By Mike Prevatt


The first time Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones walked into an American Wal-Mart--a strange rite of passage for visitors from across the Atlantic, it seems--he was shocked at what he heard coming out of the store's PA system: a song by fellow U.K. then-upstart, Coldplay.

"I heard 'Yellow' and I was just, `What the hell is going on?'" he says, laughing. "Six months before, they supported us at a university [show] in Cardiff, and six months later they're selling millions of albums all over the world. I like them as people and I think they're a really accomplished band. But I really don't understand how they got so big so fast."

Neither do we. It's been frustrating over the past decade or so to watch venerable British rock bands struggle to make even the slightest impression among radio programmers and concert promoters. There have been exceptions, however, such as Radiohead, Oasis and, of course, Coldplay--skilled bands that ignored the recent English tradition of minimally promoting themselves Stateside because of low expectations or wanting to remain a cult entity.

"We're not one of these bands that sort of shies away from playing in front of a lot of people," says Jones. "I think it would be great to be in a situation where you don't have to worry about things and do what you want all the time, and where a lot of people listen to the record."

Which is partially why Idlewild has taken the path less traveled by its U.K. brethren and heavily toured the United States for the past three months--as it did in 2001, when it found itself suddenly embraced by a surprising number of American fans and rock journalists. This past spring--which saw the domestic release of its 2002 U.K. bestseller The Remote Part--the band headlined its own club tour and played Coachella, the nation's most influential music festival. Now, it tours the country for the second time, supporting Pearl Jam in venues that accommodate 10,000 to 20,000 people--a major coup for a band that still can't land a single on the radio here.

The tour isn't likely to land Idlewild on American alt-rock radio, seeing that even Pearl Jam struggles to get new material on the airwaves, but it represents significant exposure to the type of fan who adores assertive and passionate music--the type Idlewild crafts to near perfection.

Its American indie-influenced 2001 album, 100 Broken Windows, was hailed by Spin as the best undiscovered record of that year. The Remote Part has found more U.S. critical praise than any other U.K. release this year, and deservedly so. With its Fugazi-reminiscent force ("A Modern Way of Letting Go"), U2-like anthemry ("You Held the World in Your Arms") and R.E.M.-esque grace ("American English"), the tunefully potent album shows the band at its creative peak. It's an astonishingly resonant effort that Idlewild--given its considerable touring itinerary--is eager to introduce to the States.

"I think that's the way we established ourselves in Britain, just playing everywhere," says Jones. "You go and play, and then you go back and play there again, and you keep playing until you can fill out bigger places. I think it's more so the way to do it in the States, because there isn't an NME or one radio station or a 'Top of the Pops' or anything like that, so you have to play. We like to play--that's why we formed the band!"