IDLES today announced that they will be playing one of the much coveted Eden Sessions slots which will take place at The Eden Project, a HUGE tourist attraction nestled between Par and St Austell in Cornwall (map).

There are a number of MASSIVE domes that have been created to allow you to;

“Feel the tropical heat in our stunning Rainforest Biome and experience four of the world's rainforest environments”.

If that’s not your bag, why not;

“Meander through the landscapes of the Mediterranean, South Africa, California and Western Australia and discover the amazing variety of plants growing in these warm temperate regions of the world”.

Whatever floats your boat, it’s a good day out for the whole family! (shameless plug over).

Every summer, over 6 separate dates, they host the Eden Sessions which often sell out way in advance and have featured some very impressive names in the past including Kylie Minogue, Primal Scream, MUSE, OASIS and Paul Weller.

The events in 2020 were cancelled/postponed owing to the Corona Virus pandemic that basically shot down any live events but we have been blessed with a brilliant lineup for the 2021 events including Diana Ross, Bryan Adams, My Chemical Romance, The Script, Lionel Richie and of course, IDLES.

If you’re a newbie to IDLES, here’s a whistle-stop tour of their meteoric progress to date.

They’ve recently seen their third studio record, Ultra Mono, go straight to number one on the UK Albums Chart. The album is sonically constructed to capture the feeling of a hip-hop record, with the songs doubling down on the vitriolic sneer and blunt social commentary of their past work. It’s a celebration of community, one that Idles have been striving to build since their start, something bigger than themselves.

Hailing from Bristol, the band comprises vocalist Joe Talbot, Adam Devonshire on bass, guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan, and Jon Beavis on drums. Their first album Brutalism, released in 2017, made a big impact and led to invites to support the likes of Foo Fighters on tour and to signing with the Brooklyn and London independent Partisan Records.

Second album, Joy As An Act Of Resistance, debuted at number five in the UK, breaking Rough Trade’s all-time record for most pre-orders and sales in a day. It was crowned 6 Music’s number one album of the year for 2018. Idles won the coveted Ivor Novello award for Best Album, were nominated for the Mercury Prize, performed a raucous Jools Holland debut and saw three extensive tours sell out worldwide.

Having seen IDLES a few times live in the past, I was robbed of my chance to catch them at Boardmasters Festival in 2019 as the event was cancelled owing to adverse weather conditions around the Newquay area over that weekend. I’m not sure if they were meant to be playing at the 2020 festival but either way, that never happened so nothing was lost. Having looked back at their tour schedule, I can’t recall them ever having played in Cornwall at all in the past, I could be (and probably am) wrong but I can only recall having seen them in Exeter in 2016 and Plymouth late in 2017, other than this, I don’t think that they have ventured this far South West in a few years so any IDLES fans in the deepest darkest depths of Cornwall are in for a treat!

So, what can we expect from the show? We know that there are currently two support acts, these are;

• Belgian-Caribbean artist Charlotte Adigéry who likes to draw inspiration from her Caribbean ancestors’ musical traditions and with her latest EP, Zandoli, she proves herself to be a consummate storyteller.

• Fellow Bristolians, Spectres, are a noise rock band who over three albums and countless other releases have cemented their reputation as one of the UK’s most visceral and uncompromising acts.

As for IDLES, well, I think that most people who are into these guys know EXACTLY what will be on the cards, a roller coaster tour consisting of tracks from their 3 album catalogue to keep the mosh pit moshing and the chin strokers stroking.

After watching them blow the Glastonbury audience away in 2019, I hope that they will have the same effect on the audience at the Eden Sessions on July 11th 2021.

Tickets for this incredible event go on sale from 4:30pm on Tuesday December 15th via this page.

There is a Premier Inn situated about 10 mins drive away (or for the fitter ones amongst us, a 1 hour walk), there are countless other hotels and motels dotted about the place, just go and seek one out.

So there you have it, some great news about IDLES performing in Cornwall on Sunday 11th July 2021.

We’ll see you in the pit!