Monday 04/12/06 Idlewild @ The Scala, London

Contrary to popular belief, or at least the man who gave us directions with the  advice “please don’t get shot”, The Scala is undoubtedly one of London’s truly amazing venues, and tonight’s band Idlewild perform a suitably fitting performance to do the intimate venue justice. Opening with the band’s amazing ‘Roseability’ the atmosphere is electric as hundreds of previously fairly conservative looking fans channel enough teenage angst to shout along to the chorus, whilst creating the most impressive mosh pit Gigwise has seen for a good while.

Onstage the boys perform with a consistent level of energy that seems fuelled by a genuine excitement to be there – guitarist Rod Jones making full use of the space around him literally bouncing off the walls. Happily new bassist Gareth Russell is too a lumberjack and he doesn’t care, sporting a Roddy-esque shirt that the audience can’t fail to notice, causing Bob to blush and could perhaps be the reason Roddy later tears his off.

Playing such a ‘best of’ collection, you’d be forgiven for not realising Idlewild have slipped a couple of new tracks in between the songs. Thankfully, the new stuff is definitely worth our attention – the band have swapped the acoustic for electric again with new thrashing tracks that are more reminiscent to their old ‘100 Broken Windows’/’Captain’ style from that of the REM-lite side shown on ‘The Remote Part’. Although the new material has been criticised as being a bit generic, and well boring, the audience prove tonight what a load of bollocks that is, showing the louder they get, the more the audience want them.

Although there are moments when the incessant noise gets a tad much, causing your eyes to wonder lovingly over to the acoustic guitar lying in the corner; while the smoke machine too at points definitely surpasses ‘ooo mystical’ to ‘where have they gone?!’, ultimately Idlewild perform a storming set that leaves us thoroughly buzzing.