âGlastonbury, weâre gonna have a fucking mad one tonight,â says Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis, headlining Glastoâs Other Stage for the second time in his career. Last time, following the success of 2013âs âHoly Fireâ which anointed them UK rock saviours, the mood was a little different. They were still in the process of proving themselves. Tonight, all that matters is âhaving a fucking mad oneâ.
Just a few hours earlier, seventh album âLife Is Yoursâ just missed out on the Number One spot to Harry Styles’ ‘Harry’s House’ by a meagre 350 copies. No matter. Bursting onto the stage with the disco rock abandon of âWake Me Upâ, Foals make it pretty clear that the party-hungry spirit that drives their latest record hasn’t been lessened by the bad news.
As Yannis explains to the crowd, these songs were written in lockdown to be ready âfor the emergence of the worldâ and primed for us to âcome togetherâ in spaces such as this. When he sings âIt’s 2AM and I’ve gone and lost my friends,â you can feel the collective knowing nod of those about to get a bit carried away at Block9. Judging by guitarist Jimmy Smithâs slick moves and drummer Jack Bevan spending almost as much time running away from his kit as he does sat behind it, these guys may end tonight with a similar fate.
An early outing of indie disco staple âMy Numberâ after a confetti-laden âIn Degreesâ (now played with a tranced-up outro that gives it a gnarly treatment that somehow leaves the record version somewhat lacking), Foals set a relentless pace. The bangers keep coming, from the dancey numbers to riffed-up beasts, with the only breathing space allowed for cinematic epic âSpanish Saharaâ â but even that comes with maximum crowd participation with the audience invited to get low.

ââARE YOU UP FOR IT?â Philippakis screams. âCâmon, weâve been here before weâve done six of these now â you can do better than thatâ. Turns out we could, as the feral âInhalerâ begins a run of runaway rock beasts. Itâs not mindless abandon, through.
Introducing âWhat Went Downâ, Yannis shares anger at Tory corruption and todayâs gut-wrenching US news on Roe v Wade when he says: âThis song is about men who are liars, and there seem to be plenty of men who are liars on this side and the other side of the Atlantic and they need to walk the plank.â
Complete with a light show worthy of the Pyramid Stage, it shows Foalsâ innate knack for getting any crowd rowdy. A charged finale of âTwo Steps, Twiceâ ends a set fitting for these times â letting the good override the bad. Hereâs to many more nights like this. Next stop: the Pyramid Stage.

Foals played:
‘Wake Me Up’
‘Mountain at My Gates’
‘The Runner’
‘2am’
‘My Number’
‘In Degrees’
‘2001’
‘Spanish Sahara’
‘Providence’
‘Inhaler’
‘Black Bull’
‘What Went Down’
‘Two Steps, Twice’
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