Idlework interview
- marketingeventscoo
- Mar 4
- 2 min read
Idlework invite us into their world, where songwriting is guided by vivid textures, colors, and imagery, and where strange creatures in their lyrics embody real emotions and human experiences. They reflect on their journey as a band—from making mud pies as kids to locking in as a power trio—while exploring the delicate balance between structure and experimentation in their music. With jazz influences shaping their approach to live performance, improvisation plays a key role in keeping their sets spontaneous and unpredictable. As they prepare for their upcoming REAL show, they tease a dynamic experience, blending elements of dance, introspection, and raw sonic energy, always aiming to evoke a reaction that words alone can’t express. Read the full interview now!
Your sound brings together a range of textures and moods—how do you decide which elements make it into a song?
Our imaginary visual world of colours textures and imagery often guide our decisions when songwriting…
What’s a moment in your journey as a band that has really defined Idlework’s identity?
When we made mud pies together when we were four
How do you balance structure and experimentation when writing and performing your music?
We love to play around with structures and surprise both ourselves the listeners but the brain yearns for a degree of familiarity. For us it’s about striking a balance between pushing ourselves sonically into new spaces while maintaining cohesion.
Your lyrics have a poetic, almost whimsical quality—do they come from personal experience, or do you like to tell stories?
Thanks you! Characters and worlds can unlock a lot of subconscious truths which are otherwise difficult to express. The strange creatures in our songs and our artwork always embody real emotion and human experience
Live performance can be unpredictable—what’s the most unexpected thing that’s happened on stage?
When we shared a cheese pizza before our set (our drummer is lactose interolarant)
What role does improvisation play in your set? Do you leave room for things to shift during a show?
We’ve both grown up listening to jazz and playing in jazz ensembles so there’s always an element of spontaneity on stage
If someone is hearing your music for the first time at your upcoming REAL show, what’s the one thing you’d want them to feel?
Anything - we always crave a full body shiver… the body can communicate so much in response to music that the mind doens’t always have words for
What’s been the most rewarding part of making music as a trio?
Locking in as a power trio
What’s the energy you’re bringing to this show—should people expect to dance, get lost in the sound, or something else entirely?
We’re preparing a feast … a little bit of everything
By the REAL Editorial Team | March 4, 2025