Foals, Academy 1, Manchester

are surprisingly an unchanging force in the music scene. Consistently tight sets move seamlessly from song to song with their trademark ‘math-rock’ sound filtering over the sea of waving hands.

Yet if there is one flaw it’s the transition to ‘bigger’ venues bringing in a crowd with a penchant for moshing rather than polite head nodding at the back which results in spilt beer on the feet and a lot of falling over. The bigger crowds add to the atmosphere though and Yannis, ever the performer, scrambles atop the speakers only for a surge of bodies to knock us into the people in front. It doesn’t matter though - the whirlwind of music which comprises of different levels of sound and tempo alongside bitten vocals makes up for it all.

There is a stage presence to Foals which makes the listener gets lost within it and starting the set with a lengthy amount of feedback and instrumental might be enough for most crowds to start looking at their watches or edging to the bar - not with Foals though, this only serves to add to the atmosphere.

Obviously songs like ‘Cassius’ and ‘Mathletics’ have the crowd almost foaming at the mouth but it’s songs such as ‘Like Swimming’ which hold the most resonance tonight. Forgetting the Radio One fodder that songs like ‘Cassius’ have become their subtler songs float over the audience and are just as captivating as their more famous affairs. ‘Electric Bloom’ winds its way around the room, ‘Olympic Airwaves’ induces air-punching and en masse singing whilst ‘Hummer grabs the audience in a group headlock and even those standing at a safe distance at the back manage dancing at little bit.

Overall it just goes to show popularity might result in beer slopping and crowd jostling but it can’t dent a talented band.