GIG REVIEW: IDLES Block Party, Bristol

Bristol’s Queen Square fizzes with energy for the first of two IDLES Block Parties serving as a showcase of 21st century British punk prowess featuring Soft Play and Lambrini Girls

If the 2010s were filled with the dregs of carefree, cool indie that did nothing in the face of Tory austerity, the 2020s have proved that music has not lost its punch. British punk has returned, shaking off the traditions of mohawks and plaid, to provide a much needed catharsis and a damning critique of the times. IDLES, Soft Play and Lambrini Girls are three of the loudest and most outspoken voices in UK music right now, making for a powerhouse of a line up and the perfect Friday gig in early August.

To my absolute dismay, I managed to jump off the train and get to Queen Square just in time to catch the last three tracks by Lambrini Girls - a band I've been following since spotting their fabulous nom-de-guerre on a Boomtown line up two years ago. Still, I've managed to catch them live a few times now, so I was happy with the fact that a huge crowd was able to experience their show of potently queer, female punk.

Made up of vocalist/guitarist Phoebe Lunny and bassist Lilly Macieira-Boşgelmez, The Lambrini Girls were formed in Brighton in 2019. Their 2023 EP You’re Welcome (the cover of which features a flaming pile of excrement) and 2025 album Who Let The Dogs Out both provide a tasty mix of shouty, playful and sharply political tracks. With a shorter set of just seven songs, I rushed through the gates to in time for 'Love', pertinent-to-the-times 'TERF Wars' and the wonderfully bratty 'C*ntology 101', which saw the girls ditch their instruments for a dance off with the audience.

By the faces of the crowd pouring back to the bars, this entrée had obviously satisfied as our first musical offering, with much anticipation in the air for what was to come next. Whilst Sicaria played a DJ set of drum and bass tracks, I enjoyed a lovely pint of Jubel peach and took an opportunity to people watch, thoroughly enjoying the vast array of band t-shirts that displayed the different eras and albums gone by.

The choral sound of 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' then filled the skies, which for a moment seemed a highly out of place noise in this setting dedicated more to all things loud and riotful - that is until the absolute gut punch guitar of 'All Things' began as Soft Play took the stage.

Now with six albums in their repertoire, this two-man band from Kent have been ripping through the British music scene for well over a decade now. I’ve managed to catch two of their sets in the past 12 months - on a festival line-up and at a headline gig. The chance to see them sandwiched between two other stunning acts gave a bit of new context in terms of where they sit in the UK’s ever-evolving musical story.

Leaning mainly into their 2024 release Heavy Jelly, the duo give us the soaring 'Mirror Muscles' to ease us in, followed by the howling stomp 'Issac is Typing...' and the wonderfully relatable and banal tale of 'Bin Juice Disaster'. Despite the volume, their lyrics - witty, sharp, and occasionally absurd - came through clearly. Next up, 'Act Violently' - another lovely relatable ditty about the irritation that can be felt just navigating public spaces - conjured up a Dustin Hoffman/Midnight Cowboy moment in the crowd with its tetchy chorus “I’m walkin’ here!”

Firm classic, 2023’s 'Punk’s Dead', takes aim at the critics of their name change and a certain washed-up legend of the '70s punk scene (I’m looking at you, Lydon), with the singable line “I love you, but I disagree” echoing across the square (it seems the fans have forgiven). A double replay of the 15-second 'Girl Fight' followed, and commotion at the front of the pit suggests someone - band member or audience, I’m not sure - did a backflip. Then, the melodic and sincere 'Everything and Nothing' is dedicated to anyone in the crowd having a hard time in their life. To end, with the sun still blazing above, we were treated to 'The Hunter' - a swaggering end-of-the-world-esque number with the delectable snarling lyrics “You keep it - we don't want it” providing their final message.

In moments between the songs, something stands out during Soft Play’s gigs (as with all the bands appearing on this line up): a sense of empathy and candid righteousness. While Kneecap and Bob Vylan may have made the news with their fierce advocacy for Palestine at Glastonbury, each time I’ve seen Lambrini Girls and Soft Play, their commentary has been about standing up for the oppressed and mistreated, whether that be the LGBTQ+ community, women in the music industry or people suffering genocide. A Palestine flag quietly draped over a speaker and a brief chant of ‘Free Palestine’ exist as a firm and necessary nod to struggles that should not be overlooked.

Finally, just as the dusk began to fall, the mighty IDLES took the stage. At this point, I must admit, the night became more of a blur, with my notes becoming increasingly less coherent as the crowd got more chaotic. But who can blame this lowly reporter trying to balance their duties when such a powerhouse is on stage.

Kicking off with the hypnotic 'Colossus', frontman Joe Talbot at once began a sermon-like performance usually seen by the likes of Nick Cave. From the records to the stage, Talbot has one of the most distinctive voices of the past decade, filled with a might and fury that verges on the demonic at times. There’s a pure rattling danger at the base of every IDLES track, and as they move into 'Gift Horse' with its booming chorus of "Look at him gooooo", images of battlefields, armour and charging tanks run through my head. Topped with a roar of "F*ck the King", this is certainly not a band to play at your parents’ Sunday lunch get-together.

Next is 'Mr Motivator' - a rousing 2020 track from Ultra Mono, with lyrics that are both artful, inspiring and absolutely mad. In fact, this is the way with most IDLES lyrics, and once again, despite the deafening volume I found myself smiling at the wry wit throughout, whether that be the aforementioned track’s “Let's seize the day / All hold hands / chase the pricks away” or follow up’s “The best way to scare a Tory is to read and get rich.”

As the band stomped through the set, highlights included 'Mother', 'Never Fight a Man With a Perm' and 'Dancer' - a song that feels like it was always in the ether waiting to be written. But again, aside from the music, it was the intervening moments too that made this such a tremendous night.

“We need to communicate and share. The internet is a lie and there are good human beings everywhere. We need to remind each other to feel stuff,” says Talbot at one point, referencing the rise of fascism and deriding the internet-goggles we all now view the world through. A huge QR code for Medical Aid for Palestine flashed on the screens in between songs and "Viva Palestina" was chanted. In another moment I spotted that guitarist Mark Bowen was wearing a floral dress - rock and roll once again proving that gender can be as fluidly blended as chiffon and leather. These messages are not wholly overt, and the band’s true power lies of course in the strength of their songs, but they are important.

While 15,000 people had come for the music this evening, it is these small instances at gigs and festivals that remind us we’re not only looking for things to please our ears. Instead, in parks and fields, we dance and stomp with ferocity, empathy, joy and rage, in order to reignite our power and get through the everyday insanity of the world. In times when many are silent, these bands get it. And one thing was clear from all the acts of the day: music is hitting hard again.