Foals (Leeds Metropolitan University 2013): Review

Foals: Review

Leeds Metropolitan University

9^th March 2013

Flashback to 2010: a younger version of myself was standing in the very same venue waiting for Foals to take the stage. This was at a time where I was still adjusting to their unusual sound, I still knew them as the band that played the secret party on the season one DVD extras of Skins, but I did know enough about them to have willingly gone along to the gig. And what a treat I was in for. The memories which remain of that show are a blur of strobe lights and electric atmosphere – these are the memories I am constantly striving to relive.

So here we are, back in 2013, back at Leeds Met, and once again waiting for Foals to take to the stage. Both Antidotes and Total Life Forever are albums that I have played through uncountable times over the past three years, the band seem to find relevance in any situation. Now with the release of Holy Fire, Foals seemed to have found their most comfortable territory: somewhere between spaced-out interlocking guitar sounds and a new crunching vitality they seemed to have discovered during their time off the radar.

They started the show very much in this territory with Prelude, the instrumental opening track of Holy Fire. After a few minutes of nod-along jamming, the band burst into life with an extended and heavier outro, lead singer Yannis Philippakis leading the crowd as he bounced enthusiastically on the spot.

After that first song kicked in there was no turning back. The suddenly-up-for-it audience cheered as the band’s early single Olympic Airways hit in all its brooding melancholy glory. It was quickly followed with the funky Miami, transporting the grateful Leeds venue to a distant white beach for four minutes.

Yannis then announced that next up was a newer song, which was greeted with the same polite cheer any band with such popular first and second albums would receive. The cheer expanded and exploded when he added that the song would be the new record’s second single: My Number. I predict that the song will be a festival favourite this summer; it has that perfectly care free vibe needed to qualify, with a catchy chorus and groovy main riff. It was probably the Leeds crowd’s most unified moment, as there didn’t seem to be a single member who wasn’t drawn in by Foals’ most radio friendly track.

I began to realize that there is not a quiet moment in a Foals gig. Even a song like Blue Blood,which I associated with its moments of pleasant tranquility  eventually escalated into a large mosh pit: its occupants more dancing than moshing but a dangerous environment all the same. Guitarist Jimmy Smith stared out at the crowd during the majority of Milk and Black Spiders as if admiring his work before giving it his all in the later stages of the song. Smith then started an up tempo clap which suddenly became Balloons. Yannis casually strutted around the stage before his vocals came in, where he then flapped his arms in invitation to join him in singing.

The new songs generally didn’t rouse the crowd as much as the old Antidotes classics did. However there was still a buzz of appreciation for them. In particular, I was impressed with the reaction to new single Late Night, where Yannis’ vocal volume was nearly matched on the line “oh now Mama, do you hear my fear? It’s coming after me!” And then came Providence. Early reactions to Holy Fire suggested that this may be a favourite, my Twitter feed exhibited positive reactions from Foals fans and other band members alike. All signs suggested this song could be a firecracker live.

After a few minutes of build up from the band (in particular drummer Jack Bevan) there was an ominous silence where the drop would normally be, broken only by the odd cheer of a fan who may or may not have been expecting what happened next. Jack Bevan hit Providence’s drum hook and Foals burst back to life as all Hell broke loose below them. I lost the majority of my gig companions in the midst of the crowd chaos of what was definitely the night’s most impactful song.

After the dust settled, the first notes of NME’s track of the year for 2010 echoed around the venue; Spanish Sahara provided the best sing-along moment of the gig. People were appreciating this track in their own ways: I saw a guy next to me miming out the chords on his air-guitar and there was also the sudden suspicious smell of marijuana around.  

It didn’t take long for the band to step the pace back upwith Red Socks Pugie, where I felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu as Yannis vanished off the stage and reappeared on the top of one of the amps by the balcony. I remember the thought of “he can’t jump from there” from my first Foals experience, as he stood with his guitar high above the crowd. He didn’t jump this time either, which was probably for the best.

However, when Yannis swapped guitar for drum sticks and drove into Foals classic Electric Bloom, he seemed hyped by the crowd’s energy and led their most energetic performance of the night. He took this moment to stage dive (from a reasonable height), during the drummer’s amazing drum solo and an impressive laser light show, making it back to the stage after a minute of being held high above the people like a king. He then prowled, microphone in hand, making sure every single member of the crowd was really feeling the song and showcasing his own drumming talents on the central drum.This song still sounded as electrifying as it did back in 2010, its one of those songs that can’t really be appreciated fully until you have witnessed it live.

Here is the performance of Electric Bloom, thanks to Michael Gillespie for the video.

With that, the band left the stage. I was feeling the effects of a thoroughly wild gig and was slightly out of the range of the water that staff on the barrier were handing out, so when the lead singer returned alone and played a haunting solo rendition of Moon, I valued a moment to relax and enjoy a great song.

So I guess I was just about ready, when Foals began the massive lead single – Inhaler. Yannis’ vocals are clearly toned down slightly for the studio version, as in the live environment he almost shouts the line “So can you not go away?!” and screams “SPACE” over the epic sounds of the chorus. It was at this point I realized how impressed I was with the Holy Fire inclusions in the set list, as several of them were received like old favourites – and just a month after its release.

Like a lot of live bands, they saved their biggest crowd pleaser for last. Two Steps Twice really did bring the house down, with most of the venue opening into one large rectangular pit midway through the first verse. When his part in the early stages of the song was over, Yannis came into the crowd, while the rest of the band began the familiar mid-song chant. He slipped past people, still holding his guitar, up the walk way to the back balcony, getting countless pats on the back on his way. When he reached the back balcony, I put myself in his shoes for a second as he stood on the edge, looking down at the thousands of chanting fans in the sold out venue: that must be an indescribable feeling. He then retraced his steps back to the stage and a buzz came through the air as the gig reached its climax. After one final splash of Foals mayhem, the band thanked the crowd and left the stage to a deservedly incredible ovation. I then ran for my train home, missed it, and had absolutely no regrets.

Verdict: The evolution of Foals has been an interesting and exciting one and this translates to the live shows. Every song is played with conviction, with a burning desire for every member of the audience to love the songs as much as they seem to believe in them, and its all done with a superbly laid back approach. Foals are a band any fans of the alternative genre should experience, don’t miss out.               

The Joy Formidable (The Cockpit: Leeds 2013): Review

The Joy Formidable: Review

The Cockpit: Leeds

25^th February 2013

I happened across The Joy Formidable a few years ago and since then they have earned a lot of airtime on my iPod. Originally, I watched them through a live stream of Radio 1’s Big Weekend (I was ensnared by the intriguing name) and I was immediately impressed by both their musical ability and the glowing stage presence provided by Ritzy and co. Their 2011 debut album “The Big Roar” grew on me a lot over time and I now regard it one of my all time favourite albums.

Since then, I have watched them at the past two Leeds Festivals and kept an eye on the build up to their brilliant sophomore album: “Wolf’s Law”. I was not in the slightest disappointed with the new record and so my excitement for the gig at The Cockpit built. This was not only my first Joy Formidable gig but also my first Cockpit experience, so I was a little unsure of what to expect.

The Cockpit itself has a different feel to it to the O2 Academy or Leeds University. It has a great buzz and atmosphere and I almost felt that I was intruding on a local bar whilst queuing for my pint of Woodpecker. I am a fan of intimate venues so I was immediately happy with the layout of the place as it was reasonably simple to wade to nearby the front before they hit the stage.

The gig began with the howl of a wolf, a sound that represents a lot of the qualities of the second album: the connection with nature, the freedom the band have found and the animalistic power that drives each track. Drummer Matt Thomas arrived first, followed by Rhydian Dafydd and Ritzy Bryan. As soon as they had instruments in hand, they built an epic wall of sound before dropping the recognisable main riff from lead single Cholla.

It was instantly noticeable why the band have such a good reputation for their live show. Ritzy’s vocals held a different quality during a live show in comparison to the album tracks. She seems to have a switch between cute, soothing tones and the sort of powerful notes that made the hairs on my arms stand on end: her presence on stage is nothing short of spellbinding.

After the band launched through the near-euphoric Austere and This Ladder Is Ours I had a fresh respect for the other two members of The Joy Formidable. The bassist’s engagement with the crowd and the drummer’s relaxed yet astonishing style made it difficult to know who to watch as each member owned the stage in their own right. It was around this early point of the gig where the crowd got behind the band and really started enjoying themselves. When asked before the gig if I thought there would be any mosh pits my response was “there’ll probably be one in Whirring” but they were present from the go and I thoroughly enjoyed bobbing around in there over the course of the night.

There was not too much I could fault about the set list. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t play The Leopard and the Lung but that could be a personal preference as the set didn’t feel like it was lacking. They made it up to me however with the inclusion of While the Flies, perhaps one of my favourite songs in their growing repertoire. The set was devoid of a weak moment, Ritzy continued to impress: her expressions varied from a wide-eyed stare to a joyful smile which was merited by the response new songs such as “Tendons” were receiving.

After the raucous start provided by both band and crowd, I was rather pleased to see Rhydian swap bass for acoustic guitar and begin the beautiful Silent Treatment which provided the gig’s gentlest moment.

Here's the video of the band performing "The Silent Treatment".

The pace then turned again with what I can safely say is the biggest crowd pleaser from Wolf’s Law: the brilliantly theatrical Maw Maw Song. With each verse came a shift in tempo where the crowd would come alive, followed each time by the head-bobbing chorus. After a typically insane Joy Formidable breakdown, the song’s last chorus delivered a busy pit in which one of the more senior members of the fan base ended up on the deck. He was still smiling though!

By The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie I was beyond impressed by the talents of Matt Thomas, who is definitely one of the most underrated drummers in modern rock. With Ritzy and Rhydian’s hectic tremolo picking already reaching top speed, it gave reign to the drummer to take it to another level; the gradually building crashing of the drums brought the song to its grand peak and Matt claimed numerous high fives from the crowd as the band left the stage.

But of course there was an encore to come. It began with the album title track Wolf’s Law, where Ritzy truly showed the two contrasting sides of her voice, providing perhaps her most powerful vocals of the night as the piano driven ballad exploded into life and she belted out “I’ll take the gambling way”.

The final song of the night was Whirring and they clearly save it for last with good reason. The four minute plus outro provided time for Rhydian to go for a spot of crowd surfing and Ritzy (with some help from the audience) to tear the strings from her guitar before the eventual ring of feedback which signalled the end of an amazing show.

Verdict: This may be my first review, but I have been to a lot of gigs previously and I have never known a band looking like they are enjoying themselves onstage like The Joy Formidable do, and its seriously infectious. If you can make it to one of their gigs then get yourself to what will undoubtedly be a thoroughly engaging rock show.