Foals

Foals formed in Oxford in 2005 around singer and guitarist Yannis Philippakis, who had previously played in the local math-rock band The Edmund Fitzgerald. Drummer Jack Bevan and guitarist Jimmy Smith have been with him from the early years. The debut album, Antidotes, set tightly wound, skittering guitar lines over busy, danceable rhythms. Total Life Forever slowed things down around the long build of Spanish Sahara and was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.

Later records such as Holy Fire and What Went Down pushed toward heavier riffs and bigger choruses, and songs like Inhaler and My Number became fixtures of the live set. In 2019 the band released the two-part Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, followed by the brighter, dance-leaning Life Is Yours. Their shows are loud and physical, with Philippakis often leaving the stage to climb into the crowd.