout in this review, any IDLES concert attributes half of its atmosphere to the mosh pit and constant crowd surfing.

The first few songs passed in a blur of energy and sound. Members of the band joined the crowd song after song, allowing fans an up close, in-your-face and sweaty experience. Anxiety off of 2020’s Ultra Mono was a particular highlight, with guitarist Mark Bowen surfing the crowd all while Talbot yelled “anxiety” over and over on stage.

A comical moment occurred during Love Song which saw IDLES pulling vocal snippets from various love songs: Adele’s Someone Like You, Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U, Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On and finally Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You.

Toward the end of the set Palace Theatre was treated to the live debut of The Beachland Ballroom. An absolutely stunning tune, and quite unlike anything IDLES have released before, The Beachland Ballroom is an instant favorite. We cannot wait to hear the rest of the album upon its release on November 12th.

There is something so powerful about a live show with this much energy, heart and sweat after over a year of touring shutdown. It felt like a true return to what live music should be, and the crowd cherished the thrashing and brutal yet communal experience. To lose yourself in an IDLES live show is a wholly unique and cathartic experience; their music allows you to expel negative energy and absorb a beautifully raw, sonic feeling.

Photos: Morgan Winston