Idlewild have announced two new shows to mark their 30th anniversary this winter – check out all the details below.
Back in April, the Scottish band hit the road in support of their self-titled 10th studio album, and also played a massive support slot with My Chemical Romance in Glasgow, made an appearance with Embrace at Halifax’s Piece Hall, and played a set at this summer’s Bearded Theory.
Now, they’ve announced that they’re set to play more dates this winter. Taking to Instagram, the alt-rock veterans looked back to January 1996, “when Idlewild first took to the stage at the Subway Club in Edinburgh to perform our debut concert.
“Thirty years later, to celebrate this anniversary, we are pleased to announce two very special shows at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on Friday 18th December and London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Sat 19th December.”
Tickets go on general sale here this Friday (July 31) at 10am, and fans can sign-up here for pre-sale access from 10am this Wednesday (July 29).
When speaking to NME last year, Idlewild said they weren’t “massively nostalgic” when it comes to their live shows, having previously toured to mark the 20th anniversary of ‘The Remote Part’.
“If we’re going to go on tour, we want the focus to be on new and creative work,” explained frontman Roddy Woomble. “When the band started 30 years ago, we never did cover versions – we were always working on our own stuff. At the start, we were very rudimentary and quite bad at times, but there’s always got to be something new to say with each other.”
He continued: “That’s not to dismiss any of the music we’ve made or the wonderful records we’ve done together, but sometimes those album or anniversary shows are a catalyst to focus on what’s good about the band. That’s what ‘The Remote Part’ shows reminded us of.
“There’s a Scottish disposition to be a wee bit self-deprecating, to not really celebrate yourself. Those kinds of shows force you to do that because you see the joy on people’s faces. You realise you’ve done something really good.”
