Ordinarily, the infamous HQ caters to the Adelaide’s scum, known prominently for their rave-loving, face-munching tendencies. Yet on Tuesday night, the anticipated return of everyone’s favourite pseudo-math-rock act attracted a new crowd, identified by a nauseating quantity of button-up shirts and horn-rimmed glasses.
Unlike most of indie-rock’s finest, Foals are no strangers to Adelaide – having played at The Gov and popular festivals (i.e. Laneway and Big Day Out) in recent years. Since their last visit in January, Foals have reached a new level of popularity thanks to the release of their third LP Holy Fire and their phenomenal set at Glastonbury. While this Oxford quintet may not have been back ‘with a vengeance’, they did have a point to prove: that they’re not just another indie-rock band.
Before Foals could impress this all-ages crowd though, Melbourne six-piece Alpine took to the stage, boasting a set of effervescent indie-pop. Fronted by the fiercely dramatic Phoebe Baker and Lou James, Alpine’s relentless dedication to the art of performing and to musical precision was a rare display. It was these traits that presented hits like “Gasoline” and “Villages” in a more dazzling light.
The peculiar stage presence of Baker and James however, thwarted Alpine’s attempt to amaze the crowd. From odd hand actions and dance moves to seeming like they were in a sing-off with one another, these front women’s overt charisma didn’t translate into an on-stage chemistry.
Signaled by glaring strobe lights and an intensifying trance theme that could fool you into believing that Bloc Party were up next, all five members eventually took their place on the stage. As this occurred, the trance theme slowly melted into the predictable opener “Prelude”.
From Jimmy Smith’s and Yannis Philippakis’ pinging guitar layers to the aggressive, testosterone-fueled breakdown, “Prelude” was a vivacious start to their one and a half hour set.
Unpredictably, the quintet then quickly launched into “Total Life Forever” followed by fan-favourite “Olympics Airways”, spiraling the audience into a nostalgic frenzy. From the vibrant exotica of the former to Philippakis’ breathy yet fervent vocal delivery on the latter, Foals sounded tighter than ever before.
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Whilst their studio sound was recreated to near perfection in this live setting, this didn’t prevent the boys from venturing into a few improvised jams. The rampant “Providence” featured an extensive breakdown that could earn the praise of even the greatest of head bangers and hardcore-enthusiasts. “Electric Bloom” also bled into a hardcore section, suggesting that this five-piece has more in common with rap-metal gods Rage Against The Machine than one might have presumed.
On the other hand, the obligatory slow numbers were greeted with a variety of reactions from the crowd. Total Life Forever numbers “Blue Blood” and “Spanish Sahara” were prominent highlights of the night, enchanting the audience with their melancholic tones and tense atmospheres. In “Spanish Sahara”, the timid guitars rippled through the venue as thousands sang along with Philippakis to the career-defining lyrics “Forget the horror here”. Holy Fire’s “Spanish Sahara” equivalent “Late Night” – which features Foals’ smoothest guitar solo to date – even garnered a positive reaction from the crowd.
The first song of the encore “Moon” however, was a different story. Whilst its dreamy atmosphere was pretty, the absence of the rest band (only Philippakis performed this number) was monotonous and ultimately lacked the dynamism that made tracks like “Red Socks Pugie” and “My Number” so enticing earlier on in the night.
Thankfully, the remainder of the encore presented a different story. The bouncy “Inhaler”, like “Providence” was another brash display of energy from the quintet that definitely lived up to the hype surrounding previous performances of this song.
To end their exhilarating set, Foals returned to the theme that began the night: predictability. In spite of this, “Two Steps Twice” sounded bigger and better than ever. Drummer Jack Bevan’s pounding beat resonated throughout the room as Philippakis’ typical stage antics of jumping into the crowd and moving to the opposite end of the venue thrilled first-timers. This extended version was a grueling exercise in patience for the crowd though, as Philippakis’ antics prompted the rest of the band to tease the middle section into a 5-minute jam. But it was all worth it. When they finally launched into the final movement (“that’s two step two step one step”), both the band and the crowd entered an ecstatic state that only an 8-minute version of “Two Steps Twice” could create.
In spite of the Holy Fire-dominated set and absence of some exceptional tracks (where were “Cassius”, “Balloons” and “Miami”?), Foals proved to the patrons of HQ that they are still a boisterous band that’s more than capable of putting on an engaging show.
