By Benji Chapman, Music Editor

Adjacent to the venues which hosted some of IDLES' first-ever performances, such as Thekla, Queen Square will be filled with a spread of DJs, live performers, and food stalls during Friday the 1st and Saturday the 2nd of August for the band's only UK tour dates in 2025. As the only local opportunity to catch the band this academic year, the performances won't be ones to miss for fans in the UK.

Following an elusive post on their Instagram, the local legends hinted that a return to Bristol might be on the cards in order to bring them closer to their hundredth local performance in the city.

Having kicked off the TANKG tour at the Marble Factory in 2024, the band's recent collaboration with Friendly Records during a fundraiser performance for War Child suggested that the band were keen to honour their home. A planned return is undeniable proof that the band have a soft spot for the city, despite selected claims otherwise in their documentary Don't Go Gentle: A Film About IDLES.

It's undeniable that the music community's spirit here is firm and constantly intersectional in its collaboration with other arts scenes. IDLES may be a band, first and foremost, but they’re also the founders of critical local community projects, mental health advocates, and defiant political activists on a massive scale.

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Reflecting this multi-faceted and cooperative approach, the band have worked with independent promoters Communion One and local DJs to offer a two-day festival that presents a repertoire of grassroots culture. Speaking to Epigram, promoters Daniel Ealam and Scott O'Neill said, 'We cannot wait to bring this event to Queen Square.'

'It's a space that's right at the heart of the city, which already brings some unforgettable communal experiences to the community, and partnering with IDLES, a band that embodies the spirit and resilience of Bristol, makes this even more significant for us.'

Planning the festival was also a collaborative endeavour between Bristol City Council among other city stakeholders in order to ensure a consistent strategic vision with the local cultural projects. Despite saturation in the local live music scene, the festival promises big names on the lineup alongside independent artists and businesses.

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Hosting previous lineups that boasted acts such as Goldfrapp, The Streets, and Massive Attack in 2003, Queen Square was speculated to be reopening for shows when organisers FKP Scorpio applied to put on events there in December 2023. With a 15,000-person occupancy, the space is more than seven times greater in capacity than the nearby Bristol Beacon.

The announcement comes shortly after the naming of acts such as Kaiser Chiefs and Olly Murs on Bristol Sounds' lineup at the harbourside only a stone's throw away: the summer in Bristol is quickly shaping up to offer an impressive selection of acts at a high level of recognisability.

Tickets for the event will be released on Friday, the 8th of November, at https://idles.seetickets.com/tour/idles, with more information available on Communion One's Instagram and X pages.

Featured Image: Plaster Creative Communications

Who are you most excited to see at the festival?

Centre-back Rob Dickie has lauded Bristol City’s squad depth after the Robins’ injury-forced substitutions helped them get past Preston North End on Saturday.

Liam Manning’s hand was forced in the first half at Deepdale after both George Tanner and Joe Williams had to depart the field earlier than hoped, with Haydon Roberts and Marcus McGuane replacing them.

Roberts had missed five games through injury before the Preston clash, with it also being Dickie’s first game back after missing nine.

“We adapted really well,” Dickie said after the match.

“The subs that came on today did absolutely brilliantly. We changed formation mid half and I think it shows the strength of the group and how far we’ve come. We’re showing real maturity at the moment.

“One thing I know we targeted in the summer was to really strengthen the squad [so that] if we were down players or down numbers then we wouldn’t be any weaker. I think it’s shown, especially in the last few weeks.

“We want to keep our heads down, keep our foot to the pedal, and go.”

Substitutes Roberts and McGuane performed admirably on the day in a mature Reds display in which they responded quickly to their opponents’ equaliser and saw out the tie in style.

The latter in particular had not had much gametime in a red shirt before Saturday, only making his full debut the week before against Leeds, with the ex-Oxford United man a recipient of Dickie’s praise after the game.

“The lads did really well. Marcus, absolutely brilliant when he came on. He was always in the right place at the right time. He showed good composure on the ball. Full credit to him; he was excellent.

“Haydon as well. I’ve shared the physio room with him unfortunately and he came on today and just did his job really well.

“That’s what it takes in the Championship, especially when you come away from home. It’s tough place to come, here. I can’t imagine many teams would win here so we’ve shown, as a group, a great performance today.”

Maturity was a key word for the returning centre back.

Deepdale was a hostile venue on Saturday thanks to the controversial nature of Yu Hirakawa’s goal which put the Robins ahead inside six minutes, with City’s injury troubles also stirring the crowd.

So for Manning’s men to see respond so effectively to the hosts’ equaliser and then put the game to bed in such circumstances is testament to the team.

When asked whether he thought the Reds side have matured since last campaign, Dickie replied: “Yeah, I do. It’s coming up to a year since the manager’s come in and I actually said in the dressing room there to the whole group that I think the maturity that we’ve shown over the last few months has been amazing. We’re really progressing well as a group and that’s credit to everyone in the building.”

City extended their unbeaten run to eight games with the win against the Lilywhites and will be looking to extend that to nine when Sheffield United come to town on Tuesday.

Amidst the spotless string of games is also a season-long unbeaten streak at home, with Ashton Gate becoming a place of solidity in recent times.

It will be back-to-back promotion challengers in BS3 on when the Blades visit, and so another big hurdle to jump in the Reds’ bid to stay unbeaten.

Despite spending a couple of months on the side-lines, the Robins’ towering no.16 is proud of his team’s achievements.

“The lads, credit to them, they’ve been on a great run and we’ve had to deal with such difficult circumstances but we keep going on. Hopefully we can stay unbeaten until the international break and go from there.

“We want to make [Ashton Gate] a fortress. We want to be really solid there and we have been so far. Hopefully that can continue on Tuesday.”

Bristolian rock royalty will be headlining a brand new festival in the city centre next year. IDLES will headline the new event at Queen Square on Friday, August 1 and Saturday, August 2.

The new music event will feature special guests, DJs and plenty of food and drink over the two nights. However, the news that IDLES will be playing their only UK gigs of 2025 in Queen Square will mean that the music event is one not to miss next summer.

They will play over both nights during the event as the band rose from the underground scene in the city and have become one of the most influential bands in the past decade. IDLES currently have released five albums with two number one records.

Lead singer Joe Talbot, said: “We are coming home. We’re putting on a couple parties in Queen Square with music we love for the people we love. All is love.”

In addition, a range of live acts, musical performances and special guests will take to the stage on both nights. A range of street food and drink will be available.

Daniel Ealam and Scott O’Neill, promoters at Communion ONE, said: “We cannot wait to bring this event to Queen Square. It’s a space that’s right at the heart of the city which already brings some unforgettable communal experiences to the community and partnering with IDLES, a band that embodies the spirit and resilience of Bristol, makes this even more significant for us.

“We love Bristol and everything that it represents so it’s important to us that we curate a new event with the people and the fans at the forefront. And let’s face it, Bristol in the summer - you just can’t beat it.”

Tickets for the two-night event will go on sale later this week on Friday, November 8 from the IDLES website.

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Bristol Live readers have been discussing the proposed changes in bus fare prices when it was disclosed that the £2 cap on a single bus journey would not persist. Looking forward to 2025, travellers should brace themselves for the cap to increase to £3.

While FirstBus has yet to confirm any fare hikes, its talk of favouring "a staggered approach" could be construed as an early indication of the rises commuters are bracing for in Bristol. Blaming a £22 billion "black hole" in finances, the Government has justified this projected price change.

Locally, Bristol City Council has promised that funds from the Clean Air Zone will subsidise bus services across specific areas of the city, slightly cushioning the blow for residents. And yet, the prospect of bus fares rising to a £3 cap has invariably drawn out varied reactions from the Bristol populace.

One reader, DeepThoughtX had this to say: "Except that two £2 journeys are not £4. Because as anyone who actually uses buses knows, the second journey is charged at £1.50, making it £3.50 for a return journey."

While Fadinging thinks: "TFL London since they took over bus companies they been getting bailouts of billions of pounds to stop them going under, so if Bristol want a TFL system then expect a extra payment on the council tax bills."

Predictabletechs adds: "It's simple economics, really: Someone has to pay for the bus service. Services are run by private companies; it may not be liked but that's what it is. Even if this were changed to some sort of public ownership or franchising, it still has to be paid for.

"It could be wholly paid for by the passengers but when it's subsidised, as it is with the fare cap, the subsidy ultimately comes from taxes. So you have to put your hand in your pocket to pay for it as a passenger or have your taxes increased. The other bit of simple economics, to deal with the conflation of the two issues of cost and quality in one single article, if more buses are to be provided to more more locations, then that's going to cost more. Guess where the money would need to come from? You're right - the passenger or the tax payer. Like I said, someone has to pay for it."

6470 asks: "Why is the government interfering with private bus companies, they do already tell the electric company how much they can charge, they also had something to do with the train drivers wage settlement. As far as Bristol council and buses goes they are used as a pawn with the government and Wecca to keep the council going ,the council should make up mind what to do if it's buses then make buses a priority."

What do you think of the proposed new bus fare cap? Let us know in the comments below or HERE.

I honestly cannot remember a time when we had what felt like such a convincing victory against Preston North End at Deepdale. Yes, it is true that the first goal following Yu Hirakawa’s handball should not have stood. However, even the most ardent of North End fans surely can’t deny that we deserved the victory at the end of the game.

There was a surprise when the teams were announced at 2pm with the recall of fit-again Rob Dickie and the inclusion on the substitutes bench of Haydon Roberts. Liam Manning opted for the experience of Kal Naismith on the bench over youngster Elijah Morrison. I will admit to being disappointed that Elijah was not included following his excellent substitute appearance against Leeds United in the last match.

Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way first. The Yu Hirakawa opener. The goal was at our end of the pitch and directly in line with my seat in the away end. In my honest opinion, Yu deliberately handled the ball pushing it beyond Preston 'keeper Freddie Woodman and allowing him a free run at the goal.

Yes, the defender challenged Yu and changed his body shape, but I think it was an instinctive reaction and the referee was not sure exactly what had happened. He held his hand to his ear, awaiting some kind of advice from the sidelines, whilst looking across the pitch to his assistant. With nothing forthcoming and from his vantage point he only had one option - to award the goal.

I absolutely agree with fans that say these things even themselves out over the course of a season. It was only a matter of weeks ago that Max O’Leary was clearly impeded for the Swansea City goal. However, I must also say that it didn’t sit right with me. In the same way that I don’t like players diving or pulling shirts at a corner, but all of this is part of the modern game.

I remember only too well how I felt after one of the world’s greatest ever footballers Diego Maradona dumped England out of the Mexico 1986 World Cup finals with his 'Hand of God' goal past Peter Shilton in the quarter-final. I am not taking the moral high ground, because, as I say, a lot of dark arts take place throughout the 90 minutes of football and the dark arts and general s***housery is something that I have often been critical of Bristol City sides not recognising and not being able to do themselves.

I just hope for all of those that say these things even themselves out that we feel as okay about it. If it happens to us in the play-off final at Wembley come the end of the season, I’m pretty sure we would be even more upset than the North End fans were on Saturday. I hope I haven’t jinxed it now...

I didn’t see it as blatant cheating, just instinctive but I always look at these things based on how I would feel if it went against us and I would have been livid.

Whether consciously or not, the referee seemed to want to even the game up and was perhaps being over fair to Preston in trying to balance his mistake. There was a challenge on Max Bird that not only went unpunished, when it was clearly a red card offence, but to add further ignominy the referee awarded the free-kick against Bird.

Lots has been said and written about this City side this season with some questioning whether there has been any progress. The performance in the second half against Paul Heckingbottom’s side should leave fans in little doubt that there has. The way that we controlled the second half despite conceding an equaliser before going onto score two fabulous goals showed that this team has a different mentality.

It would have been very easy to cave in when Sam Greenwood equalised, with the home fans still feeling a sense of injustice. Max will be disappointed that the free-kick went in on his side but I think it was the pace that beat him. The amazing away support, most of whom had endured a nightmare trip up following the road closure on the M5, encouraged their team throughout, never missing a beat despite the equaliser.

The City fans were rewarded when, after a swift throw out from O’Leary, Mark Sykes provided a pinpoint cross on the run for Nahki Wells to find the back of the net with a well-executed header. Wells fooled the defender into thinking he was going near post and instead pulled back and Sykes found him perfectly.

Wells is arguably playing some of the best football of his Bristol City career and at this moment in time is rightly starting ahead of his younger teammates Sinclair Armstrong and Fally Mayulu.

Sykes had to change positions following the injury substitution of George Tanner in the first half, switching to his more natural right side with Haydon Roberts playing on the left. There was also an impressive showing from substitute Marcus McGuane, who could consider himself slightly unfortunate not to have started the game.

Following an injury to Joe Williams that forced him from the field, McGuane came on and showed the qualities that Liam Manning is only two acutely aware of. McGuane’s positional play, his timing of an interception or tackle and the discipline that he showed alongside captain Jason Knight caught the eye.

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There was one defensive interception in the first half that saved a certain goal. The partnership of McGuane and Knight afforded Bird greater offensive licence. The injuries to Tanner and Wiliams forced a change in shape, which worked in our favour.

The third and decisive City goal was a thing of absolute beauty. Had this goal had been scored by a Premier League side, it would have been talked about all weekend and well into the week. The movement, the one touch play, the clever instinctive drag back from Yu and the finish from Bird was fantastic. I have watched that goal over and over again and I would implore anyone who has not seen it, to seek a replay out as it is well worth the watch.

As Bristol City fans know travelling away to Deepdale and getting a result is never easy, to come away with a 1-3 victory against a side who were unbeaten in five in the league was impressive. That is three defeats in the last 21 games. As I said last week, to achieve that in the Championship is no easy thing.

Huge credit must go to Liam Manning, Chris Hogg and of course the players in achieving this run of form. As fans of course the results mean a huge amount, but it is also the manner of the result and the performance, and what we are witnessing at the moment is a committed Bristol City side who can also play an attractive brand of football. It is very enjoyable to watch at this moment in time and long may it continue.

Our 3 Peaps In A Podcast average player ratings were Max O’Leary 6, George Tanner 6, Zak Vyner 7, Luke McNally 7, Rob Dickie 7.5, Joe William 6, Max Bird 8.5, Jason Knight 8, Mark Sykes 8.5 *MotM, Yu Hirakawa 8.5 and Nahki Wells 8. For the substitutes who must play a minimum of 20 minutes (including injury time) we went Haydon Roberts 7 and Marcus McGuane 8. A game average player rating of 7.38, the highest of the season. That’s an overall season to date average player rating of 6.22.

For Liam Manning it was an 8. It was great to see Liam giving his three fist pump victory celebration at the end of the game.