Charisma, commitment help energize Idlewild

Remember back in the early ‘80s when Big Country was up there with U2 in the rock idealists derby? A couple of years ago, several new bands from the British Isles seemed poised for similar roles. One was Coldplay, and that’s panned out pretty well so far. Another was Idlewild, hailing from Big Country’s Scotland. But the young group, though energetic live, came up a little short in its reach.

Idlewild’s show Thursday at the El Rey, however, found that initial promise still alive. The band’s third album, “The Remote Part,” is too neat to fully engage, but singer Roddy Woomble’s natural charisma and his mates’ muscular but supple support were convincing.

Still lacking is a truly individual identity. Woomble’s voice and free-floating phrasing too readily evoke a cross of Michael Stipe and Morrissey. An underlying sense that disappointment is inevitable isn’t the idealism for which a U2 or Coldplay strives, but even as Woomble closed the show by wandering into the El Rey’s aisle, alone and untouched by the crowd, sinking to the ground as he repeatedly mumbled a line of resignation, there seemed to be a leadership quality to him.

Opening trio the Natural History also harked back to past models, in this case Gang of Four and Fugazi, but the choppy songs were too monochromatic to be involving. Second-billed French Kicks, though, made a strong impression as sort of a nerdy version of the Strokes, with more musical sophistication if not the direct-hit appeal.