IDLES
Artist
IDLES, a quintet featuring BIMM Music Institute Bristol lecturer Lee Kiernan on guitar and drums graduate Jon Beavis, have experienced a truly phenomenal rise to prominence.
In 2018, they released not one but two critically acclaimed albums: Brutalism, and Joy as an Act Of Resistance, with the latter peaking at no.2 in the Official UK Albums Chart. That same year, Beavis was listed as one of Music Radar’s 13 best rock drummers in the world.
IDLES received a nomination for ‘British Breakthrough Act’ at the 39th annual BRIT Awards, They were up against former BIMM Music Institute London Vocals student Ella Mai within the same category. Following the nomination, the hardworking band undertook an almost entirely sold-out 47-date tour across the UK, Europe and the USA.
In September 2020, IDLES released their third studio album, Ultra Mono, which charted at no.1 in the UK’s Official Albums Chart. This was mainly down to vinyl sales, with Ultra Mono overtaking Liam Gallagher’s release as the fastest-selling vinyl album of 2020, shifting 15,400 copies in the first week.
Ultra Mono tackles a host of themes. These include the modern sociopolitical climate, class struggle, mental health, toxic masculinity, and the positive and negative aspects of the band’s newfound fame.
Their latest album, Crawler, which was released on 12th November 2021, received a very respectable Metacritic rating of 84/100. Further developing their sound by working with producer Kenny Beats, IDLES have created their most creative album to date.
IDLES will stop at nothing until total world domination – and we love them for it.