When bands head into the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, they have to do a cover version.
Not just any cover version they fancy, either. There’s no getting away with laying down a take on some obscure b-side from an achingly hip band not even your cooler mate has heard of. It’s got to be something popular. Something that will connect with ‘the youth’.
Sometimes, that results in something glorious – like today’s offering from the mighty Idles. Appearing as part of a week of sessions from acts nominated for the BRITs Best British Newcomer prize, the band followed up their own ‘Samaritans’ with a medley of songs by The Streets.
Yep. A medley! Don’t try and claim they’re not pop now. To guild the metaphorical lily, they even added a pinch of Harry Styles’ ‘Sign of the Times’ for good measure too.
You can check out both their songs from the performance below.