LIVE: Foals - Nottingham Trent University - 7th May 2010
Sunday, 09 May 2010
Written by Jacob Mier
Yesterday evening was a night to never be forgotten, for all those present to participate in the sweaty, chaotic and seminal Foals gig at Trent University Student Union, Nottingham.
Free Gatecrasher entry wristbands were handed out to ticket holders as they queued to step down into the uncharted depths of the small, intimate venue, but there was no party taking place anywhere in Britain on May 7th that could touch the one I and a few hundred others were about to let themselves in for.
Pints were cheap and popular as support act Jonquil set the scene, and one might have thought the rest of the evening might pan out as a peaceful, toe-tapping affair; as impressive as the Oxford band were, the crowd didn't really seem to activate until Yannis (vocals, guitar), Edwin (keyboards, synth), Walter (bass), Jimmy (guitar) and Jack (drums), stepped onto the stage.
Such a presence in the minds of Foals fans the nation over has developed since the release of 2008's no.3 UK album "Antidotes" that just the sight of Oxford's brightest sparks, boys amongst men in the world of dance-friendly indie right now, was enough to instigate widespread euphoria; this was duly verbalised in raucous fashion by the tightly-packed audience (which comprised as many under-21 hipsters sporting Yannis haircuts as can be fathomed), cheers of "Yannis, Yannis, Yannis!" resonating across the floor in awe of Foals' charismatic, pint-sized frontman. The stage having been meticulously lined with strategically placed bottles of Carlsberg and numerous, fancy-looking instruments, there was pandemonium kicking off within the instant Yannis put pick to copper and Jack put foot to pedal to open the set with forthcoming album "Total Life Forever"'s title track.
Having been blitzed through four minutes of "Total Life Forever"'s infectious chorus hook, people began to realise they had got more than they'd come for; the sheer friction of elbows and shoulderblades as swarms of bouncing, sweating fanatics swayed back and forth, from side to side, battling through the trapped bodies to express their euphoria. Things were berserk, and so suddenly so that there was literally no time for one to catch his/her own breath before the twinkling guitars and bass-heavy rhythmic jerks of "Cassius" were starting up - at which point, the crowd went well and truly berserk.
Throughout the hour-and-a-half set, Foals were rampant in their usual, glorious, techno-mathematical frenzy, while their legion of adoring subjects were experiencing a cerebral, sonic infestation by the hands of their idols which took them exhiliratingly closer to self-imposed bodily destruction than they had ever come before.
Despite the all-round domination of feet, arms and eardrums that spanned the entire set, highlights were not hard to pick out; the aforementioned "Cassius" arrived so unexpectedly, and swept away all apprehensive inhibitions so ferociously, that it set the tone for the rest of the night and perfectly introduced the crowd to the greatest show on Earth. Its fellow "Antidotes" favourites, i.e. the afferent, forceably danceable "Balloons", the enchanting, sing-a-long "Olympic Airways", the tidal tempo changes of "Red Socks Pugie" and (perhaps the most pleasantly surprising) "Electric Bloom", in which two or three extra minutes were added to the song's instrumental interlude to accomodate the stage-diving, speaker-mounting antics of Yannis, were inevitable crowd-pleasers.
But this gig was as much characterized by the success of the new material it showcased as the tried-and-tested tracks; "Spanish Sahara" and "This Orient", the lead singles from "Total Life Forever", found comfort in their relative familiarity to their dense, legless audience, while "Miami" and "Blue Blood", which I would assume shall be released shortly as singles, caught attention in particular. "Miami"'s repetitive hook - "Be there, be there, be there, be there for me/ ...betray me, save me, save me, save me" - had an audience, the vast majority of which it had never graced the ears of before, singing along enthusiastically; all things taken into account, there were a multitude of promising signs with regards to the band's soon-to-be-released sophomore LP (which is out on May 12th).
As predictable as the band's encore was, none of the magic was lost as they majestically lead a now-rabid crowd through veteran classics "The French Open" and, finally, "Two Steps, Twice", the latter of which appeared to reduce the crowd to a near-animalistic, synaesthetic freakout. A thoroughly exhausting and incredible time having been had by all involved, I dragged my dizzy self away from the floor to purchase a printed "Foals" t-shirt as a meagre tribute, and then up the stairs and back out into the open, fully overcome and immersed in the tour-de-force in live music I had just left behind me.
If there is a band on better form in the world right now, then I am yet to see it.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
