Foo Fighters were sent a handmade puzzle by IDLES in support act bid

29 February 2024, 16:31

Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and IDLES frontman Joe Talbot. Picture: 1. Gary Miller/Getty Images 2. Tom Ham/Press

By Jenny Mensah

IDLES frontman Joe Talbot revealed how the band made Foo Fighters a puzzle to stand out from the shortlist chosen to support them.

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IDLES once sent Foo Fighters a handmade puzzle in a bid to become one of their support acts.

The Dancer rockers were chosen to open for Dave Grohl and co at The O2, London back in 2017 and their frontman admitted that they may have given themselves the edge with the thoughtful gift.

Frontman Joe has revealed the unique way they successfully won over Dave Grohl's band and got to open for them at London's The O2 arena in 2017.

Appearing on SPIN’s Lipp Service podcast, Talbot said: “They had a shortlist of five to ten bands, I think.

“And apparently… they pick the bands themselves; they had the shortlist. We found out, and we thought to get ahead of the bunch, we’d make a puzzle – like a jigsaw puzzle – with a photo of our bassist on it. In his pants. It just said: 'Pick Idles'.

“I just built the box and wrote, ‘If you build it they will come’ on it.... And they did.”

Meanwhile, IDLES have recently scored a UK No.1 with their fifth studio album TANGK. T

The album - which includes the singles Dancer, Grace and Gift Horse - is somewhat of a departure for the band, seeing them experiment more with dance and electronic music.

It also see Talbot show off his softer side, both lyrically and

Speaking about the album, the frontman explained in a statement: "TANGK. I needed love. So I made it. I gave love out to the world and it feels like magic. This is our album of gratitude and power. All love songs. All is love."