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Foals at The Academy on the 28th of March, 2013

On the brink of spring, there’s a chill left behind by winter, so it’s a welcome night for one of the hottest bands around. Playing the first of two shows, Foals arrive to Dublin’s Academy on the back of a new album and with an extensive tour ahead.

An excited crowd maintains its calm with talk of longitude this summer; Foals to play that too, and after the advance of nine o clock, the band take stage and initiate the chaos, in a rather non chaotic manner with Prelude. The calming, gentle music compliments the flooding of amber and blue lights, before the turn of the tide arrives and everything turns up to eleven. It’s a familiar trend they have; start quiet then blow the place up. They follow-up with Total Life Forever from the 2010 album of the same name. The crowd is very much a part of the music already; every word shared, in a setting that quickly becomes personal.

The vastness of Foals sound is inconceivable. Shut your eyes and you could easily misconstrue the setting for an outdoor venue of much larger proportion. My Number, from the recently released ‘Holy Fire,’ is an early highlight and shows the musicianship and progression the band have taken since their birth in 2005. Having managed to combine a more sonic and heavy feel to their music, encouraging a flurry of new fans, the image now is of a band in control.

Fan favourite, Miami has the assembly jumping in sync, swallowed in the midst of what came before, and what is soon to follow. This wonderful instant is followed by a minor slump in the set, perhaps illustrating the sore heads they undoubtedly endured after a successful night at the NME awards the night previous. When Providence kicks in, the crowds’ respite is over, and energy levels return to a higher intensity. Catchy drums and sporadic guitar hooks take the front again; just what Foals are good at.

Those lucky enough to find themselves in attendance, lap it up. The group from London has armed themselves with three quality albums which duly provide more choice and creativity for live sets. Creativity seemed to be on everyone’s mind because when Spanish Sahara filled the room, the clever folks in the audience took a seat on the main floor, providing a rare moment of unity for all present. At the song’s pinnacle, a crowd surfer availed of the feel-good vibe and managed to catch himself a wave.

Time yet for an encore, but Moon provided little at all.  You may easily assume Inhaler – winner of best track at the NME awards the previous night would capture the post show summary. And while impressively performed and enhanced with beautiful bathing light from above, the ultimate moment of the show arrived with Two Steps Twice and the antics as of front-man Yannis. He athletically climbed the rafters to find himself upstairs, mixing it with the fans. Jack, Jimmy, Walter and Evan kept things ticking on and when the front man returned, the band shifted into overdrive and blew the roof off.

Energy, anthems, memories and hits; this performance from Foals had the lot and everyone left a happy little horsey.

Foals Photo Gallery

Photos: Paul Dowd