WITHOUT doubt one of the more inventive and original bands around at this present time, Foals have had a meteoric rise in both popularity and critical acclaim since their debut release Antidotes hit the stores like a breath of fresh air earlier this year.The five-piece Oxford band, fronted by singer and accident-waiting-to happen Yannis Philippakis, have a certain cool about them that makes other skinny-jeaned, indie wannabes look average in sound and performance, when compared to this charismatic bunch.I’ve always been a sucker for their type of punk-funk laced with electronic blips and spiky rhythms and with a tight bass and drum combo driving away in the background they easily set the feet tapping and the more energetic jumping along to their highly danceable groove punctuated with their quirky and interesting guitar interplay. While their recordings are to be admired, it’s live that the band really excels and they didn’t disappoint their energetic Cardiff following with an exciting and oddly amusing performance.You can certainly detect some of their influences with early Talking Heads and XTC, the most notable especially in songs like Hummer and Balloons with both receiving a rapturous response bettered only by the superb Cassius causing bedlam among the audience.Musically the band were in top form with both Philippakis and Jimmy Smith on guitar trading syncopated, choppy rhythms complemented by keyboardist Edwin Congreave’s electro-techno decoration while Jack Bevan (drums) and Walter Gervers (bass) provided the glue that kept the band together with a driving backbeat. Easily one of the bands to see at the moment and if you missed them, here’s hoping for a quick return for Foals.
Tony Woolway
