Live Review: Foals, Alpine

By now Foals have settled into a sound that has brought them slightly closer to the middle of the road. They've tempered the urge to complicate their arrangements with geometric patterns and overlapping polyrhythms, though it still informs their music to some degree. They're confidently moving into slower, steadier territory. Compare current single Inhaler with Red Socks Pugie from Antidotes, their debut: while they've moved away from jittery math-pop, they're still capable of a great deal of depth and complexity when they want to show off. They're more focused now, and better off for it. That said, you really have to throw that all away when heading to one of their shows. They could bash out a whole album of Foster & Allen covers next, but their live shows would still be one of the most explosive and entertaining things around.

Supporting were bright Melbourne outfit Alpine, whose terse, compressed pop sound was beautifully balanced by the wonderfully breezy harmonies of vocalists Phoebe Baker and Lou James. It was nice to hear them in widescreen mode, with their enthusiasm bursting at the seams. Great set!

Foals pocket dynamo Yannis Philippakis should be mentioned first and foremost. The guy is a naked wire, a twitchy bear trap, a dancer and a very good guitarist rolled into one. His unpredictability and willingness to do anything and go anywhere is an exhilarating (and slightly dangerous) combination. Their first tour saw him confined to the Manning Bar, leaving him with only a single stack of amps to climb (which he did). The Enmore provided him with a goddam balcony to jump off (which he did, apparently, during Saturday's show. The bouncers got to him first on Sunday).

Antics are nothing, however, without a band and a show to back you up, and on both counts Foals delivered. Their ability to build a song from nothing to all-out sonic warfare still surprises, and the dance-punk rhythms had the whole theatre bouncing. The first circle pit was the tipping point, and the vibe changed considerably. The air became heavy with tension and the dancing got wilder. The songs became longer and the jams got heavier, culminating in Two Steps, Twice for the final encore, during which the place almost tore apart. Their playing was absolutely airtight, and the mix was fantastic and intuitive, with vocals getting extra attention. Another memorable set from, without question, one from the best live bands around.