Idlewild - Somerset House, London

Friday August 5 - 2005

Somerset House is an idyllic retreat from the human traffic jams and road carnage that surround it in Central London, set within four grandiose, stone white walls, which tower up towards clear blue skies. Tonight, the fourth instalment of the Grolsch Summer Set House sessions brings us brooding British rockers Idlewild with support from much-hyped newcomers, Nine Black Alps.

For a band who look and sound fresh out of the Battle Of The Bands circuit, it doesn't take long to pin obvious influences to Nine Black Alps' look and sound. Clean cut Nirvana-lite is the most obvious. Drenched in designer dregs of teenage angst, the four piece from Manchester open tonight's show with a clone by clone set of songs.  "Unsatisfied" proves the biggest crowd pleaser and aptly so, as that's exactly how we feel after a safe set by a band that give every impression they are capable of greater potency than they deliver today.

Idlewild ease into their headlining set with the brief, atmospheric "Too Long Awake" before charging headlong into catchy, chart-tastic "Discourage". The tone set by the support has instantly been lifted as fans indulge in to what would be an hour and a half of brand new material interspersed with crowd-friendly back-catalogue. Singer Roddy Woomble asks us if we're enjoying our evening in "Nelson's former residence" and so far, the answer is a resounding aye.

Welcome Home from new album Warnings/Promises is dedicated to drummer Colin Newton, making his return to the stage after becoming a father and provides a light and reflective contrast against the upbeat, heaviness of older songs such as 'A Modern Way Of Letting Go'.

The band stand united with an anthemic air of professionalism - defiantly static in the face of a music scene that demands inceasing levels of dynamism. No boundaries are broken tonight, yet everyone's in a blurry haze of beer, happy to be here, re-living their glory days as well as getting a taster of Idlewild's next step, although it be small, as veterans along the well trodden path of Brit-rock.