Guest DJ: IDLES Frontman Joe Talbot

toggle caption Stewart Baxter/Courtesy of the artist

On this Guest DJ edition of All Songs Considered Joe Talbot, frontman for the British punk group IDLES, talks about the band's latest album, Joy as an Act of Resistance, how Van Morrison's Astral Weeks changed his life and his tips for how to make the long drive across Kansas while on tour.

IDLES is a band that's both fierce and compassionate. It's also one of the best live rock groups I've ever seen — the kind that creates mosh pits and community with noise and humanity.

IDLES has two albums out: Brutalism from 2017 and last year's beautifully titled Joy as an Act of Resistance.

The band was in Washington, D.C. recently and just played a Tiny Desk Concert. While at NPR, I sat down with Joe Talbot to talk about the music of IDLES and the songs by other artists who've inspired him over the years. I began our conversation by asking him what music they listen to in their van as they tour around the U.S.

You can hear the full conversation with the play button at the top of the page and hear full versions of the songs we talked about below.