Idles singer/frontman Joe Talbot has been known to get emphatic when clarifying what he and the band are not. In an interview with the Guardian last year, Talbot said he writes about sociopolitical issues because "it's fundamental. It's in my frontal lobe," but added, "I'm not the next (expletive) Billy Bragg." (Talbot's possible objection to being labeled a mere protest singer is understandable even to those of us who still regret loaning their copy of Bragg's "Talking With the Taxman About Poetry" to a redhead they barely knew in 1986. But we digress.) Disputing a genre label often used to describe Idles — just do a web search — he said, at a show last year, "for the last time, we're not a (expletive) punk band." Strong feelings has Mr. Talbot, and theories about such things as sonic affinities. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he described the band's sound as "violent," (Call it punk at your own risk.) adding, "we want to sustain that, because we think that violence as a tone is a beautiful way of getting people's attention. ... I think some people misconstrue that, but when they come to the gigs and they see us kiss each other and saying loving things and having smiles on our faces, they get it." So perhaps the band's mission is partly to help affect a conversion from stereotypical masculine behavior, a topic Talbot has addressed before, and returns to on "Samaritans," from their latest release, last year's "Joy as an Act of Resistance." AllMusic called the album "an often hilarious trip through a myriad of societal issues, taking a slanted, sarcastic, and frothing shot at every subject," adding, "it certainly upholds their status as one of the U.K.'s most exciting new acts." So, welcome the latest British invaders. Everyone, even punks and protest singers, is surely welcome.
9 p.m. Wednesday, May 8. $17....
