Fontaines D.C. + Warm Drag Live at The Birmingham Institute review (25/11/19)

Last time Fontaines D.C. played The Birmingham Institute they were supporting Shame, even though they were first on and, had a limited sound or stage to work with it was obvious that this was a band who like Shame were going to go on to big things. Just as I predicted Fontaines D.C. had an amazing whirlwind of a year, delivering one of 2019's best debuts, touring extensively, appearing on American TV and winning huge acclaim. Before they took their victory lap to Birmingham, it was up to Warm Drag to kick things off, a challenging and polarising prospect for an audience expecting a night of raucous punk rock. What the crowd actually got was a sexed up take on the repetitive loops and synths of early electronica, such as Silver Apples, all delivered by a woman in a black leather cat suit, her voice distorted by a mountain of pedals. Warm Drag are one of the few acts of recent years who eschew laptops for wires and pedals, experimenting with making electronic music the old school way. The industrial noise was a bit much for some, (particularly my girlfriend, who i had dragged along for this evening), but I feel that Warm Drag are a tip for anyone after new sounds for a new decade. (8/10)
Fontaines D.C. came on stage to bright white spotlights and the sounds of what can only be described as cowboy music. Thankfully this doesn't seem to indicate a change in direction, as heavy hitting early singles 'Hurricane Laughter' and Checkless Reckless kicked things off with a storm,  (giving my girlfriend a birds eye view of a mosh pit for the first time, seeing pints and shoes fly into the air). Despite their hectic schedule Fontaines D.C. have somehow managed find time to pen new tunes, 'Televised mind' and 'Lucid Dream'. Both repetitive, pounding post punk tunes, in the same wall of sound style as the fan faves they opened with. Both tunes bode well for any new material around the corner. It may have been the same day that BBC 6 Music declared their album Dogrel their album of the year, but if the band or singer Grian Chatten were even aware of this they weren't showing it. Grian has developed an air of nonchalantness, taking breaks to lie down during intros (a sign that they probably deserve a break), keeping talk to a minimum and banging his mic stand on the ground to grab attention. It's been a very long time since any rock band has had a singer quite as cool as Grian, with his thick Irish accent and roguish attitude that recalls a young Liam Gallagher. Of course none of this would matter without great tunes which Fontaines D.C. have in spades. the live versions are all much louder and noisier live than on record, with the band experimenting with their pedals to create walls of noise. The only disappointment in the hour long set (for me at least) was the lack of the acoustic, 'Dublin City Sky' as the show had to be cut short and ended with a triumphant, 'Big', (this and the fantastic 'Boys In the better land were the undoubted highlights of the show). Despite all the acclaim and time on the road, Fontaines D.C. remain endearingly rough around the edges, the little band from Dublin done good. They ended with no encores* after already delivering more than enough, and even my girlfriend (whose not really into punk) had to admit they were great. (8.8)

*IDLES and Kate Tempest also refuse to do encores, seems as if they're going out of style?  

Injury Reserve + Jockstrap Live at Mama Roux's in Birmingham Review. (7/11/19)

Jockstrap

Any music fans living in Birmingham on Thursday the 7th of November were spoiled with choice for live shows to check out.  From Spector at the Castle and Falcon, Deerhunter with Cate Le Bon at The Crossing and big names at the Academy and Institute. While any of those shows would have been great nights out it was only Injury Reserve which I felt was the must see that night. The Arizona trio first made a name for themselves with their independently released 'Live At The Dentists office' album. an oddly subdued experimental Hip Hop project that was quickly followed by the incendiary 'FLOSS'. an LP that was packed full of high energy bangers and followed by their similarly inventive self titled record this year. Injury Reserve are currently in the middle of a gruelling world tour. The kind of long haul that can make or break most groups. If the strains are starting to show then it's very hard to tell. Hotly tipped support act Slauson Malone was not present for this show of the tour so Injury Reserve and their support Jockstrap both had to extend their sets. Jockstraps set was an intriguing mix of sexually charged pop songs with an experimental Hip-Hop style edge. Jockstrap have a uniquely relaxed vibe, which can sometimes steer off into self indulgent territory when they start mixing in samples and remixes into their set. Yet Jockstrap have an alluring sound and style, that makes them worth checking out regardless.

Injury Reserve

While I love Injury Reserve for their vibrant production and dryly funny lyrics (as well as their more emotional, and politically inspired work) the live experience is far from what I expected. Injury Reserve's live show at Mama Roux's was an assault of white noise and white light. A stage flooded with dry ice and strobe lighting made it difficult to see who or what was on stage. Injury Reserve hit the ground running with a live version of their deconstructed 'rap song tutorial', that instructed the audience on how to put on a fantastic rap show. Which Injury Reserve did, hitting the ground running with a barrage of high energy bangers, such as 'Koruna and Lime' 'What's Goodie', 'GTFU'. The more jovial cuts such as 'gravy and biscuits' and Three Man Weave' helped lighten the mood a bit, but the lighting and industrial noise still gave the show a sinister mood. Ritchie with a T seemed like the main star of the show, delivering aggro bars and working the crowd while the equally talented Groggs seemed content (literally) lurking in the shadows. Although it's hard to say anything about what anyone was actually doing. Gaps where features were missing, such as Amine's brilliant turn on Jailbreak The Tesla were were filled with more experimental noise and samples as producer Parker Corey eagerly mashed up sounds on his laptop. This and other hits such as 'Oh shit!' and All this money galvanised the Birmingham crowd into mosh pits and crowd surges
There's something refreshingly old school about Injury Reserve's approach to a live show. Anonymously focusing on the beats and songs rather than their own egos, and delivering solid bars throughout. Injury Reserve reminded Digbeth why hip hop was great in the first place, while giving a glimpse into it's future.

https://injuryreserve.online/
https://kayakayarecords.co.uk/jockstrap/index.html

Solihull Summer Fest Sunday (28/7/19) Review

Organising a music festival in the UK is a risky business. whether you make your money back or make a loss depends almost entirely on how the weather turns out on the day. So spare a thought for the organisers of The Solihull summer fest who booked their acts to play on the week of the hottest day on record and yet still had rain pouring down on both days. In true English fashion this didn't stop the crowds from sitting down on their deckchairs, putting on their wellies and drinking their prosecco. For the first hour or so entertainment was provided by some local bands and tribute acts. A guy named Garry Pease looks and sounds almost exactly like a younger Rod Stewart. Garry gave the crowd the hour of cheesy Rod-ness they needed to keep their spirits up but without a live band it had the feel of karaoke. Mercury might not look that much like Queen (put that down to their singer being older than Freddie ever got to be) but their costumes and tunes were on point, hitting most of the high notes and delivering all the loved tunes. Mercury might not be queen but their a damn good copy. 

The first actual band to grace the stage was 80's ska Bad Manners, led by the incomparable Buster Bloodvessel. Buster is still as charismatic as ever and his band are a reminder of what made ska so great in the first place. Dancing around the stage with their instruments and playing some hilariously joyous covers of Frankie Vallie's  'I love you baby  and 'The Can Can'. Buster also had a go at (badly) playing the trombone and still making fat jokes which in 2019 could be seen more as an embrace of body positivity than a crass joke. Bad Manners were a blast. (7.6/10) The same can not be said for 80's yuppie has-been's Go West. Who put on the worst set I've seen a band play all year. While Go West are musically competent it's the confusing mix of covers that made their set annoying. Especially considering as this festival had already booked two cover bands. Covering younger artists such as Sam Sparro (as if they don't have their own 80's tunes to play), older artists such as Smokey Robinson (Sacrilege!) and bad 90's RnB covers. All with the sophistication of a shitty pub band. I left after they played a cover of 'Rio' by the far superior Duran Duran. Fuck this band (3.2)

Luckily by this point things were kicking off on the Hedkandi stage as DJ Storm alongside backing dancers and percussionist Chris Budd and saxophonist Ellie Sax delivered a masterclass in seamlessly mixing house and disco classics. 

The Proclaimers have had a long and fruitful career since having a fluke hit with that one song many years ago. Still recording albums and touring following last years 'Angry Cyclist' album. The Proclaimers live set is short on thrills or chatter but is packed full of great songs. Such as the brilliantly authentic country style 'Sunshine on Leith', and the lovably blunt love song 'Lets Get Married. The Proclaimers have survived because their unapologetic sentimentality is what makes them so special. Of course 500 Miles inspired a mass singalong but the 50 minutes before that proved there is much more to love them for. (7.6)

The Human League know how to make an entrance. Dressing the stage with white keyboards and electronic drums and being introduced by their two keyboardists playing an instrumental 'Sound of the Crowd'. Singer Phil Oakey joined Susan and Jo on stage in full Matrix mode, in a full length black trench coat and tiny sunglasses. Surprisingly Phil Oakey revealed that he was originally from Solihull, having moved when he was 14. The Human league reeled off the hits, 'Mirror man', love action and a brilliantly dark 'Seconds' The only low point was when Susanne took over the lead vocals for the dull 'One man in my heart' (while Phil did one of many off stage costume changes). While The Human League may have struggled to follow up Dare 'Fascination', 'The Lebanon' and the brilliantly poignant Human' proved they they never stopped writing great songs and the response to 1995's 'Tell Me When' shows that it's unfair to simply see them as an 80's band. As the keyboardists played an instrumental version of 'Don't you want me baby' The mass crowd managed to sing everyone of the words flawlessly and unprompted. Some may have left after Phil and the girls came back to sing it themselves, but they missed an encore of the bleakly industrial 'Being Boiled' and brilliantly cheesy Giorgio Moroder collaboration 'Together in electric dreams', which despite it's naffness seems to have predicted the rise of VR and technology being used to maintain long distance relationships. The Human League may have been going through the motions slightly but their hour set flew by, the set design and backdrops looked fantastic as did the band themselves. The Human League delivered an effortlessly  engaging and enjoyable set. A very British synthesizer group closing a very British festival (8.4)

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever + Thyla. Live at The Crossing review (22/7/19)

Thyla

Brighton's Thyla kicked off this show at The Crossing. Thyla are one of the newest bands to take inspiration from the early 90's late 80's Shoegaze and dream-pop scenes. Thyla were shrouded by layers of dry ice and their sound is a heady mix of reverb laden guitar riffs, not that dissimilar to recent bands such as Wolf Alice or Pumarosa. Singer Millie may have bemoaned this show being the last of their tour with RBCF and having to go back "to steaming milk, which sucks", but on the promise Thyla are showing and an EP round the corner, she may be able to say goodbye to lattes soon. (6.8/10)

RBCF's Joe White

To music listeners who have been paying attention over the past few years it may seem that Melbourne has become the musical centre of the world. In recent years the city has produced acts such as King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Courtney Barnett, Tropical Fuck Storm, Amyl & The Sniffers, and many more. Last year I decided to take a trip to Australia and owing to my love of some of those bands, I made sure that I took a trip down to Melbourne while i was there. What I found was a music lovers dream. Where every bar, seems to have a gig on every night, each day The local gig listings have more shows listed than  my native Birmingham has in a month. I caught local heroes such a Deathbeat and Sophisticated Dingo on stacked bills where for a measly $10 you can catch 5+ bands on shows that regularly finish at up to 1am. I didn't get to catch Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever while I was over there but I did listen to their debut album "Hope Downs" on repeat. It's an infectiously brilliant album of summery indie rock bangers from a band who wear their aussieness with pride. When RBCF took to the stage the first thing that occurred to me was how ordinary the band look. With their plain clothes and short haircuts RBCF look more like extras on The Almighty Johnsons* than a gang of Melbourne hipsters. The occasional moments of chatting to the audience didn't really change this impression. With jibes about how stressful it is buying underwear from the bullring and the politicalish statement "our guys called sco-mo your guys called bo-jo" this is 'a song about how stupid fences are'. Any rejection of the division pushed on us by polticians and media is welcome, but it's hardly the sloganeering of an IDLES gig. It was when RBCF started playing tunes from 'Hope downs' that everything started clicking into place. 'Talking Straight', 'Sisters Jeans', 'The Mainland' and 'An air conditioned man' are the kind of tunes that lesser bands would kill for. RBCF have clearly had to work their asses off to get noticed in the vast swamp that is the Melbourne music scene and it shows. There are no gimmicks here, just a band of incredibly tight and talented musicians playing some of the best rock tunes of this decade. RBCF are also refreshingly ego free, all taking turns to be the lead singer. While Joe White deserves prises for his fantastic lead guitar work, its the way all 5 musicians come together that makes the band stand out. After a brief encore and finishing redition of the title track of their breakout EP 'The French Press, it became clear what makes RBCF so special. Free from trends or pretension, just good tunes and fantastic musicianship, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever are the every mans indie band. (8.8)


*New Zealand TV series about Norse gods living everyday lives, google it. 

Links 
www.rollingblackoutsband.com/
www.thyla.co.uk

Why positivity in music is the new anger, and why it matters.

When looking into any movement in popular culture, any changing of the zeitgeist, you can usually start by looking at the authors, poets and artists before you see how their ideas and ideals trickle down into more commercial  art-forms such as music or film-making. For example the poet Alan Ginsberg was such an influence on Bob Dylan that he toured with Bob and his entourage during his 'rolling Thunder Revue' tour in the mid 70's. It's also easy to see how the surreal realism of a writer such as William Burroughs may have influenced the likes of Tom Waits. The writer who I think is most influential in this age is Matt Haig. If you are not aware of Matt and his work then you may have come across one of the pages from his best selling self help/memoir 'Reasons To Stay Alive'. In the two page chapter 'The World' Matt wrote out a new manifesto for loving in the modern age, it follows that. "The World is increasingly designed to depress us. Happiness isn't good for the economy, If we were happy with what we had, why would we want more? How do you sell an anti-ageing moisturiser? how do you get people to vote for a political party? you make them worry about immigration". Matt concludes that "To be calm is a kind of revolutionary act, to be happy with our non- upgraded existence. To be comfortable with our messy, human selves would not be good for business". On the most basic level Matt's book has infiltrated music through the 1975 and their brilliant "A brief Inquiry..." album as they reportedly hd a copy in the studio. this can easily be confirmed by listening to the lyrics on tracks such as 'love it if we made it' or 'Give yourself a try'. Matt has also released an album with Andy Burrows. the album is also called 'Reasons to stay Alive' and is a sort of companion piece to the book.

Glastonbury has also historically been the host to many changes in pop culture. Starting out as a small hippy festival in the 70's, giving amnesty to political campaigners in the 80's and leading the way for festivals to become the billion dollar industry they are now via the big beat sounds of the 90's. In 2019 Glastonbury was the host to almost every single act that matters in 2019. It was an occasion notable for it's blanket ban on plastic but also for the amount of special moments that happened throughout it's many sets. Loyle Carner may have worn a shirt that sad 'I hate Boris' but his set was one full of joyous positivity rather than political anger. as he paid tribute via poetry to his mother and gave his friend the opportunity to propose onstage to his girlfriend on stage before an audience of hundreds. Lizzo made waves with one of the most talked anbout sets of the weekend. Spreading a message of body positivity and self love. Telling her crowd that "I want you to know if you can love me, you can love your goddamn self,”. Dave made headlines by inviting a young fan named Alex to rap the verses of his song 'Thiago Silva' which was one of the most unexpectedly heartwarming moments if the summer. Especially considering how dark the topics on Dave's debut album Psychodrama were. Stormzy delivered an epic Glastonbury set where he took time to shout out many of his other fellow MC's, and became overwhelmed with emotion.

Perhaps the most important band in this current wave is IDLES. Whose instant- classic 2nd album 'Joy as an act of resistance' echoes Matt Haig's writing in it's title. What those who bemoan the lack of politics in music are missing is that while there is currently a huge amount of vibrant artists making political music, the attitude is what's different. There is more than enough anger out there and it doesn't need to be put into music. There is already so much of it existing on the internet, and on our TV screens. If you read 'Reasons To Stay alive. you may also notice the alarming statistics that suicide is the leading cause of death of men under the age of 35 and that one in five people go through depression at some point in their lives. It's an issue that IDLES tackle directly through their music. Believing that 'Toxic masculinity' -I.e. the inability for men to discuss heir feelings due for pressure from social norms. At Glastonbury IDLES frontman Joe Talbot talked openly about his own issues “I spent a long time feeling lonely and depressed and a drug addict and an alcoholic, But I’d come (to Glastonbury) and feel like I was part of something bigger than myself”.  IDLES signature song Danny Nedelko is an anthem which will have been heard across many a muddy field this summer. It's a fiercely pro- immigration anthem and tribute to Joe's friend, the Lativian frontman of Heavy Lungs. The lyrics to this song illustrate better than any why a generation of musicians have decided to eschew cynicism and hatred for postivity "Fear leads to panic, panic leads to pain, pain leads to anger, anger leads to hate". While the world may be increasingly designed to depress us our new generation of rock stars and activists have realised that fighting for what you believe in and that embracing positivity, and loving your fellow humans can go hand in hand. 

The best albums of 2019! (so far)

Billie Eilish - When we all fall asleep where do we go?
At first Billie Eilish seemed a confusing prospect for the casual observer. A teenage pop-star promoted with shockingly edgy music videos, dank memes and her penchant for oversized clothes. With the internet debating her validity it proved to be the music itself most worth talking about. the huge single and opener to this album 'Bad guy' being the key introduction to her character. A darkly comic and sexual pop song with a creeping sense of unease. 'Xanny' is even stranger, a jazz song by a Gen Z singer advocating for not abusing Xanax like so many of her contemporaries do. 'You should see me in a crown' and 'bury a friend' provide the bangers while 'all the good girls go to hell' is a nihilistic look at global warming. Throughout her debut Billie and her brother (producer FINNEAS) completely disregard genre restraints and the final product brims with an experimental edge that could never be replicated by anyone else. While many have compared her to Lorde, Billie lacks the same holier than thou approach to writing about being a teenager. While Lorde is wise beyond her years Billie is utterly consumed by her teenage emotions and it's on the quiet piano ballads that detail first love and suicide 'Listen before i go' and 'I love you' that Eilish is at her most devastating. 
Check out - I love you

Tyler, The Creator - IGOR
Even back in his Odd Future days I knew that Tyler would one day be making groundbreaking albums. Following his acclaimed Scum Fuck Flower Boy LP Tyler has created an album which demands to be heard in one sitting. IGOR is a trip inside Tyler's own world and it's an often unsettling one. IGOR mixes a star studded cast of gursts such as Playboi Carti, Kanye West, Slowthai and many more into his sonic stew yet the ficus is always on Tyler himself. IGOR is a loose concept album about love and heartbreak. Tyler takes elements of N.E.R.D and Kanye West and mixes them with a warped style of funk and soul. While he was previous known as a rapper and producer its Tylers abilities as a musician that really make IGOR work such as the spine tinglingly brilliant keyboard hooks on 'Gone Gone'. This is an album by an artist at the peak of his powers that couldn't have been made by anyone else. 
Check out - The whole album in one sitting, as it was intended to be heard. 

Slowthai - Nothing Great about Britain
Nothing great about Britain tells you everything you need to know about Slowthai and where he's from in its opening 3 minutes. As Ty declares that there is nothing great about Britain, attacking politicians, cultural appropriation, racism, and royalty in a thrillingly hilarious fashion. For anyone who loves grime but doesn't feel that they belong in the culture Slowthai is a breath of fresh air. Throughout his brilliant debut album Ty paints a picture of his background as a young British man, the son of a Barbadian single mother, raised in the poorest suburbs of Northampton. Slowthai is far from your typical macho rapper. He finds strength in his vulnerability, his voice cracking under the pressure of all he has to say. his lyrics are full of memorable one liners, at times hilarious "Gotta thank mum for the 23 years she wiped my arse, Thank you Ma", now I’m gone".  At other times Ty reflects on his past in heartbreaking autobiographical detail, "What's mum done to you, you're lucky I'm not as big as you, i'll punch you till my hands turn blue" Nothing great about Britain is one of few British rap albums that live up to classics such as 'Original Pirate Material' and 'Boy in da Corner'.

Check out - Dead Leaves

Bring Me The Horizon - AMO
Bring Me The Horizon are at a point in their career that few bands, let alone heavy metal bands manage to reach. A point where after 4 albums they are left with a choice. They can either stick with their established sound and please their existing fanbase at the risk of that fanbase slowly dwindling with future releases or take risks, experiment with their sound and write songs that will encourage new fans to take the place of those who don't like the new direction. Thankfully BMTH haven't scrapped the guitars to the extent of Linkin Park's much maligned last album. The heavy tracks on AMO such as MANTRA and Wonderful life still bear all the heavy riffs and shouty refrains that BMTH are known for. For much of the rest of the album BMTH delve into electronica, with mixed results, while 'Medicine' finds them having a go at a 1975 style pop tune. Throughout AMO BMTH throw every millennial songwriting cliche they can at the wall, the whoops, pitched chipmunk vocals, Drum breaks and even an attempt at the triplet flow are all present. The eclectic approach mostly works on the strongest songs, but can be annoying when the songs aren't up to scratch (such as the irritating 'Sugar Honey Ice & Tea'). BMTH deserve credit for being one of the few mainstream rock bands who are willing to experiment and break new ground.
Check out - Heavy Metal

King Gizzard And The lizard Wizard - Fishing For Fishies
2 years is a long time to go without an album for a King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard fan. Almost too long. After 2017 blessed us with no less than 5 albums from the gonzo aussie 7 piece it was a long wait for the next step from them. Fishing For Fishes is yet another reinvention for KG, who regularly chance genres between albums. Fishing for fishes is their most divisive yet, as the band explore the little known musical style known as boogie. The opening title track may sound joyful and optimistic yet lyrically it's a sort of protest song about the damage caused by over-fishing. 'Plastic Boogie;' is similarly timely, screaming 'Fuck all of of that plastic' King Gizzard may be rightfully worried about the state of the environment but it still sounds like they're having a blast while singing about it. Yet over the course of Fishing For Fishes things get progressively darker as the lament of dying bees gives way to a sombre interlude, progressively getting more and more electronic until they finish things off with the brilliantly camp 'Cyboogie' which mixes their rootsy boogie with retro synths, it's unashamedly proggy, but also lots of fun. 
Check out - Plastic Boogie

Other great albums I've loved this year..
Lewis Capaldi - Divinely uninspired to a hellish extent
Better Oblivion Community Centre - S/T
James Blake - Assume Form

The Japanese House - Good at falling

Mercury Rev - Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete revisited

Sundara Karma - Ulfilas' Alphabet

Injury Reserve - S/T

Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride

Ezra collective - You can't steal my Joy

Loyle Carner - Not waving, but drowning 

Amyl & The Sniffers -S/T

Crywank- Wearing Beige on a Grey Day 

Denzel Curry - ZUU

Fontaines D.C.- Dogrel 

While She Sleeps - SO WHAT?

PUP - Morbid Stuff

Foals Live at The Digbeth Arena review.

In 2019 Foals are undeniably one of the few rock bands to have really made an impact over the past decade. Forging a style of their own, mixing the complex math rock of their breakout debut 'Antidotes with the muscular rock 'n roll of their more recent records. Now with a top 5 album under their belt in 'Everything not saved will be lost Part 1' (part 2 will be out later this year) I felt privileged to get a chance to finally see them at the Digbeth arena. Both shows sold out almost immediately and the converted open warehouse space still made for a relatively intimate space to see Foals in.  

I dragged a friend along ti the show who, unfamiliar with Foals and their output asked me to describe them in one world. I decided to settle on 'tropical'. It's hard for me to pin down why,  but Foals just seem suited for hot sweltering temperatures and sunlight. 

The same can be said for first support act KIEV (6/10). A Californian group whose blissful indie rock can best be described as Foals-ish. The real treat for me was to catch YAK (7.6) fora second time after their wonderfully chaotic show at The Castle and Falcon back in March. Unfortunately YAK's brilliant mix of psychdelic rock, krautrock and just plain noisyness was lost on a largely disintersted crowd. YAK may slay the smaller clubs but it may be some time until they are ready to do the same for arenas.

FOALS on the other hand had the audience in the palm of their hand. Riding high of the previous sold out Birmingham show. Frontman Yannis remarked on more than one occasion how much he loved the Birmingham crowd, praising us for drinking on a Sunday and not giving a shit about our jobs, as well; as the vibe of the urban graffiti covered arena. It was definitely fitting that Foals had chosen to return to Birmingham for these shows as their sound clearly had an influence on the nascent Digbeth based 'B-Town' scene. Birmingham also provided the site for one of their legendary early shows at the nearby Sunflower Lounge. However Yannis no longer seems to spend Foals gigs climbing up walls and assaulting security guards as in 2019 Foals are a well (snake) oiled machine. Delivering a setlist full of 'nasty little rippers' such as 'On the Luna', 'My Number', 'Mountain at my gates', and bringing out older favourites such as 'Olympic Airwaves', 'Red Socks Pugie'. All of which just seemed to be warming up for an incredible 'Inhaler' which was followed by a quick new number 'Black Bull'. A new track in the vein of heavy rockers such as 'What went down' which bodes well for the next record. 'What went down' itself was a highlight but Foals saved the best for last. Taking an old favourite 'Two steps twice' and stretching out out and building up tension for what seemed like an eternity, asking the crowd to kneel down before finally getting to the songs maddeningly catchy chorus. Ending a crowd pleasing set of indie rock bangers on a delirious high. (8.8)