Love them or hate them, IDLES is a band. What many people don’t know is that they’re also super fucking British. Their politically outspoken material has ruffled more than its fair share of feathers, while simultaneously educating audiences worldwide about the horrors of the UK. Here are 15 of their most scathing tracks that made our British History course in college – or uni as the Brits call it – an even bigger waste of time and money than it already was.
“Mother”
“Mother,” from IDLES debut full-length, ‘Brutalism,’ serves as one of the band’s many working class anthems. Many uneducated American listeners hear the chorus refrain “the best way to scare a Tory is to read or get rich,” and think that the band really hates people named Tory. They’re dead wrong. “Tories” are the United Kingdom’s equivalent to the State’s Republicans. You read that right. Even the idyllic wonderland that is Great Britain has asshole conservatives in office.
“Great”
MAGA assholes aren’t the only people trying to make things “great” again. Racism and anti-immigration sentiment are alive and well across the pond too. In this song “Blighty,” which is a fading post-war colloquial term for England, “wants his country back.” If the pre-chorus is any indicator, which advises him that “Islam didn’t eat” his “hamster,” “Blighty” mostly wants a country free from diversity. Sound familiar? Yep! Other countries are hell too!
“I’m Scum”
The members of IDLES have been criticized for this song by contemporaries who claim they weren’t being forthright about their middle-class upbringings. It certainly may be true that lead singer Joe Talbot has never lived in council housing as his lyrics suggest. Still, it’s nice to know that even British scene morality clauses attempt to stifle otherwise valid attempts to raise awareness of poverty for the sake of clout. We kinda thought that was exclusively an American thing.
“Well Done”
Okay, we guess this one isn’t entirely political, but it does seem to suggest a widening generation gap in England not unlike the one we’ve seen in the States. This song runs the gamut of the youth’s perceived shortcomings by old jaded fucks such as; not having gainful employment, failing to gain notoriety, and, of course, a lack of appreciation for famed British food journalist Mary Berry.
“Meds”
Imposter syndrome is a heavy theme on this one. Talbot details the pressures of attempting to normalize into a homogeneous society, and the feeling of being a cog. It also suggests that much of mental health treatment is too focused on getting people in line versus allowing patients to live fruitful unique lives. “Meds” essentially questions the existence of normality at large. Such heavy inquiries are surely uniquely British, we assume. There’s also a line in there suggesting meditation as a healthy practice, but we really couldn’t be bothered to pretend to care enough to analyze it.
“Divide and Conquer”
Health care might be abysmal in America but it also sucks in other countries too, notably Great Britain. “Divide and Conquer” was written about a push from conservative members of Parliament to privatize the NHS, or Nation Health System. This was a political measure that Talbot ultimately attributed to his mother’s death. There’s not really a joke here. Rich politicians just suck ass on both sides of the pond.
“The New Sensation”
While the world didn’t really need another “do the *insert new dance craze or whatever here*” song, IDLES delivered one anyway. This track has several targets, but mostly seems to be lashing out at England’s bungled attempts to manage the pandemic, particularly in the field of service industry workers recouping financial losses. Instead of delivering aid to these struggling sectors of employment, the British government put up adverts (that’s English for advertisements) suggesting those in the entertainment industry simply uproot their professions and learn coding or some shit. As any developed nation can tell you, most performers are absolute dog-shit at tech. Needlessly to say, the messaging was less than successful.
“Danny Nedelko”
Friend of the band and lead singer of the noise-rock outfit Heavy Lungs, Danny Nedelko, immigrated from Ukraine to England when he was fifteen years old. At the height of Brexit – which we still don’t fully understand despite now being well-versed in British politics – anti-immigration sentiment in England was at its peak. In response, IDLES penned this fan-favorite track as a tribute not just to their friend, but to the vibrant culture that immigrants bring to their otherwise boring-as-hell country.
“Carcinogenic”
You may think of England as a complete and total paradise that has capitalism figured out for all of its citizens. To that we say, wake up you fucking idiot. You didn’t need to ace British History to know that the class divide is thriving in other parts of the world too. “Carcinogenic” blames the wealthy elite for everything from soulless 9-5 labor to worsening drug habits among the lower classes. If you’re not going to listen to the track, at least read a book and stop living in a fantasy world.
“Rottweiler”
Did you know that Rottweilers are excellent herding dogs often used on farms to corral sheep and cows? Now you do. Not only are IDLES constantly educating their audience on the political turmoil of their homeland, they’re also throwing a little cynology in the mix. In “Rottweiler,” the band turns the breed into a metaphor suggesting that tabloid newspapers herd their readers into political indifference, much like Rottweilers lead their livestock to slaughter. Sure, it’s a pretty overused metaphor but maybe it bears repeating. Turns out a lot can happen when you’re focused on how many outfit changes Taylor Swift had on the Eras Tour. Looking at you, Greg.
“I Dream Guillotine”
During the French Revolution, the guillotine became a noted symbol of the “Reign of Terror,” in which French Revolutionaries publicly executed thousands of members of the elite class. We think, at least. Remember, we’re experts in British Political Culture now, not French. Either way, this song is a scathing rebuke of the wealthy elite in Britain and their contribution to the decline of the country’s working class. It’s been said this song is also a criticism of something called “Thatcherism,” but we’ve been too lazy to look into it.
“Never Fight A Man With A Perm”
This song was featured in a pretty pivotal scene from the BBC hit “Peaky Blinders.” It’s been noted that the series was the most accurate representation of British Political history ever made. Like most modern songs that were featured in the period piece, we’re not sure if this one actually holds any relevance to the featured topic matter. What we do know is that “Never Fight A Man With A Perm” is a scathing diss track aimed at the exact types of toxic males that typically worship the show. Surely sticking it to the man with an ironic needle drop is a major component of British politics, so we would be remiss not to include this one.
“War”
Talbot has stated the “war” mentioned in this song is one of symbolic nature. A metaphor for a conflict within one’s self. We’re pretty sure we know the song better than him, though, and it’s clearly a beat-for-beat retelling of World War I. In case you aren’t experts like us, WWI had a profound impact on Britain’s economy, culture, and politics. Some argue the ramifications of the bloody conflict are still felt today within the nation’s attitudes, class structure, and economic woes. Nice try though, Joe.
“Stockholm Syndrome”
Many assumed this was a Blink-182 cover upon reading the tracklisting of the band’s fourth LP “Crawler.” Sadly the wool had been pulled over their eyes as listeners quickly discovered it was yet another of the band’s socio-political think pieces. “Stockholm Syndrome” explores the bitter class divide in England while suggesting those under both sides are in reality held under the oppressive thumb of Parliament. It was actually pretty hard for us to understand this one, because it’s so unlike the current situation in the States.
“Reigns”
In the opening verse of “Reigns,” Talbot asks how it feels to have “blue blood running through your veins.” Before you start pondering your fragile anatomy and fleeting life, you should note that Blue Bloods is British slang for aristocrats. The metaphors don’t end there, either. During the song’s chorus, you might have imagined Talbot engaging in a little horseplay, perhaps trotting across a stage on all fours asking his bandmates to ‘pull on’ his ‘reins.’ That is sadly not the case, as Talbot is referring to the way the wealthy ruling class in Great Britain often slows down progress for the working class, metaphorically pulling on their reins. You would have probably put that together if you had taken the time to notice that they spelled it ‘reigns.’
Photo by Alexander Kellner