Advice from the IDLES, “Never Fight A Man With A Perm”

These are IDLES. They are just as scared of you as you are of them.

Origin: Bristol England
Genre: Indie Post Punk
Notable Quote: “For the last time, we are not a fucking punk band!”
Active Since: 2009
Latest Release: “Crawler” (2021 – Partisan Records)

Mood: Confrontational Advice

IDLES, (purposefully in caps as some kind of political statement), are a different beast. The singer doesn’t really sing… he verbally charges at you like a drunkard who means you no harm, but is going to eventually cause you some harm. Vocalist Joe Talbot has a street level poets soul, served up with a thick gutter accent that brings more character and charm to his lyrics than the most trained singer ever could.

“Brylcreem, Creatine
And a bag of Charlie Sheen
Brylcreem, Creatine
And a bag of co-ca-ine
A dulcet man with a dolcet tone
From a dulcet town and a dolcet home
He hates me, I like that
Two arms like big baseball bats
I bark, he bites back
A jaw like a fuck-off bear trap”

It’s raw and honest. And in this case… might save you a beating if you heed the warning.

“Never Fight A Man With A Perm”

That video is admittedly garbage, but it was watching their NPR ‘Tiny Desk Concert’ that allowed me to first see the true charm and characters that make up IDLES. Try this instead…