LIVE REVIEW: Billy Idol at Wembley Arena, London

LIVE REVIEW: Billy Idol at Wembley Arena, London

There is a rock ‘n’ roll icon everyone must see at least once in their lifetime. Last night we headed to Wembley arena to do exactly that, to finally see the punk rock, new wave and rock icon Billy Idol. Billy has masterfully mixed and transgressed genres in his musical expression throughout the decades and has created a sound that’s undeniably his own.

By merging the “underground” feel and image with the mainstream catchiness of his songs, he became both an underground and a mainstream icon, depending on how you want to frame it. Or, better yet, don’t try to frame it at all and enjoy the ride, allowing yourself to appreciate the breadth of his musical expression and persona.

LIVE REVIEW: Billy Idol at Wembley Arena, London
Credit: Marija Buljeta

On this tour, Billy is supported by not one but two other alternative music legends: Toyah and Killing Joke (whose last-minute addition as a replacement for Television was more than welcome). Each act has their fan base, which doesn’t necessarily overlap. We could see young and old punks and rockers gathered together for this colossal, one-of-a-kind spectacle. There were plain-dressed people, but I think they must be punk-rockers at heart, too; otherwise, they wouldn’t be there.

Post-punk diva Toyah gave an energetic performance proving that she sounds as good as she (still) looks; the audience enthusiastically welcomed her relatively short but dynamic set, which provided just the right amount of energy to warm us up for the things to come. We could recognise “Thunder In The Mountains”, “Echo Beach”, “Good Morning Universe”, “It’s a Mystery”, “Neon Womb”, and my personal favourite “, I Want To Be Free”. Toyah was throwing her arms in the air, making theatrical gestures – after all, she is an actress too, and she knows how to give a good performance. Maybe she’s changed her hairstyle, but her voice and presence remained as powerful and striking as back in the day.

Shortly before 8 pm, legendary Post-Punk icons Killing Joke took the stage with a great selection from their post-punk/industrial repertoire, which slightly steered the atmosphere in the darker direction. However, they delivered a high-powered and intense performance which will not be easily forgotten. With the original line-up reunited, they were as tight as ever; the band was well rehearsed, and the energy they transmitted was dark and gloomy at times but still refreshing, glorious, and in other words, magnificent.

LIVE REVIEW: Billy Idol at Wembley Arena, London
Credit: Marija Buljeta

Jaz Coleman’s vocal performance was spot on, and his mesmerising stage presence was somewhat mysterious yet solid and spectacular. His unique charisma is undeniable! We could enjoy some of their earlier material like “Unspeakable”, “Wardance”, “The Fall of Because”, and “Requiem”, plus also their perfect eponymous anthem to that most turbulent of decades, “Eighties”. They jumped to their more recent industrial material with “Loose Cannon” before returning to the 80s numbers. Ever confrontational and unpredictable, they finished their set with the industrial-tinged banger “Pandemonium” from the 1994 album of the same title – a suitably monumental ending for a performance on this most epic of nights.

And speaking of industrial, I’m pretty sure if there were no Killing Joke, there wouldn’t be bands like Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and many others who this legendary and groundbreaking group influenced. Although Jaz didn’t say a word apart from what he was singing, he hypnotised the crowd with his theatrical gestures; all eyes were on him. Apart from the light show, there was not much else going on in the visual sense. However, a big Killing Joke logo was displayed on the screen behind, and sometimes less is more. The sound they produced was so powerful and intense; it was all they needed to make their set as close to perfection as possible.

LIVE REVIEW: Billy Idol at Wembley Arena, London
Credit: Marija Buljeta

As we were waiting for Billy Idol to appear, we could feel the suspense growing among the crowd. Primed by ‘The Joke’, there was the familiar buzz of anticipation and the sweet nervousness you feel moments before seeing a superstar on stage. And indeed, we feel that Billy has rightfully won that title. As he took the stage, the whole venue felt like a boiling kettle ready to explode. He opened with the Generation X hit “Dancing With Myself”, which felt like his invitation to dance, so we gladly did.

The energy on both sides of the stage barrier was immense. There was a sing-along dance, and Billy & the band was doing what they do best: rocking out so hard they almost set the venue on fire! At 66, he shows no signs of slowing down, so why not hit the nail on the head from the off with that storming dance-floor number.

LIVE REVIEW: Billy Idol at Wembley Arena, London
Credit: Marija Buljeta

It was a promising start to what was about to follow. We knew from that moment on that we would hear the best possible set list, which proved just about right. They continued in the same upbeat tempo with “Cradle of Love”. Billy announced classics and some new stuff they would play before he left it up to Steve to introduce “Flash For Fantasy” with a short guitar solo. And to spice things up, Billy decided to change his outfit on stage, leaving him shirtless for a short while; I’m sure there were sighs from the female part of the audience.

The whole show felt like being taken on a journey through his fruitful and ever-evolving career. Billy is a prolific artist who has maintained his relevance since the late 70s with records and hits that became a rock ‘n’ roll legacy. The one thing that remains the same is his iconic visual image of a punk-rocker: there’s black leather, spiky blond hair and his recognisable but irresistible grin. Vocally, he’s on top of his game; his voice sounds fresh, powerful and untouched by the years!

LIVE REVIEW: Billy Idol at Wembley Arena, London
Credit: Marija Buljeta

He has the energy of a 20-year-old, and so does the rest of the band. His long-time collaborator, the guitarist virtuoso Steve Stevens delivered some of the best guitar solos and took the show up a notch, so a big bow to Steve! The whole show was incredibly dynamic from the start; the band members were pacing the stage, Billy and Steve performing together side by side and Billy commanding the crowd with his hands inviting us to sing louder and louder. His clenched fist made a statement, “this is rock’ n’ roll, and we’ll give it to you.”

Although the last few years were rough on Billy, he is back to full strength and in a more excellent mood. The hardships wouldn’t stop this rocker from rocking his best last night with us. It was incredible to see how much Billy cared about us; he was sharing some of the most intimate life stories with us. It wouldn’t be easy to share those with a friend, let alone 12 thousand strangers, yet he spoke candidly about some of the hard times he had endured over the years. But being a survivor and his unbreakable spirit, he put those thoughts and feelings into some of his greatest songs.

One of those songs, “Cage” –  from his latest EP released in September this year – is devoted to his Mum, who sadly passed away during the Covid pandemic – which was especially hard on Billy since he wasn’t able to attend the funeral due to the lockdown-enforced travel restrictions in 2020. I believe so many of us could identify with the song – after all, making a meaningful connection with an artist’s work is all the art is really about in its essence. And Billy is doing precisely that – he’s giving us a way to connect by sharing his personal experience through his music.

LIVE REVIEW: Billy Idol at Wembley Arena, London
Credit: Marija Buljeta

Not only that, but the song is also incredibly catchy, and even if you’ve not heard it before, you could dive straight into it, just like one of his more familiar anthems. The next song was the song they did in the 90s for the Keanu Reeves blockbuster “Speed”. During the dynamic set, we could hear the slower numbers like “Bitter Taste”, for which Billy again gave a thorough explanation by saying: “I thought about my motorcycle accident, and I just felt that that was my most horrible, painful time in my life. Maybe if I write about that, maybe it would resonate with somebody “.

They continued with another slow-dancer which I believe is one of everyone’s favourites, “Eyes Without a Face”; it was introduced by Steve’s sublime performance, this time on the acoustic guitar. Billy again introduced one of his more personal songs by saying: “We do have another song that I really enjoy doing live… It’s about drug addiction”, and continued to confess about his drug addiction in the late 70s and 80s. He concluded it was worth being alive and having these experiences because he could put them into a song, although he didn’t necessarily think that that was a good idea (probably for our sake). After the new “Runnin’ From the Ghost”, he dived straight back to another Generation X number “, One Hundred Punks”, a nod to his punk roots. The most unexpected yet greatly appreciated moment was Steve’s absolutely genius performance of the “Top Gun” Anthem, during which he even played the guitar behind his head; the guitar god has spoken! How does one even continue after such an almost magical, out-of-this-world moment, but with a mega-hit: “Rebel Yell”, which Billy introduced as his favourite song, the last song of the truly spectacular set.

It all felt too soon for us, but it wasn’t over just yet! True theatrical rock gods that they are, Billy and the band soon returned for the encore, launching into “Rebel Like You”, and although he might be the king rebel, 12 thousand rebels were supporting him last night! He then covered Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers’ “Born To Lose”, taking this classic and making the song his own; Billy’s version came with a ‘refurbished’ and updated sound, fitting for this epic occasion.

LIVE REVIEW: Billy Idol at Wembley Arena, London
Credit: Marija Buljeta

Eventually, the band knew it was time to part with us, so they saved the best for the last: the anthem most associated with the peroxide-coiffed superstar, “White Wedding”. Billy spoke of London, where he was born and played his first-ever gig before Generation X and did not forget to thank London for making his life “so fucking great”. He told us about the time he was in Los Angeles writing songs for his first album, and he thought of his sister (who was with us in the audience) and came up with this epic song. It was the perfect climax to the evening, yet it left us yearning for “more, more, more”!

Although he might call himself “the king of the underground” in a song, he definitely is the king of rock’ n’ roll and beyond. There’s a perfect blend and balance of the punk attitude and the best quality mainstream rock in one artist. Billy encapsulates and captures so much more than meets the eye, or the ear, for that matter, and we witnessed all of it live. Billy’s dedication to music and creativity surpasses the boundaries of the genre; he’s a true master of sound, and if you care to listen to his words, you might find an outstanding lyricist too! That said, we believe that Billy Idol is a true music idol!

LIVE REVIEW: Billy Idol at Wembley Arena, London
Credit: Marija Buljeta

Billy Idol setlist: 1. Dancing With Myself, 2. Cradle of Love, 3. Flesh for Fantasy, 4. Cage, 5. Speed, 6. Bitter Taste, 7. Eyes Without a Face, 8. Mony Mony, 9. Runnin’ From the Ghost, 10. One Hundred Punks, 11. Blue Highway/Top Gun Anthem, 12. Rebel Yell, 13. Rebel Like You, 14. Born to Lose, 15. White Wedding

Killing Joke setlist: 1. Unspeakable, 2. Wardance, 3. The Fall of Because, 4. Requiem, 5. Butcher, 6. Eighties, 7. Change, 8. Loose Cannon, 9. The Wait, 10. Pssyche, 11. Pandemonium

Toyah setlist: 1. Thunder in the Mountains, 2. Echo Beach, 3. Good Morning Universe, 3. It’s a Mystery, 4. Neon Womb, 5. Space Dance, 6. I Want To Be Free

Xsnoize Author
Marija Buljeta 8 Articles
Marija has been a photographer for 14 years. She specializes in portrait, fashion, bands, studio and concert photography as well as CD artworks for music artists. She exhibited her work on numerous solo and group exhibitions. She has been a music journalist for 7 years and has been writing for various music websites, including her own Altvenger Magazine. Her favourite genres are new wave, synth-pop, alternative rock, shoegaze, Brit-pop and many more. Her favourite artists are David Bowie and Duran Duran. She photographed shows by many famous artists, including Gary Numan, PIL, The Stranglers, Erasure, Suede, Dead Can Dance, Midge Ure, A-ha, OMD, Men At Work, Duran Duran and many others.

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