Frontman Lias Saoudi of Fat White Family has criticised IDLES for grandstanding on a “woke ticket.” He previously sided with Sleaford Mods when they also criticised the Bristol outfit, specifically accusing them of “appropriating a working class voice” and producing “cliched, patronising, insulting and mediocre” political views. Saoudi’s latest criticism comes as he speaks to The Independent. He describes bands engaging in such political stances as “anathema to what rock n’ roll really is” and characterises the phenomenon as individuals purporting to “be Nice to Immigrants”, a view which he calls “sententious pedantry.”
He goes further in his criticism, stating that due to the rehashing aspects of current music production and consumption, music has now become “vapour in the tank”. He characterises people as “nodes in a machine” and music as interchangeable streams of code. He argues that this development has enabled artists to access various genres and periods, leading to the creation of an array of new music combinations.
IDLES have previously lost fans for taking up a political stance. However, lead singer Joe Talbot calls their political stance “All is love, love is the thing”, and observes that they are not “a political band.” Instead, he adds, “Our idea is to shake that person’s hand and say, let’s talk and have a conversation.”
IDLES are set to tour later this summer and have announced that special guests such as Genesis Owusu, Lambrini Girls, and Chalk would join them on the dates. Fat White Family is also set to embark on a UK and European tour in support of their upcoming album, ‘Forgiveness Is Yours,’ which will be released on April 26
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