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Judging by his Instagram feed, Billy Idol is the coolest grandad on the planet. Perhaps surprisingly, The Roadside EP is every bit as cool and continues to the unexpected good form that the Rebel Yell legend displayed on his last two studio records, Devil’s Playground and Kings And Queens Of The Underground.
Kicking off with the balls-out, snot-rock rumble of Rita Hayworth, it is immediately apparent that the great man’s formula requires no tinkering. Steve Stevens is riffing majestically away, the lyrics are preposterous and Billy is still dancing with himself, top lip sneering dutifully away.
In contrast, Bitter Taste is gorgeous, downbeat and bluesy, with echoes of Chris Isaak and a simple but oddly affecting melody: it’s the best thing the Vegas regular has put his name to in more than a decade.
Two more great songs complete the set. Another one to play loudly at the grandkids, then.
