Foals
12th July 2019
The Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Chris Zwaagdyk.
For the first night of two of the most hotly anticipated shows of the dreary winter season, Aucklanders braved the intermittent heavy showers to make their way to the warm welcoming arms of the Town Hall.
With both performances sold out, there was an undeniable electricity in the air, fans bristling with energy as they jostled for position down on the floor. Admittedly for many there was also the bittersweet pangs of disappointment that due to scheduling conflicts only Saturday nights attendees would be granted the privilege of seeing the stupendous Californian indie rock band Warpaint open proceedings; Auckland based Daffodils however once again delivering an outstanding performance that helped ease the pain just a little.
The quartet of Foals, the indie math rock darlings of Oxford, England have just recently delivered their latest album Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1, an album whose first two singles hands down proved that they are indeed currently at the top of their game. Having formed fourteen years ago, for many it has been like watching a beloved child grow, mature and step forth into the world as an independent entity, full of bravado and hope for the future.
Ensconced on a stage bordered with lush green palm fronds that mimicked the cover of their latest album, a black and white backdrop of a pair of terracotta lions overlooked the four piece whose numbers were bolstered by additional touring members; the stage itself bathed in a heady mix of orange and rose stage lights and plumes of wispy smoke.
Bursting to life as the crowd bellowed with joy, ‘On The Luna’ was the first song to grace the stage, it’s higher octave stance lamenting the fact that Trump is clogging up their computer all day, the bouncy notes seeing the audience dance in time. Following it straight up with a double header from their fourth album What Went Down, it was clear that Foals were going to be playing mixologist with their set list.
Bearded vocalist Yannis Philippakis, his navy and white patterned shirt somehow perfectly complimenting the backdrop drew the fans eyes, as he stood across from guitarist Jimmy Smith, sharing a passing look or two as they fed off both each other and the crowd, Philippakis vocals sounding on point throughout the night.
One of the most noticeable highlights of the evening however was how seamlessly at some points the concert flowed. On paper – due to the continual evolution of both the bands character and sound – the set list may not have looked to have blended that well; but live the pieces connected together, the band often not allowing for the standard stop and start to each piece, but instead allowing the tail end of a song to stretch out and curl itself around the intro of the next.
Old favourites such as ‘Olympic Airways’ segued into new, both ‘Syrups’ and ‘Sunday’ giving the Auckland crowd a taste of how Foals latest work transcribes to the stage; all was embraced, but of course songs such as the epic ‘Spanish Sahara’ were rejoiced, the magnificent stage lighting reflecting the heat of both the track itself and the audience as they gave themselves over.
Delving back into their math rock roots ‘Red Sox Pugie’ set the venue on fire before ‘Exits’ – a song that is almost impossible not to love – forewarned of a world where there will be no birds left to fly thanks to humanity’s destruction of the planet. This urgency to pay attention to the downfall of the climate around us seemed to coarse through Philippakis veins; throughout the evening he had teased the audience as he had stepped down into the pit to get closer, at one point getting them to hold his legs as he walked out onto the first few rows and played guitar above their heads.
But now it was bursting out of him, taking off at speed with his guitar, he ran down the length of the barrier and into the crowd, before returning to the stage, ditching his instrument and walking across a sea of hands to ferociously sing while being held above the adoring fans. The encore bringing everything to a head as the evening’s euphoria spilled over the edges, Foals bringing it home with the fiercely contagious ‘Two Steps Twice’.
And to think, they are releasing Part 2 in just a few months. Heart be still.
Were you there at the Auckland Town Hall for this math rock masterpiece? Or have you seen Foals perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- On The Luna
- Mountain At My Gates
- Snake Oil
- Olympic Airways
- My Number
- Black Gold
- Sunday
- Syrups
- Providence
- Spanish Sahara
- Red Sox Pugie
- Exits
- In Degrees
- White Onions
- Inhaler
- Balloons [encore]
- What Went Down [encore]
- Two Steps Twice [encore]
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