Idlewild at Godiva Festival July 4th 2009

Idlewild have been inactive for a year or so now, so a free festival in Coventry seemed the ideal starting point to promote the new album and dust off some choice cuts from the back catologue. Godiva Festival is now into it's 12th year and for free you can't complain as otherwise I could launch into a full blown rant!

The Scottish rockers were selected to headline day two of this three day family festival. They oddly started their set with mid tempo rocker Love Steals Us From Loneliness, before launching into their biggest hit You Held the World in Your Arms which instigated a bit of good old fashioned rock violence down the front, a trend throughout a thrashy punky set. One man was escorted out in just his pants, with his trousers nowhere to be seen thankfully he did not return as I would not have wanted to get squashed against him!

The set slowed down briefly for a beautiful rendition of American English, before they cranked up the pace for When I Argue I See Shapes, Rosability and set closer the brutal Modern Way of Letting You Go.

Overall the band seemed reasonably engaged with the show, but lead singer Roddy Woomble's vocals were lost amongst their punkish sound, ashame as he is one of the best live vocalists around. The new stuff suggested a return to their rockier roots but created only a little stir. Its probably a make or break time now for Idlewild whose commercial star has waned, on this evidence it is difficult to call which way there career will turn as people enjoyed it, but it seemed like most would be ambivalent if they did call it a day.