Idlewild

Idlewild belong to the extensive collection of melodic indie rock bands that hail from Scotland, but that in no way belies their originality. A tantalising mix of traditional indie rock with sweeping rock and insightful lyricism, Idlewild gained a cult following in the late 1990s, most notably the Radio One DJ Steve Lamacq, whose continued airplay of the band helped create the exposure the band needed to sign with a professional record label. Following small scale performances in their native Edinburgh, Idlewild began touring in 1998, opening for the band Midget. After the release of their debut album Hope Is Important, they played at numerous festivals in the summer of 1998, and followed this by touring with established bands such as Ash, Placebo and Manic Street Preachers; increasing their support amongst the younger generation of indie enthusiasts. Further albums continued to give the band critical and commercial success, and singles such as "You Held the World in Your Arms" (number 9 in 2002) have become indie rock classics. This first period also saw the releases of albums 100 Broken Windows (2000), The Remote Part (2002), Warning / Promises (2005), and Make Another World (2007). Following a hiatus from 2007-2009, Idlewild denied rumours they had split, and released their seventh album, Post Electric Blues, followed by Everything Ever Written (2015) and Interview Music (2019). Both Jones and Woomble have since released solo albums, but maintain that Idlewild is still going as a musical project. In October 2025, the band issued their tenth studio album, the first eponymous Idlewild.