Within the realms of the Bodega, Ider debuted their album ‘emotional education’ in what was a stunning and intimate performance to a sold-out crowd.
Having always wanted to go to the Bodega, I had long been looking for an excuse to go and, after seeing Ider support Sigrid at Rock City in November, it was an opportunity that could not be missed! As a venue however, the Bodega was nothing more than mediocre. Whilst being small and providing a close feel between Ider and the audience, it didn’t really have much else going for it. There was a small bar in the gig area and some seating at the back. I did however like how the area was divided into a casual bar where people can sit for drinks, and an upstairs where gigs take place.
The night in the Bodega began with the support act ‘art school girlfriend’. Although I had never heard of her before, her alternative sound set the mood for the evening as she played both slow melodies and upbeat tunes.
At 8:45, Ider graced the stage. The band is made up of Meg and Lily and with them in Nottingham was a talented drummer called Mike. Their whole performance compromised songs from their album, as well as engagement with the audience and anecdotes about how songs were written, what they were about and why they were written. My particular favourites included ‘saddest generation’, ‘you’ve got your whole life ahead of you baby’, ‘mirror’ and ‘swim’, which was performed in the encore.
There are many great things about Ider’s music and their live performances, notably that they sound equally as good live as they do on their record, and also their extensive talent of both singing and playing instruments including the guitar and piano. However, what resonated with me the most was how meaningful and real their song lyrics were. Their song ‘saddest generation’ mentions the statistic that one in four people suffer with mental health issues in the UK today and ‘you’ve got your whole life ahead of your baby’ raises the problem many young people feel about having their life together when they are in their 20s. It was just simply nice for these issues to be expressed through such a positive medium of music.
Overall the evening was exciting and enjoyable with an added bonus of even getting to meet the band at the end of the gig. The girls were chatty and friendly and seemed really keen to speak to everyone at the event rounding off what had been a brilliant, musical night. I would rate the evening 5 out of 5 stars!
Ider’s album ‘emotional education’ is out now and you can follow their music and tour via Instagram: @we.are.ider