The last time English indie rock band Foals played Singapore was back at the 2011 edition of Laneway. So when they finally decided to do a major gig here after three years, the thought on most fans’ minds was: “Well it’s about damn time.”
The concert space at The Coliseum at Hard Rock Hotel was quiet in the lead up to the gig (a curse of its out of the way location we suspect). Even when the show started around 9, there was still a good amount of space left (though the hardcore fans in the front row did their best to compensate). Thankfully, any fears that this might suggest an underwhelming live show were quickly put to rest.
Lead singer Yannis Philippakis and gang quickly began working the crowd with early hits like “Prelude”, “Total Life Forever” and “Olympic Airways.” Things did seem a little too slow at first (and Philippakis a little awkward), but the pace (and life) picked up about halfway through the show, especially when the band performed the ever-popular “Spanish Sahara” (a favorite of ours too). Then, just as we thought he’d peaked, Philippakis dove into the crowd to do some surfing—twice—even stopping to ask security why they were so intent on stopping people from having fun (a reference to the number of willing fans who’d climbed on friends’ shoulders to get into the spirit).
The rest of the evening saw a mix of old and new, with songs like “Blue Blood”, “Milk & Black Spiders”, “Late Night” and “Hummer” and a rousing rendition of “Inhaler”. The band’s closing act was perfect, with a performance of “Two Steps Twice”. Were they even better live than on radio? Hell yes. They were helped by the seriously impressive sound set-up at the Coliseum (which just about compensates for the slightly surreal hotel room backdrop), but lest we forget this is the band that picked up the 2013 Best Live Act at the Q Awards.
And had the turn-out been bigger, we wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun as we did. That’s how you’re rewarded for being a fan of what to a Singapore audience is still an under-the-radar band—space to breathe, room to dance like nobody’s business, and a much more enjoyable experience with your favorite indie act. We can’t wait for these guys to come back again.
