English Teacher at Roadrunner, 9/24
I had already known of English Teacher’s incredible punk and indie rock music for a while before I knew they were opening for IDLES on the North American leg of their tour. I loved their debut album, This Could Be Texas, so when I walked into Roadrunner, camera in hand, I felt incredibly fortunate that they would be the first band I ever photographed.
After finally getting inside the venue and being addressed by security regarding all the various rules and regulations that came with doing press photography, it was time to put the vast tips and tricks I’d been taught into practice. As the surrounding photographers made their way inside the press pit, I did the same. Lead vocalist of English Teacher, Lily Fontaine, had already started making her way to the stage, followed by the rest of the band, and within seconds of the band getting to their respective positions, their first song began. Fontaine sang with power and confidence, backed by drums from Douglas Frost, bass from Nicholas Eden, and guitar from Lewis Whiting. Their sound came together to deliver an excellent performance of their most popular song, “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab,” an opening that perfectly set the stage for what was to come.
Throughout their set, the crowd loved each and every song, which isn’t always the case for openers. I noticed the crowd engage, dance, and just move more to English Teacher’s more intense songs like “R&B” and “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying,” rather than their more alternative, softer songs like “This Could Be Texas” and “Albatross”. This made total sense as those heavier songs are far more in line with the punk music of IDLES, the show headliner.
When it came to the middle of their set, English Teacher decided to treat the audience to an unreleased song. After I heard they were doing this a huge smile stretched across my face. I’ve always loved it when artists choose to do this at their concerts. When I saw Alice Phoebe Lou back in April she did the same and it is just always so cool. It never fails to make you feel like you got a little bonus on top of an already unforgettable experience. To me, it’s like the artist trusted you to hear something that they aren’t ready for the rest of the world to hear yet, and I found that to be just as special with English Teacher.
Just like in their debut album, their set ended with “Albert Road.” The buildup of this song was so awesome to hear live; Fontaine's vocals started off slow, but as the song went on she built herself up with backup from her band into an incredible finale where she lets herself just scream and yell in such a chaotic, but beautiful way. It served as a perfect ending to their set and one that more than prepared the IDLES fans in the crowd for what was soon to come.
After a brief intermission from English Teacher’s set, it was IDLES turn. As they emerged onto the stage, they carried a very intense vibe with them. The music was heavy–almost culty–in an intimate way. The audience was extremely into it, cheering loudly as lead vocalist Joe Talbot and the rest of the band began to set up their equipment.
IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen stuck out to me even more than the other members, which is saying a lot as they all had such an aura to them. He wore a pink gown that, for some reason, really felt right, even in the punk-rock environment that comes with an IDLES concert. His playing was just as vibrant as his outfit and I could feel the energy he was pouring into the music.
Another aspect of IDLES set that I loved was the command they had over their crowd. I vividly remember Talbot standing at the edge of the stage waving his arms to gesture to the crowd in a way that looked like he was splitting the sea. His arms moved and the crowd followed without issue. This was all in preparation for crowd surfing, of course, something which I had never had the pleasure of seeing in person before (I was VERY excited). IDLES guitarist Lee Kiernan must have felt my excitement because it wasn’t long before he leaped from the stage into the crowd. Seeing the band work together with their fans was so cool to see, it established such trust that I found to feel very special.
IDLES continued on with their set with the same unwavering chaotic energy throughout, their punk rock songs never failed to fill the room and encapsulate their crowd from beginning to end.
Overall, both bands had truly spectacular sets, English Teacher had such a strong opening where they were able to share both their softer and intimate songs, their heavier, punk songs, and everything in between with the clearly open-minded IDLES fans. IDLES took the momentum that English Teacher generated and took it all the way, delivering an incredible collection of music from their new and old albums. I’m so glad I could cover two such special bands for my first press opportunity, and I especially can’t wait to see how English Teacher will continue to grow in the coming months and years.
