Any IDLES show in any city is certainly worth your time and attention, a super-positive and all-inclusive affair that’s the type of cathartic release we pretty much need these days. But last night the British punk band got an unlikely assist from a 12-year-old kid, who was welcomed up to the stage at Boston’s House of Blues to belt out a rendition of IDLES’ pro-immigration anthem “Danny Nedelko.”
The young man, who identified himself as Max from the South Shore and decked out in an IDLES t-shirt, was brought up on stage by frontman Joe Talbot about midway through the set. Max first admitted his voice was “blown out,” but Talbot told him to make no excuses and soon both vocalists let it rip.
“This song is a celebration of the open minded and the hard working immigrants that full your country and ours,” Talbot said as the song started up. Watch Max deliver the fucking goods below.
After “Danny Nedelko” wrapped, the crowd chanted “Max! Max! Max!” After receiving fist-bumps and hugs from the rest of the band for a job well done, Talbot seemed genuinely pleased with the performance — suggesting the whole thing was pretty spontaneous.
“I was not,” he quipped, “expecting that!”
Props to Brooks Finlay for capturing the action and posting it up on YouTube for the world to enjoy. IDLES, who have a new record called Crawler out next month, continue their North American tour tonight in Philadelphia; get all the remaining dates here.