Tuesday night’s show in DC sold out, so Foals added a second show on Thursday night. Foals performed to a full house at the 930 Club Thursday evening along with two openers. I arrived early to enjoy a night of music!
Omni kicked off the night with a short but engaging set. The crowd filtered as this three-piece, post-punk group from Atlanta, Georgia performed a selection of their songs. Omni features former Deerhunter guitarist, Frankie Broyles, bassist Philip Frobos, and drummer Doug Bleicher. Their music was the perfect way to ease into the night.
Following a short set change, Preoccupations took the stage and kicked the night into full gear. Bordering along the realms of a noise rock, Preoccupations took the audience on a musical ride of highs and lows. Drummer, Mike Wallace kept the band together with driving rhythms throughout the songs. The band was well received by the audience!
Finally, it was time for Foals. By this time, the 930 Club was reaching capacity. The audience pushed towards the front of the stage to get into the anticipated action. Foals delivered a set consisting of a variety of songs. Although they just released, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1, they only performed 5 songs from this album which they performed towards the end of their set.
Creative lights created a mood that matched many of their songs. Flickering strip lights consisting of Edison bulbs reached out onto the crowd, creating a feeling of movement during “Black Gold”. Since the audience danced through the first 5 songs, the slower paced moments in this song was appreciated. However, although it started out calmly, “Black Gold” exploded with rolling drums and guitars that slowly took us back down to a calm finish.
Throughout the night, lead singer and guitarist Yannis Philippakis would tease the crowd by approaching the edge of the stage, only to return back to his stationary mic-stand to sing. The crowd was anxiously awaiting him to interact with them but he wasn’t ready. Then, midway through the set, during the song, “Providence”, Yannis finally let things go. The repetitive lyrics, “I’m an animal just like you” climaxed to Yannis yelling into the microphone that he tore from the mic stand. This was the moment that the crowd truly came alive. The song rounded out to a close to pounding drums and a fast paced guitar solo.
The set concluded with three songs from the new album prior to the final song, “Inhaler” from 2013’s Holy Fire. Foals took leave of the stage for a brief moment before returning to the stage to finalize the night with What Went Down and Two Steps, Twice. For the encore, Yannis Philippakis performed pretty much the entire two songs from the crowd and those who stuck around for the encore carried him – guitar in hand – throughout the crowd. And… just like Tuesday night’s performance, he ended the night with a leap of faith from the balcony onto a very eager crowd who was there to catch him and carry him off to the stage.
I overheard a fan saying how she had attended both nights. She said, “I don’t get to see this band perform often and they are my favorite so I had to come to both nights!” Foals delivered for sure and they made it worth the wait for their fans. If you were there…. I’m sure you’ll agree! We are looking forward to “Part 2” of their latest release due out later this fall! For now, pick up the newest album and enjoy these pictures from Thursday night’s show at the 930 Club.
