Myspace Magic: The Idles

The latest Myspace Magic featured band takes us back to Liverpool and back to our musical roots. The Idles claim they "knew what they wanted to do right from the very start - nothing more than great, honest rock 'n' roll tunes", so they had little option but to go out there and do it. A quick listen to the five tracks available on their profile shows they have done! With a series of gigs lined up in Liverpool and London (and more than likely in Newcastle, Middlesborough, Wigan and Leeds), nme-e decided to catch up with another four lads (in fact, there's five of them, but that would've spoilt the metaphor) looking to shake the world and find out a little bit about them.

NME-E: Who are you and how did you come about?
TI: We are The Idles. We formed a few years back as just a bunch of mates trying to play tunes we liked and getting better on our instruments as we went along. There have been some slight line-up changes over the last couple of years, but we've now got a settled squad. We all live in Liverpool, have done for years and proudly consider ourselves to be a Liverpool band despite the fact that none of us are originally from the city. Take a look:
Ben, Vocals, is from North Yorkshire, Sherif, Lead Guitar, is from Cairo, Egypt, Matt, Rhythm Guitar, is from the West Midlands, Dan, Bass, is from Newcastle and Aaron, Drums, is from East London.

A fine bunch of scousers!

NME-E: Is there a reason behind your name?
TI: We were a band built on laziness. All the original tunes, we still play some of them, came from lounging around all day drinking tea. Going to the shop for cigarettes was about as energetic as things got. So The Idles seemed pretty obvious to us.

To be honest though, you quickly realise how much work you've got to put in if you want to be successful. There are a lot of bands out there, even just on the Liverpool scene, that are trying to find their place round the table. You've got to work hard get noticed. Everyone has got a MySpace these days. People aren't as interested in checking out new bands on there as they were two or three years ago, unless they've been told to do so by a mate.

Or by NME-E, which is becoming as good a place as any to find out about new bands who are worth a listen.

NME-E: Can you describe your sound?
TI: Great rock n roll tunes played loudly. The way every band should try and sound.

NME-E: What are your releases to date?
TI: Our first demo titled 'Dirty Rock 'n' Roll' was released in February 2008. A new EP to be recorded titled "Arrogance Through Ignorance" will be available some time soon. We're heading into the studio in the next couple of weeks.

NME-E: You've got a few gigs, lined up. So, if you could choose a band/artist to support you, who would it be?
Ben: The Stones, The Who, Oasis, Kasabian - although I'd probably accept any of them in a joint headline slot.
Sherif: Oasis, The Who, Cream, The Stones, Kasabian, Cage the Elephant.
Matt: Detroit Social Club are a good up-and-coming band, they've got a great sound.
Dan: After a long think, I've decided on James Blunt because if he supported us our fans would destroy him which would be brilliant to see.
Aaron: To be honest with you, I wouldn't know who I’d want to support us, as ive not seen much live music in the last couple of years. Just any band with energy and a presence, Stuff influenced by The Stone Roses, The Who, The Smiths, The Rolling stones. Just good wholesome rock and roll.

There's a basis for a cracking festival there, James Blunt included!

NME-E: What's your favourite album at the moment?
Ben: I'm not sure which new album has grabbed me lately, but 'Exile On Main St' is never left on the shelf long enough to gather dust. I really like the new tune by The Enemy, it's pretty massive. I'm waiting for the new Kasabian album to be released as well.
Sherif: Cage the Elephant, Black Keys: Rubber Factory, Dig out your soul has been overplayed lately and Neil Young & the Bluenotes is one that is never too far from my record player. 'Second Coming' by the Stone Roses is probably one of my all time favourites.
Matt: I've been listening to Kasabian a lot recently, looking forward to their new record coming out. There isn't really much new music that gets me going; it's all very samey and a bit plain. I like music to have an instant impact.
Dan: Looking forward the new Kasabian album but been listening to The La's recently, great band shame a lot of bands since have tried to sound like them.
Aaron: My favourite new album at the minute has got to be “To Lose My Life” by White Lies. There’s a lot of great writing and song structure in their album for such a young band. My others are quite old albums really. Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures' is probably one of the greatest debut albums ever made. The Jimi Hendrix Experience's 'Are You Experienced', well, you'll be a fool not to agree that the album is a legend in itself!

I'm no fool, so I'm not going to argue with these selections...

NME-E: Finally, tell us about your objectives/prospects for next 12 months?
Ben: 1. Become full time musicians. 2. Tour relentlessly. 3. Have someone come up to me in the street and tell me how much they love our music. 4. Take over the world.
Sherif: Play to a crowd of thousands of people. Play a tour in Egypt. Create a chapter in Rock n Roll history.
Matt: Go on tour and meet some groupies!!
Dan: Get in the studio and record a mint EP, gig relentlessly and make plans to take over the world.
Aaron: My objective is to just get out there and gig hard and work hard at this band. I'm the newcomer really and could not wish to play with a better bunch of guys and I must say a great, dedicated band too. It seems to be looking good for us at the moment as we are getting quite a few gigs in and seem to have a very good response from the audience. We enjoy our music and it definitely shows through our audience. So on the whole; I feel things are looking rosey in our musical garden.

Well, I'm not likely to bump into these guys in the street to say how much I loved their music, so I'll say it here. It's great! Honest, straight-forward rock 'n' roll with no fuss - something we all need a little of sometimes. So don't be lazy and check out The Idles.




My sincerest thanks to all the members of The Idles, who really took the time to answer my questions. The least you can do is check out their myspace profile and if you can, take in one of thier gigs. Confirmed so far are:

Saturday 23 May Live at the Metropolitan
(Liverpool Sound City)

Friday 26 June Live at the Magnet
(Rhys Jones Charity Gig, Liverpool)

Saturday 1 August Live at the Water Rats
(London)

With more to follow. NME-E will keep you posted.

Last 5 NME-E interviews:
Miss Caffeina (Granada, Spain)
BenSem (Wales)
The Does (Malta)
The Breaks (Sheffield, UK)
So Shush (Salford, UK)


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