Gig review: Foals at First Direct Arena, Leeds

Following the release of their fourth studio album What Went Down last August, the band made surprise appearances at both Reading and Leeds festival last summer.

Fast forward to early 2016 and they are already on their way to having a great year. Not only have they been announced as Reading and Leeds 2016 headliners but they have also just completed their first UK arena tour which included a night at Wembley.

However, this six-night arena tour came to an end in Leeds on Saturday evening. After support sets from Everything Everything and a Peace DJ set, Foals made their entrance just after 9pm.

Opening with Snake Oil, taken from their latest release, the band who were still ready to give it their all. They carried on into Olympic Airways, which saw the whole arena become captivated.

With a brief introduction and a “It’s good to be back Leeds” from lead singer Yannis Philippakis, the band continued to play an eclectic mix of both new and old tracks which included crowd-favourite My Number along with Give It All and Mountain At My Gates.

Mid-way through the high energy set, Foals took a minute to dedicate Balloons, a song which rarely makes an appearance on their set list, to everyone who saw them at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds back in 2007.

Songs such as Red Socks Pugie, Late Night and A Knife In The Ocean made way for popular track Inhaler, which saw people standing up in their seats and bodies flying all over in the standing section.

After leaving the stage for a short break, the band returned shortly after to end their landmark arena tour. Playing London Thunder, the band showed no signs of slowing the gig down as they crash into What Went Down, finally ending their set on Two Steps, Twice.

Foals showed they are one of the best live bands in the country at the minute and certainly proved their worth as an arena band, but the eager crowd wanting more will just have to wait until this year’s Leeds Festival for their next Foals fix.