Bristol’s finest post – punk polemics, Idles, have been promising to do great things for some time now, and with their debut album, Brutalism, they absolutely fulfil that promise, and a furious promise at that.

Politically charged, refreshingly confrontational and infectiously volatile, Idles are a band like no other. Bringing the unsettling reality of the world we live in into their frantic assault on the senses, they are a band that until now could only be truly understood by witnessing in a live environment but, with Brutalism, it surely feels like they have captured the intensity of that live sound. Bottled up here are the abrasive, memorable lyrics of Joseph Talbot delivered with all of the spite and wry humour he puts across on the stage.

Dedicated in part to the loss of his mother, who adorns the record’s cover, and partly to a perceived decimation of society, from the NHS to public services across Britain,  Brutalism is a deadly serious indictment on popular culture – Mary Berry, Trevor Nelson and Rachel Khoo are just some of the names referenced here, often alongside the unpleasant, but always amongst the real.

The November 2016 release of single, ‘Well Done’ saw the band rise to no.1 on Spotify’s Viral Charts & paired with intensive radio support from Huw Stephens, Annie Mac, Steve Lamacq and regular Radio 6 play has brought them to the forefront of ones to watch. NME, CRACK, DIY and more have tipped them over the festive period and the quality here suggests there will be more plaudits to come when the album reaches the shops in March.

April

8th – Komedia, Bath

9th – The Hub, Plymouth

11th – Chinnerys, Southend

12th – Ramsgate Music Hall, Ramsgate

13th – The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes

14th – Coventry Central Library, Coventry

15th – Bootleg Social, Blackpool

17th – G2, Glasgow

18th – Gorilla, Manchester

19th – Heaven, London

28th – Are You Listening? Festival, Reading

May

5th – Live At Leeds, Leeds

5th – Liverpool Sound City, Liverpool

6th – Handmade Festival, Leicester

26th – Bearded Theory, Walton Upon Trent

June

12th – Ironworks, Inverness (W/ Future Islands)

13th – The Tunnels, Aberdeen

14th – Usher Hall, Edinburgh (W/ Future Islands)

15th – Greenock Town Hall, Greenock (W/ Future Islands)

17th – Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin (W/ Future Islands)

July

15th – Latitude Festival, Suffolk

August

1st – The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge

2nd – Rebellion Festival, Blackpool

3rd – Bestival, Lulworth

4th – Visions Festival, London

9th – Boomtown Fair, Winchester

September

1st – Electric Fields, Dumfries & Galloway

2nd – End of the Road Festival, Salisbury

Dublin indie-pop four piece Montauk Hotel have released their new single ‘Hands’. Following the success of their debut E.P. and single, ‘Sense of Place’, last year, Montauk Hotel’s latest release, ‘Hands’, showcases their ability to fuse strong melodies with glistening guitars to create their own brand of ‘80s influenced glimmer of indie pop.

Montauk Hotel are made up of Claudia Verdecchia (vocals), Shell Dooley (guitars), Aoife Hester (bass) and Karima Dillon-El Toukhy (drums).

The band have garnered a reputation as one of the city’s most exciting live acts, with shows including The Last Mixed Tape’s Lost Series, Bello Bar, The Sound House, The Bowery, Vantastival and Sunflower Festival, as well as headline shows at Whelan’s, Sin E, The Harbour Bar and The Workman’s Club.

Listen: Montauk Hotel’s new single ‘Hands’ on Spotify 

The single will be accompanied by the following tour dates:

March 17th – The Workman’s Club, Dublin

March 28th – Whelan’s, Dublin

April 5th – The Menagerie, Belfast

April 27th – The Underground, Dublin