FOALS @ ASTORIA 17/03/08

FOALS

Foals are a bunch of incredibly talented musicians. Every instrument is mastered; the drumming is precise complexities, the lead guitarist manages to play terribly difficult guitar parts whilst throwing himself around in a manner where I'd struggle to even stay on my feet, and even Yannis with his yelped vocals manage to make the perfect equilateral band. But they also manage to prove why the current popularity of 'rock' music is actually a detrimental force to the scene. Foals are yet to release their album at the time that they play this show and yet they've sold out a 2000 capacity venue, have been main support for a Bloc Party tour that ended with two nights at Alexandra Palace and have appeared on the front cover of every appropriate music publication. Which leaves you wondering, 'All of this on the back of a couple of singles?' If this had happened five years ago they'd be headlining the Barfly or possibly The Garage and getting tiny columns in the 'To Be Watched' sections of the music press. Instead we have a band who have so much potential they have some saved in off-shore accounts, but who appear to be suffering from the spotlight too soon. It is apparent in their performance tonight and even in their debut album.

The singles, as expected, manage to stand out in the set, while Olympic Airwaves and set-closer Electric Bloom manage to stand their own, but too often it seems as though something is missing. Perhaps it is the self-belief that would normally come from working their way up through the venues over years or perhaps they were just suffering from the end-of-tour-tiredness, but whatever it is I'm left feeling empty. While the band prove tonight that they should be one of the best UK bands to emerge in the noughties, they will only achieve this if they're given the time to build a sound on their ability without too much expectation.

http://www.myspace.com/foals