The bombastic IDLES are bringing their tour in support of their latest album, TANGK, across the world. They recently paraded into Orlando, Florida’s House of Blues for a muggy, mid-summer rock show accompanied by Ekko Astral.
Ekko Astral released their first full-length album, Pink Balloons, back in April. The record, along with their live show, wraps around you like armor against an apathetic, exhausting world. The band takes on topics ranging from gender-based violence to simply trying to live while the world collapses around us all. Their set urges you to feel something and let it out with them, resulting in a true creation of community for those 30 minutes.
IDLES is a band matched in energy only by that of their own fans. For every microphone swing or marathon across the stage by a member of the group, the pit moved like ocean waves crashing onto the shore that was the barricade. Whether you knew every word to each song or just walked in off the street, it was easy to get lost in the frenzy and excitement of the set. Behind their stage show lay the brutally honest, cathartic stories found in their songs. Though their lyrics often come with a tongue-in-cheek delivery, that does not soften the blow. After being swept up in the emotion of it all, it was hard to believe the band had steamrolled through a gigantic 25 song setlist.
With a horde of festivals and headline dates peppered across the map, there are ample opportunities to see IDLES in a city near you this year. Likewise, Ekko Astral has been busy opening for legends like Ted Leo and planning their own block party in Washington, D.C. in August. With the important messages that both of these bands carry, here’s hoping they’ll continue to put miles on their respective touring vehicles for years to come.
Ekko Astral
IDLES
