Watch IDLES talk through their guitar sound
Regarding current British acts, IDLES are undoubtedly one of the most important. Although they’ve been around for what feels like an age now, IDLES carry a message and use their platform for good, a genuinely refreshing factor when you note how vanilla many prominent acts appear. Of course, the Bristol punks can be subjected to some obvious criticisms, but very few can doubt that they have made music a better place with their presence.
From singing about model villages to the more complex pieces on their critically acclaimed latest album, CRAWLER, there are many reasons that IDLES enjoy a devoted fanbase. The contributing factors of frontman Joe Talbot’s presence, rousing delivery, and Adam Devonshire’s pounding basslines drive the band along. It also must be said that his bass tone remains criminally underrated.
Although the band experimented with a host of electronic sounds and textures on CRAWLER, they did it with panache, managing to forge a new sound whilst not wholly forgetting their status as a guitar band. It was this delicate consideration that made the album so refreshing.
Gone were the days of producing the same straight-up-and-down politically charged track as the quintet entered a more exciting and mature period. Despite this transition, the six-string still dominates their work, with guitar duo Lee Kiernan and Mark Bowen producing many moments of brilliance to augment their already stellar past performances on tracks such as ‘Mother’ and ‘Colossus’.
Luckily for fans, in December 2021, both Kiernan and Bowen spoke to Premier Guitar for a rig rundown, offering a chance to detail their respective setups alongside guitar tech Gavin Maxwell. Opening the clip, Kiernan talks to the host about his Fender guitars and how often they get destroyed, saying: “It’s made of wood. You make it, you just glue it back together.”
Elsewhere, Kiernan discusses his Marshall JCM800s and why he values them so dearly before moving over to his extensive pedalboard, which is the real secret behind his sound. An expensive setup, it boasts pieces from EarthQuaker Devices, Death By Audio and Electro-Harmonix.
The conversation then moves on to Mark Bowen, who introduces his gear by explaining the specs his see-through EGC 500 guitar, which has “the hottest pickups you could possibly have”. He then briefly shows off his trusty 1972 Fender Stratocaster, aptly named ‘Stinky’. Moving over to his amps, when talking about the recording of CRAWLER, Bowen reveals that one of his amp heads is actually designed for a bass, the famous Orange AD200B, which helps him to fill in the low end. As for his pedalboard, it is much smaller than Kiernan’s, featuring classic numbers such as the POG-2 and Reverberation Machine.
