Foals (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Foals


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Background = group_or_band
Origin = Oxford and Thame, England
Genre = Indie rock
Dance-punk
Post punk revival
Years_active = 2005–present
Label = Transgressive, Sub Pop
URL = [http://www.wearefoals.com/ Official website]
Associated_acts = The Edmund Fitzgerald
Current_members = Yannis Philippakis (Vocals and guitar)
Jack Bevan (Drums)
Jimmy Smith (Guitar)
Edwin Congreave (Keyboard)
Walter Gervers (Bass)
Past_members = Andrew Mears

Foals are a band from Oxford, England. The band are signed with Transgressive Records in Europe and Sub Pop in the USA. A full length album—entitled "Antidotes"—was released on 24 March, 2008 in the UK, and 8 April in the USA. It was produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio [ [http://www.gigwise.com/news.asp?contentid=30933 GIGWISE, TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek To Produce Foals ] ] though the band chose to mix the record themselves. [ [http://www.thestoolpigeon.co.uk/14/giddy-up.html The Stool Pigeon, Foals Get On The High Horse] ]

Guitarist and vocalist Yannis Philippakis was recently voted 45 in music magazine "NME"'s 2007 Cool List. [ [http://www.nme.com/photos/294/2/offset/41/the-cool-list-2007-and-2006 NME] ]

History

Childhood friends Jack and Yannis were previously in a cult math rock band named The Edmund Fitzgerald but this was disbanded after they claimed that things had become "too serious" and they wanted to have more "fun making their music." Try Harder Records (Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies, Blood Red Shoes, Jonquil, Tired Irie) are set to release a double CD retrospective of all previously released and unreleased Edmund Fitzgerald material around September 2008.

Jimmy Smith was previously a student at the University of Hull and graduated in Geography. He and Walter Gervers, having been friends at Abingdon School, also attended by members of Radiohead, were in a small Oxford band called Face Meets Grill that split shortly before Foals formed. Jimmy is the only member of the band to have completed his degree—the other four members all quit their respective universities (including Yannis and Edwin leaving their courses in English language and literature at the University of Oxford) when the band signed to Transgressive. Lead singer of Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies (now Youthmovies), Andrew Mears, [ [http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/2781586 DROWNED IN SOUND, Foaling around: founders' foibles dissected ] ] originally formed the band, playing as a guitarist and the lead singer. He was around for their first single release on Try Harder Records, "Try This on Your Piano/Look at My Furrows of Worry", but left after several months so he could concentrate on Youthmovies' forthcoming album "Good Nature". With the addition of Edwin who plays keyboards, and who Yannis met while working at a cocktail bar in Oxford, the current line up was complete.

The band's influences are varied: they cite minimal techno works such as Monolake's "Plumbicon" and reggae act Bob Marley and the Wailers as major sources of inspiration fact|date=May 2008 whilst it is also noted that certain members of Foals believe that influential minimalist composer Steve Reich is "the best musical act of all time"fact|date=February 2008. In addition, Yannis has stated "we’re definitely fans of the Talking Heads" [ [http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=162875 NOW Magazine // Music // Music Feature // Foals race-ready ] ] , a band whose influences can be heard in Foals' recordings. He has also said his favourite band is math rock outfit Sweep the Leg Johnnyfact|date=May 2008.

Vocalist Yannis Philippakis was arrested after a fight broke out July 19, 2008 at a festival in Barcelona. Media reports indicated that he and other members of the Foals and Kaiser Chiefs were involved in breaking up an alleged racist attack on Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke that also involved the entourage of Sex Pistols singer John Lydon. Philippakis was arrested in the aftermath. [ [http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2291957,00.html John Lydon accused of racist attack on Kele Okereke | Music | guardian.co.uk ] ]

They have recently said they have started work on their next work, which they have named, Maybe Hawaii maybe not, acording to their myspace bulletins. They have also released a new single, Olympic airways which was released on the 6th October 2008.

Media appearances

Foals have appeared on several television programmes, including an appearance in a mini-episode of "Skins" in August 2007, shown exclusively on MySpace. The episode mimicked their tendency to play house parties. The band recorded a 5 track live session for MTV UK’s Spanking New Sessions in January 2008, featuring Balloons, Red Sox Pugie, Cassius, Olympic Airways and The French Open. The band has also appeared on "Later With Jools Holland", playing their songs "Balloons" and "Red Socks Pugie", as well as T-Mobile's "Transmission" (Channel 4), "The Album Chart Show" (E4), and "The Culture Show". Philippakis appeared in an episode of "Never Mind The Buzzcocks". They also featured at this years Glastonbury (2008) and a live performance of their song, Cassius, was shown on BBC2 that night.They played at "Reading Festival" 2008 in the "NME" tent on the Saturday of the festival. Their music is also frequently used for idents on TV channel More4. On October 9, 2008, they played on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC Television in the United States.

On Monday 28 July 2008 Foals were guests on Colin Murray's show on BBC Radio 1. They played four songs; The French Open, Red Socks Pugie, Olympic Airways and Balloons, accompanied by two brass musicians who are 'friends of the band' and the drummer from Brooklyn Afro-beat group Antibalas, as well as Foal's own drummer Jack Bevan. Unlike on the album versions, Red Socks Pugie and Olympic Airways included brass and saxophone parts. The Session also included an interview with Yannis and Edwin, in which they talked about the incident on the 19th of July, earlier that month where the band were involved in a brawl at a festival in Barcelona, and Yannis was arrested as a result. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00cpsll iPlayer Radio Console ] ]

DJ sets

Foals regularly perform DJ gigs (Edwin is the main DJ in the band) and as well as playing V Festivals and nights such as Field Day After Party @ The End; they also launched new club night Vice Versa at Last Days of Decadence in East London. [ [http://www.nme.com/news/foals/38579 Foals to DJ at new London club | News | NME.COM ] ]

Discography

Albums

* "Antidotes" (24 March 2008) #3 UK

EPs

* "Live EP" (Transgressive Records, 26 February 2007)
* "Gold Gold Gold EP" (Transgressive Records, 09 September 2007)

ingles

{| class="wikitable"
-! width="150"|Date! width="250"|Single! width="200"|Format! width="100"|Record label! width="90"|Chart position
-
3 April 2006
"Try This On Your Piano"

*Limited 7"
[http://www.tryharderrecords.com/ Try Harder]
align="center"|—
-
23 April 2007
"Hummer"

*Digital Download
*Limited 7"
Transgressive
align="center"|—
-
20 August 2007
"Mathletics"|
*Digital Download
*Limited 7"
Transgressive
align="center"|109
-
10 December 2007
"Balloons"

*Digital Download (released 9 December 2007)
*CD
*7"
*Limited edition etched 12"
Transgressive
align="center"|39
-
10 March 2008
"Cassius"

*Digital download (released 10 March 2008)
*CD
*7"
Transgressive
align="center"|26
-
9 June 2008
"Red Socks Pugie"|
*Digital download (released 9 June 2008)
*CD
*7"
Transgressive
align="center"|89
-
6 October 2008
"Olympic Airways"|
*Digital download (released 6 October 2008)
*CD
*7"
Transgressive
align="center"|-
-
29 October 2008
" William Lamb"

* Digital download (released TBA)
*CD
*7"
Trangressive
align="center"|-
-
21st December 2008
" Decalogue"

* Digital download (released TBA)
*CD
*7"
Trangressive
align="center"|-
-=References=

External links

* [http://www.wearefoals.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.foalsband.com/ Foals Fansite]
*MySpace|foals|Foals
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/arts/music/14foal.html?_r=1&ref=music&oref=slogin A Band That Cradles Its Rock, Even Under All Those Layers of Expectations] , New York Times
* [http://www.dailymusicguide.com/Reviews/foals_red_socks_sox_pugie_single_review_transgressive_oxford.aspx Foals reveiwed at Daily Music Guide]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2008/03/21/music_review_foals_20080321_feature.shtml Music Review: Foals] , BBC Norfolk – 2008
* [http://www.knockoutlit.org/music.htm Music Review: Foals] , Knockout Music Blog – 2008
* [http://www.the-mag.me.uk/Band-Profiles/Foals/ Foals reviewed on The Mag]
* [http://www.theindiemusicdb.com/db/artist.php?id=4/ Foals] , entry on The Indie Music Database
* [http://wannabes.be/index.php?s=foals Foals live pictures]
* [http://www.mtv.co.uk/music/sessions/foals Spanking New Session on MTV]