Live Review: Foals, Warpaint

As the crowds steadily filled the Hordern on Wednesday night, they were greeted with the meditative and atmospheric LA outfit, Warpaint. They acknowledged their drummer’s homecoming to Sydney ("Stella [Mozgawa]’s from town, but you already knew that") and exchanged light-hearted banter with the crowd, preparing them for the Foals experience that was to come. They played their big hit Love Is To Die with a reserved, almost contained energy, mirroring the steady, flowing music.

Earlier in the set they played Whiteout – a definite favourite among fans, and really sold themselves to the crowd with the more upbeat New Song. They played songs from across their discography, but certainly some stood out more than others, as at times their musical intricacy felt a bit lost in the spacious venue and the sound seemed isolated to the stage. Warpaint finished up with Disco//Very, a darker, wistful track that suited their sound perfectly and raised the atmosphere – a perfect closer.

Warpaint @ Hordern Pavilion. Photo by Josh Groom.

A robotic female voice informing "Not-every-thing-saved-will-be-lost" was the swift intro to the Foals set before they launched straight into On The Luna, a punchy hit from their 2019 album, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1. Immediately after they played Mountain At My Gates, revving up the fans. Ever-chipper frontman Yannis Philippakis greeted Sydney and promised a "fucking ripper" night.

Foals smashed through hit after hit, sandwiching old favourites between new. Their recent album has such strong tracks that despite perhaps a lack of familiarity among fans, songs like Exits and In Degrees stood out among their best work. Philippakis knows he has a banger on his hands, introducing In Degrees with, "If you know this song you’ll have to get your dancing shoes on."

Philippakis has extraordinary vocal range and is just as comfortable screaming down the microphone for Red Socks Pugie as in delivering his gentle, floating vocals in Spanish Sahara. His isolated, searing voice tore into the crowd at the start of Providence, before the band joined in and picked up the tempo, the drumming and trademark staccato guitar becoming more and more frenzied.

The band maintained their frenetic energy throughout the full set. Philippakis dove into the crowd multiple times, impressively continuing to sing with 100% commitment, trusting that his loyal fans would continue to support him - in this case, physically. He wandered all over the Pavilion, even venturing up to the ‘comfortable’ fans.

Foals @ Hordern Pavilion. Photo by Josh Groom.

Closing the ("fucking ripper" - as promised) set with Inhaler, Philippakis asked everyone to crouch down, and even the shirtless bros got down off their mates' shoulders to then jump up at the crescendo.

Foals came back on and delivered What Went Down, which was explosively good, and Philippakis was back in the crowd without needing any encouragement. They played The French Open, which begins with such an exceptional riff. The song is the perfect vessel to showcase their unique talent and pace. None of the upcoming album’s songs made the setlist, but the infectious, slick sound of Part 1 is making fans thirsty with anticipation for 'Part 2'. They finished up the encore with Two Steps, Twice and the crowd left the building on a high. If you find yourself out of beans, scientists say a Foals gig provides 93% more energy than a regular flat white. I’m looking at you, Perth!