LUCY DUNN reviews the Foals’ Holy Fire Tour, arriving in London tomorrow!
A band that caters for all, Foals are currently on tour for their album ‘Holy Fire’, which was released last February. After selling out so rapidly last year, to the glee of their fans, they’ve decided to do another UK tour. I saw the band play last year at the Royal Albert Hall in London where they put on a huge show, with multiple guitar solos and the lead singer Yannis running into the audience two times. I was lucky enough to grab his arm during one of his little runs! On my way to 02 Academy Birmingham on Tuesday night, I was remembering the London show and thought they could not possibly top themselves. I was wrong; they were insane!
The supporting act, Cage the Elephant, also did not fail to excite. They got the audience pumped up with stage dives, and even standing on top of the crowd.
When Cage the Elephant left the stage, the tense excitement and anticipation for Foals heightened. After twenty minutes or so chanting began, and soon after the lights dimmed and Foals were on! They started as they always do on a ‘Holy Fire’ Tour, with ‘Prelude’, the first song on their album, an instrumental piece that has a great build up and certainly worked the crowd.
Yannis was a great stage presence moving around the stage, engaging with the crowd between songs and stage dives. Credit must also go to really knowing how to get people to brace themselves for their most buoyant songs, which include the famous ‘Inhaler’ from the new album, and their all-time best loved by fans ‘Two Steps Twice’. This has always been Foals’ finale, and for good reason too; I have seen outrageous audiences, but not many like this one when ‘Two Steps Twice’ started to be played. Any Foals’ fan, big or small, will know this song, and have properly been working themselves up about it since the day they bought their ticket (I know I was). The song consists of a huge build in the middle, which the band usually elongates during a gig for intensity and due to Yannis’ stage dives, and crowd havoc-causing in general. This time however, he opted for the idea of jumping from the balcony…! But sadly the bodyguards wouldn’t let him and pulled him back. Regardless, it certainly managed to excite everybody, with their arms out ready to catch him!
Foals are playing in London tomorrow and Saturday, February 14th and 15th. So for you who have tickets, get excited! If you are yet to see Foals live, even if you don’t know too many songs they’re guaranteed to give you a great performance. If you don’t have tickets the London gigs, they are performing at multiple festivals this year; confirmed are Bestival and Park Life, but not doubt there will be many more!
They are doing multiple music festivals this year, ones they have already agreed to include Bestival, Park Life, and no doubt their will be many more, so keep a look out!
