NPR (which nominally stands for National Public Radio, but is now so much more than that) has been putting on it's Tiny Desk concerts since 2008 (the history of these intimate, eclectic concerts, according to Wikipedia, is worth reading).
Over the years, NPR has amassed an amazing back catalogue of performances by big name and lesser-known artists, from across the world. You could spend months, at least, trawling the playlists. And I highly recommend that you do. But before that, have a listen to some of the gigs that I'm picking out for this mini-series.
During lockdown, NPR pivoted to Tiny Desk (Home) concerts, with the artists really stepping up to provide some memorable live moments. They've also collaborated with SXSW to produce some incredible genre-bending performances. I'll post about at least one of each of these performances this week.
Before I get to my first highlight, I've got to mention one particular thing that stands out to me about Tiny Desk: the sound - the engineering and production quality is incredibly good - no, as in, really really good. The NPR team somehow manages to bring out the best in the artists they record, whether a solo singer, folk trio, or full band. And as well as a great sound, these performances somehow always seem to be packed with emotion and come across as something very special, with the artists at their peak.
Anyway, back to the music. Because it's Monday - the day when the week ahead needs shouting down and putting in its place - I'm choosing IDLES first, who were rowdy guests in June 2019.
Wow, did the lads deliver on this one. As you'd expect from IDLES, they threw themselves into the gig with absolute abandon, their energy bordering on insanity. There are elements of pure punk perfection in there. The thrashed guitars, the giant drum beaten into submission, lyrics bawled across the room, etcetera. But, amid all the apparent chaos, and while crammed into that Tardis space behind the famous desk, the six men somehow manage not to knock a single book off one of those cluttered shelves (or smash each other's heads in with their guitars).
Watch out for the moments of surprising tenderness near the end when the band cajole members of the audience (perhaps NPR staff) into joining in with the percussion. This is typical IDLES, and typical Tiny Desk. Something special.