
Stallion Rock by Isobel Wiles
There is always vicarious pleasure, of course, and Foals provide that in spades. As the first few plucked notes of “Blue Blood” ring out I realize how far they’ve come (a Tokyo stadium, to be exact) from the intimate house parties they used to play in their native Oxford. Their music has matured, too— from their first spiky and riotous album Antidotes, to Total Life Forever, which garnered both mainstream appeal and a wave of critical acclaim.
Despite the differences in the two albums, it’s surprising tonight how well their whole body of songs blend together. From the first gently plucked notes of opener “Blue Blood”, they clatter directly into a string of their early hits, from the funky “Olympic Airways” to the frantic “Cassius”, complete with squalling horns and yelping. A brief moment’s respite comes in the anthemic title track, “Total Life Forever”, where the drums provide a strong ballast, before the crowd take over the beat with clapping.
The best sets are always those that exhaust the audience, whipping them up with a relentless sprint, never letting the tension drop Click To TweetStallion Rock

Stallion Rock by Sophie Knight
The other members are slightly more subdued, although in the case of the drummer and keyboardist, their kit is to blame for their lack of mobility. Lead guitarist Jimmy Smith, a quintessential indie kid with straggly long hair, pin-thin legs and a slightly Jesus-like look, somehow manages to dance while nailing the highly complex and finicky, fast riffs that they have become known for. The five of them together seem to be so intuitively in touch with what the others are doing and where they are going that their performance is fast, flawless, and lethally precise.
Yet their precision is equally matched by an infectious groove that simply doesn’t allow the crowd to stay still. The second album allowed them to explore their softer side, but even the gentle, honey-like vocals of Alabaster break into a thickly layered cacophony pinned together with drums that sound like rain on a roof. In contrast to the quiet/loud/quiet dynamic that so many bands still stick to, Foals have found their ideal formula in quiet/louder/even louder/deafening.
The best sets are always those that exhaust the audience, whipping them up with a relentless sprint, never letting the tension drop. You can see where the fans’ fervour comes from— and when Yannis jumps off the stage into the press pit there are so many fans’ hands on him it’s like a faith healing convention. After a shouty “Electric Bloom” in which the crowd explodes, they come back for an inevitable encore for a whole three songs, leaving the crowd sweaty and with smiles so wide they split their face in two. They may be named after baby horses but it feels like they’re already racing at Ascot.
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