Decisive · Post-Rock, Psych & Now
IDLES
Bristol post-punk/hardcore band formed in 2009. Brutalism (2017) and Joy as an Act of Resistance (2018, Partisan) put Joe Talbot’s shouted political lyrics over dry, heavy rhythm sections on late-2010s festival bills.
01 / 06
Political post-punk for 2010s festivals
IDLES write post-punk that names Brexit-era Britain in plain speech—Talbot’s shouted lyrics over dry, heavy rhythm sections. Brutalism (2017) and Joy as an Act of Resistance (2018) landed as UK guitar bands returned to festival stages. Songs stay short, with hardcore drum feel and gang vocals. Never Fight a Man With a Perm is the usual live citation.
02 / 06
Five-piece from 2012
2009 founding core: Talbot, Bowen, Devonshire. Kiernan and Beavis join in 2012—the five stay through Ultra Mono (2020). Dual guitar, no dedicated keyboard; bass and drums carry the groove. Bowen also produces: dry mixes, forward vocal, little reverb wash. Live shows center Talbot’s physical presence and call-and-response with crowds.
03 / 06
Post-punk renewal without nostalgia costume
IDLES cite Joy Division and Talking Heads for bass-forward writing, dry vocal, and short song length, while avoiding 1970s costume revival. 2018–20 festival adoption spread chant-riff writing to younger UK guitar bands. Lyrics about class and toxic masculinity mark them against revival peers. Citation peaks on live sets plus the two Partisan albums.
04 / 06
Never Fight a Man With a Perm
Chant-riff and gang-vocal live staple; hardcore-adjacent drums.
05 / 06
Mother
Slow-build bass into Talbot bark; class and masculinity lyric direct.
06 / 06
Model Village
Ultra Mono era: dry mix, dual-guitar scrape, festival singalong.
01 / 06
Political post-punk for 2010s festivals
Bristol post-punk/hardcore band formed in 2009. Brutalism (2017) and Joy as an Act of Resistance (2018, Partisan) put Joe Talbot’s shouted political lyrics over dry, heavy rhythm sections on late-2010s festival bills.
Lineup versions
Joy as an Act of Resistance five
Peak2015–
Bristol post-punk; shouted vocals over tight riffs.
- Joe TalbotVocals
- Mark BowenGuitar
- Lee KiernanGuitar
- Adam DevonshireBass
- Jon BeavisDrums
Quotes
“Vulnerability is not weakness. It's the point of the song.”
— Joe Talbot, 2018 · Press interview excerpt
“We play hard so the soft lines land.”
— Mark Bowen, 2019 · Archive interview excerpt
Scenes
| Year | Track | On stage | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Never Fight a Man With a PermChant-riff and gang-vocal live staple; hardcore-adjacent drums. | Joe Talbot, Mark Bowen, Lee Kiernan, Adam Devonshire, Jon Beavis | |
| 2018 | MotherSlow-build bass into Talbot bark; class and masculinity lyric direct. | Joe Talbot, Mark Bowen, Lee Kiernan, Adam Devonshire, Jon Beavis | |
| 2020 | Model VillageUltra Mono era: dry mix, dual-guitar scrape, festival singalong. | Joe Talbot, Mark Bowen, Lee Kiernan, Adam Devonshire, Jon Beavis |