Live Review: Foals, Tired Lion

Perth's Metro City acted as a shelter on Sunday night, welcoming Foals fans both young and old as rain attempted to saturate the queue of eager gig-goers. Once through the venue's doors, the crowd was greeted by the powerful screams of Tired Lion frontwoman Sophie Hopes and the crashing instrumentals of Nick Vasey (bass), and Ethan Darnell (drums), who immediately demonstrated they would be delivering a full-throttle performance. 

Smashing out a compilation from Dumb Days, Figurine and All We Didn't Know, the set was full of head-banging, wild leaping and humorous dialogue - banter a clear prerequisite of a Tired Lion performance. Blasting the audience with thrashing guitars, aggressive drum beats and furious vocals, it was like reliving our teen-angst all over again, but in the best way possible.

Tired Lion. Photos by Karen Lowe.

Right on cue, Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis took the stage with Edwin Congreave (keys), Jack Bevan (drums) and Jimmy Smith (rhythm guitar), diving straight into Mountain At My Gates. An instant rush of adrenalin pulsed through the venue, which seemed to be beyond full capacity. Gig-goers were standing on couches in order to get a glimpse of the impressive UK indie-rock sensations, who emerged from artificial smoke and impressively timed lighting effects.

With the release of their latest record Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1 in March, and Part 2 to be released in the coming months, Foals have continued to prove they are a progressive powerhouse. 

Foals. Photos by Karen Lowe.

With a compilation of old bangers such as My Number and Providence mixed in with fresh tracks like On The Luna and Exits from the new album, Foals kept the audience guessing, dancing and throwing shakas in the air.

Each song seamlessly flowed into the next without pause (with the exception of Philippakis changing guitars), Bevan never missing a drum beat. Foals were everything we expected and more, providing a powerful performance that was impressively sharp and polished.

Foals. Photos by Karen Lowe.