The Foals’ festival of raves have continued throughout the Summer of 2013: Coachella, Bonnaroo, Download (which they headlined), Glastonbury, Lollapalooza–all of which have lauded Foals as weekend highlights. This past Friday night we witnessed a relatively more intimate show from Foals at The Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. The band did not disappoint, as they brought their festival game-faces and intensity to the smaller capacity venue. Their energy was off the charts, the playing was precise, and the lighting during the show was equally excellent. Guitarist Jimmy Smith raised eyebrows with heavier sounds on their most recent Holy Fire album and make no mistake about it… this was a serious rock show.

Garage-punk Drowners from the UK opened the night with a high energy blast. The sound didn’t do them any favors, but this band’s long-term potential did shine through. Leader singer Matt Hitt (great name) has star qualities. I also loved that they covered Love’s hit from the 60’s, “My Little Red Book”. LA’s Cayucas filled the middle slot on the evening, having gotten nice traction with their “High School Lover” single. Based on that track, one would expect a rather festive set. They were mostly low-key in a breezy, tropical, pina colada kind of way. A style that works well for those wanting the vibe of a mellow afternoon at the pool, but I wouldn’t have minded a little more espresso in the mix.

What seemed like a beefed up version of their “Prelude” song opened Foals’ performance and perfectly set the tone for the remainder of the evening. Holy Fire highlights included “My Number”, “Providence,” and “Inhaler”. The crowd also responded warmly to “Late Night”. The band added a surprise extension to “Providence”, which doubled the pleasure for a song that deserves more profile than it has received from most North American press. The guys played a nice blend of old and new songs. “Spanish Sahara” from Total Life Forever provided a sweet change of pace on the night. Lead singer Yannis Phillippakis was not a man of many spoken words, saying very little until he thanked the crowd for being “fucking awesome” before the band finally launched into “Inhaler”. “Two Steps Twice” perfectly closed the festivities.

The 2013 festival blitz for Foals may be further indication that the band is positioning themself to be headliner status for most major events. And I’d argue that there is a dire need for such fresh blood atop these mega line-ups. What we saw on Friday night at the Wiltern Theater indicates that Foals might be ready to attain that elite status if their next album is equally killer as its predecessors. A friend of mine remarked that they might be the next Muse. I wouldn’t yet go that far but I have to admit that their machine-like intensity did make me think of Muse on a few occasions.

Review and Photo by Bruce Rave

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