Idlewild: Punk Spirit, Poet’s Soul
By Fred Spanner
“We did a song about post-modernism in between Steps and Bewitched.”
Kicking down the doors of the late 90s music scene, Idlewild were the scruffy Scots who turned chaos into choruses. What started out as a blur of punk racket soon sharpened into something far more ambitious: big tunes, clever words, and the kind of passion that could shake the roof off any venue.
They’ve been called bookish, they’ve been called feral, and the truth is they’re probably a bit of both. From sweaty clubs to festival fields, Idlewild have always been about that perfect mix of brains and brawn, and they’re still one of the best bands Britain has produced in the last few decades.
Frontman Roddy Woomble is currently residing on the beautiful island of Iona, a much quieter choice than previous residences in New York and London.
You’ve featured in Loaded previously. How did that go?
I think the interviewer was more interested in where we went for our holidays and all that stuff, rather than the music or the band.
I’ll shy away from those questions, then. I did notice on your social media post recently that some folks have been dumping their leftover takeaways on the beach.
The notion is that there are some entitled folk pulling up on the beach in their expensive boats, having a barbecue and then just leaving all their rubbish behind. They think no one will know. I was just going for a walk yesterday and noticed it. They think someone else will clear it up because they’re used to someone looking after them.
Let’s take the Idlewild story back to the start. You formed the band with Colin in 1995 and bonded through your influences. What were they?
American indie rock was our thing. The first conversation we had was about bands like Pavement, Teenage Fanclub, Nirvana, and Sonic Youth. These were the bands we grew up on.
Music being what it is, I now have a vast record collection from jazz to folk music, but the DNA of the band is still made from what it was at the start: Indie rock. The other thing that’s influenced the band over the years is the number of different members we’ve had, because we work collectively. Everyone is bringing their own thing to the band.
Has your songwriting process changed over the years?
Very much so. In the early days, the major labels had a good budget, which meant we could spend much more time in the studio. It helps these days that Rod Jones runs a commercial studio in Edinburgh, though we still have to pay for it. We spent two months recording Warnings/Promises, whereas we spent two weeks recording this new one. The difference was that this time everything was very well prepared before we went into the studio.
One thing I’ve learnt in all the time I’ve been involved in music is that everything changes so quickly. When we started, we were just a live band. We didn’t record for the first two years as we had no opportunity to do so. We still consider ourselves to be a live band, rather than a studio band.
You’ve also played on tour with some huge acts.
Yes, U2, REM, Pearl Jam. Ash, Placebo, and the Manics, to name a few. They were all amazing experiences at various stages of the band’s career. We were really grateful to have those opportunities, especially the Pearl Jam one, where we were playing 25,000-capacity arenas for months.
Pearl Jam really looked after us. If there wasn’t a crowd there at the start, Eddie Vedder would go on and do a couple of numbers first. Suddenly, the place would pack out, and he’d introduce us. It wasn’t just for us; it was for other support bands, too.
Ultimately, it’s always best to headline because you’re playing to crowds who want to hear your songs, but being able to play with these bands was a great experience for us. It also introduced us to a lot of people who’d previously never heard of us.
I was never star-struck when I met anyone. You soon realise they’re just people like you and me, but it was still great to work with them, and it’s great to be associated with people I’ve always admired.
I often think of music as an exchange of ideas, like a relay race. Instead of passing a baton, you’re passing over ideas and influences.
What was Stephen Street like to work with?
He was great. We had a two-week session with him, working on The Remote Part, but I probably bored him by asking too many questions about The Smiths, Blur and other artists I loved. I guess he must get that all the time. He produced some of the most iconic British albums of all time, in my opinion.
The Remote Part contains one of my favourite Idlewild songs, American English. What’s the story behind that song?
It was influenced by a Walt Whitman poem that talks about everyone singing their own song as they go through life. So it’s about singing your own song in the context of a song, and holding a mirror up to the crowd that’s singing along with you. We tried to make it a bit of a sing-along song. We’re referencing bands like U2 and Simple Minds. It’s definitely one of the most enduring songs we’ve written.
Do you ever look back and think, “Oh, we should have done this or that” to any particular song?
I think ultimately, you do the best you can with any song, and then it’s done. At the same time, it’s sometimes interesting to look back at some of them as flawed pieces. Like, there were times when things weren’t going quite right for the band, and you can hear that through the music. It’s quite a fascinating way of documenting yourself.
You were on Top Of The Pops so many times. How were those experiences?
Yeah, we did it five times with songs you wouldn’t expect. We did a song about post-modernism in between Steps and Bewitched. They wanted live music at the time, and you didn’t get long to soundcheck, so it was always a bit stressful.
We did all the chat shows like Conan O’Brien and David Letterman. They were more fun, cause they’re set up for live bands. It seems so long ago. I’m not a natural performer. That shyness I have on stage isn’t put on at all. That’s just me. I mean, you have to perform on stage, so, to some degree, you are suspending who you are normally.
There’s an element to performing which requires you to almost shapeshift into something you aren’t normally. We all do the same things as everyone else, like clean the house or go to the shops, but when people come to a concert, they expect to see someone who believes in themselves and performs songs that mean something to them.
You’ve lived in New York, and you now live in the Hebrides. Quite a contrast, I’d guess.
It’s an age thing. I was much younger when I was living in New York, and it’s not somewhere I wanted to bring up a family. I’d had that transient musician’s life for fifteen years, and I needed a change, too.
Let’s talk about the new album, Idlewild. We think it’s up there with your best. You must be proud of it.
I am. I think we’ve done a really good job, and I’m looking forward to playing it live. The reaction we’ve had has been amazing. We’ve had lots of airplay on 6 Music and Radio 2. We put the tickets on sale long before we announced the album, so we could give ourselves the maximum amount of time to sell them.
Shows sold out really quickly, so we thought that was a good sign for the new album. When the songs were released, people reacted to them straight away, which was great. Sometimes you can’t predict what’s going to happen when you go away. One thing about Idlewild is that we’ve never taken things for granted. We never expect anything, and we’re always very grateful for whatever comes our way.
I think because of that, we’re in a really good position. We’re doing interviews. People are talking about us again, playing the record, and looking forward to seeing us play live. It seems like a really nice place for us to be in, thirty years after we formed.
We’re really just focusing on something new that we’ve done together. The fact that we’ve stayed together this long is something we’ll celebrate, too. The last time we played live was for the anniversary of The Remote Part.
We really don’t know what to expect as it’s so long since we’ve toured, so we’re a bit out of the loop, but judging by the momentum that’s building, it's certainly encouraging. It’s not just for nostalgia. People want to see a band they trust, and one they know will be good.