Pre-covid, Idlewild’s first Belfast show since 2016 was supposed to have formed part of their 25th birthday celebrations, with generous setlists that showcased the Scottish band’s trajectory from scrappy indie-punks, via the anthems of their early 2000s imperial phase, to a comparatively sedate middle age.
Instead, the band’s current Irish run is in honour of another anniversary: 20 years of The Remote Part, the band’s most successful (though not necessarily their best) album, played in full tonight.
Led by singles like the surging You Held The World In Your Arms and A Modern Way Of Letting Go, and especially the anthemic ballad American English, it’s the record that took this ramshackle indie band into the big leagues – albeit briefly – including arena tours with Coldplay and Pearl Jam.
