- Opinion
- 03 Jul 19
Tropical Indie vs. Rock Anthems - a night of duality
"Everything not saved will be lost", a female computer voice says, announcing a night of music that the audience gathered at Trinity College won't forget for a long time. Foals enter the stage, owning it from the first note of 'On The Luna', the second single from their latest album Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Pt 1. This album perfectly captures the first half of the evening. In fact, this was a night all about duality; very fitting, considering that their new record consists of two parts, the first being released in March and the second following in autumn. These two parts couldn't be more different, as we will find out later.
The weather was – again – perfect for an outdoor concert in July, especially for Foals' lighter new tunes like 'Sunday' or 'Syrups'. Arguably their biggest hit, 'My Number', fits in well with the fresh sounds their latest record has to offer. Under these conditions, the audience was easily taken over by Foals, who animated the crowd song by song – not that they needed that. There was jumping, clapping, throwing cups – it was a joy.
While the first part of the concert mostly consisted of songs from the new album, there were older songs sprinkled throughout the set. Most notably 'Olympic Airways' from their first album Antidotes and What Went Down's 'Mountain at My Gates', with a rich sound and Yannis Philippakis' piercing voice.
Following the slow-starting 'Sunday', that later exploded in a rhythmic dancing session, the band played 'Providence', a rockier tune from their third album Holy Fire, much to the joy of the audience that instantly picked up on the heavy guitar riff, escalating from there. "You guys are a spicy bunch", Philippakis shouts. Indeed. Little did I know that that was just the beginning.
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As the night grew darker, so did the songs Foals played. The shift in tone was supported by the changing backdrop – from pink palm trees to two black lions. And even the audience was a mirror image of the dual atmospheres. While a lot of people, myself included, wore colourful floral shirts, fitting the new album's theme of tropical sounds, the other half was dressed in black clothing, punk style. The last few songs were a firework of heavy guitars and growling voices, with 'Inhaler' serving as the highlight of the whole set. In typical rock star fashion, the band teased the crowd, demanding it to sit down before breaking out in a moshpit-like dance-off.
Foals even offered a look at their upcoming album Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Pt 2 when they played a new song that fit in well with the rockier side of the set. The "nasty one" – how Philippakis called it – hinted at a darker tone for the second part of the record, contrasting the arguably light predecessor. By that time, the last song 'Two Steps, Twice' was a sure-fire success with the audience, working perfectly as an end to a phenomenal outdoor concert.
After that one-hour-45-minutes-long duality-themed feast of a concert, Foals once again proved that they are one of the best live bands that the UK has to offer.