ON ARRIVAL IN SUNNY STIRLING, CRUSH barriers are the main topic of conyersation. ldlewild‘s tour manager. Ben. is adamant: the yenue needs proper security. It might sound like a pop star tantrum hut the throhhing melee in front of the stage come eleyen o‘clock pt‘tn'es his request to he shrewd judgement. Phil. the l'niyersity promoter sighs. laced with the prospect ol~ linding a harrier in a gig-less town with just a l‘ew hours‘ notice. It takes the
WILD I
(ilasgow promoter to come through with one and the day. for the moment. is sayed.
Other than Rli.\l. ()cean (‘olour Scene and Runrig tans clamouring oyer the castle at \‘Ltl'iotls points in the past few years. Stirling has neyer been noted for its gigging
reputation. lixcept for the Supernaturals a
couple of years hack. l‘ew hands haye eyer
seen lit to grace the uniyersity stage since its heyday in the late 70s. It seems Stirling has forgotten just how much griel' liye gigs really are.
V,’ i .
Three-quarters ol' the hand convene in the meeting room-cum-makeshilit dressing room: drummer (‘olin Newton is otherwise indisposed. (‘l)on’t worry.’ he conlides later. 'I
just sit there and don't say anything anyway?)
(iuitarist Rod Jones and Vocalist Roddy Woomhle's sol‘t. clear Scottish tones are interspersed with hass player Boh liairt‘oull’s eccentric Yorkshire chat. which includes anecdotes ahout hands who wear hats and
THE 0
huge lish named alter William Wallace. The inspiration hehind liait'l'oull's headwear hayerings is Roddy \Voomhle’s new hat. 'Hom John Lewis.‘ he declares. ‘a hargain.’ liyeryone takes turns trying this new item on ‘lt suits Boh better than anyone.’ says Woomhle. Boh. smiling hroadly. unintention- ally comes oyer part Tom Baker circa Dr Who and part Jed (‘lampit from the Beverly Hillbillies. Such are the heady highs of the on- the-road lil'e; entertainment is. quite ohyiously. where you make it.
Are the size of crush barriers an indication of a band's musical achievments? IDLEWILD haven't been around long but their wild audiences have disposed of a few in their time, consolidating their reputation as one of Britain's great live bands. Now they have the recordings to bolster that reputation with new album 100 Broken Windows. ".'.":;'t:s: Mark Robertson l3'ttittitttti;)‘is: Lisa Flemming
12 THE lIST fi', 211’,
It was the band‘s shared affection of all things American. noisy. indie and rock that brought them together in lidinhurgh at the tail end of 1995. Sonic Youth. Stooges. Nirvana and Rh.“ all popped their heads ahoye the parapet through ldlewild's early releases.
Their student loan l’unded single ‘Queen 01'
The Trouhled Teens‘ gained airplay on Steye Laniaq's [firming Session and gaye the hand valuahle early exposure. The mini-alhum
('upmin soon appeared and a clutch of singles and live shows with the likes of Ash. Manic Street Preachers and Blur preceded the release ol‘ their debut album. Hope Is Important in late “)8. A flawed gem of a record. tracks like 'When I Argue I See Shapes‘ and 'liyeryone Says You‘re So Fragile~ encapsulated the energy of the hand while ‘A Film For The l’uture~ and Safe And Sound’ hinted at what was to come.
[00 Brokm Him/onw- sees notahle changes in ldlewild; their punk pop rock maelstrom
UNTRY