Foals w/ Bear Hands and Kiev
Paramount, Seattle, WA
03.20.19

There’s really only one way to describe Foals’ live performance: Insane. These guys have so much energy they’re bursting at the seams, and it’s crazy to watch. They’re so much fun.

Their night at The Paramount opened with some funky long tracks from Kiev, and then Bear Hands took over. Bear Hands had “2am” make a statement on alt-radio for a while and these guys were a great opening for the night. A funky, New York vibe with raw vocals and a retro sound, they were really enjoyable.

Foals have hit a really nice middle ground. They’ve mastered the bright and intense energy of groups like Young the Giant but also have that non-aggressive-yet-still-passionate scream-singing down to harden up their sound a bit. They’ve been releasing albums and music for more than 10 years now, but they didn’t really begin to gain traction in the alt music world until “Mountain at My Gates” blew them up in 2015. Since then, their sound has managed to stay really consistent. They played a lot of the newer songs, from their latest release Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1, but also sprinkled in a few from their debut album from 2008, and none stuck out as weirdly different.

Their set opened with “On the Luna,” an undeniably cool song from their most recent album, showing off the perfect mix between strong guitars and almost indecipherable vocals. It’s a little bit synthy, a little bit cow bell-y, and entirely captivating.

After a handful of other killer tracks, Foals closed the night with “Two Steps, Twice,” really selling me on their performance. First off, it’s a track from the middle of their first album, released in 2008, and the fact that that’s what they closed with was so heart-warming—they’ve been so good for so long that one of the first tracks they’ve released is crazy enough to be their closer. The song proved itself quickly too, a perfect summary of the band’s energy and enthusiasm with lead singer Yannis Philippakis diving head-first into the crowd to float atop his adoring fans.

Review and photos by Lulu Dawson

Foals


Bear Hands