The sold-out April 24th concert at the Bowery Ballroom opens with the unfortunate efforts of Telepathe, a group of awkward misfits who appear to have stepped out of an 80s magazine’s worst dressed spread. For one unexpected moment, their sound slightly resembles that of The Streets—however—the resemblance vanishes as quickly as it appears. The painfully awkward set finally ends to a smattering of unenthusiastic applause and wholehearted boos.
Following Telepathe’s disastrous opening, Brooklyn locals The Epochs take the audience by storm. The Epochs, singing upbeat lyrics like, “Sunlight all night long” and, “Just put your head in the fire, keep walking and I will be safe,” produce optimistic Indie-pop. Their versatility and interesting harmonies result from the combination of Hays Holladay’s mellow, low voice with brother Ryan’s piercing, higher vocals, similar to those of Coheed and Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez.
Hays ardently grips the microphone as the band’s dynamic sound builds and suddenly pulls back. Kicking his feet around as he dances in place, he entertains the audience with his passion for the music. Unlike Hays, bassist Kevin Smith is sedate as he sways back and forth. Matching Hays’ energy, Ryan and drummer Kotchy drive the performance on until, at the climax of the song, Smith finally joins in and all band members throw themselves completely into the music.
Hailing from Oxford, England, Foals—a self-proclaimed group of “snotty art school dropouts hungry for the dollar”—consist of five members: Jimmy Smith (guitar), Jannis Philippakis (vocals/guitar), Edwin Congreave (keyboard), Walter (a/k/a Walty) Gervers (bass), and Jack Bevan (drums). The dance-punk group warms up with a mini jam session before playing songs from its recently released album, Antidotes, pairing stream of consciousness lyrics with dance-inspiring beats.
Jumping and jerking, Foals uses the entire stage as its playground. Sweat coats each face and drenches the members’ hair. An explosion of overpowering and awe-inspiring sound bursts from the stage. Caught up in the fervor, Smith swings his guitar menacingly overhead while Philippakis trips back and forth in front of the microphone. Foals’ zeal and awesome sound incites the audience, rousing them to a frenzy of chanting, dancing, head banging, and passionate arm-flailing.
No recording can possibly capture the unrestrained energy that radiates from this band. For the moment of the performance, there is nothing but the music. Then the show ends and the audience members disperse. Traipsing home with ear buds in place, they relive the concert by listening to Antidotes, merely a muted echo of Foals’ performance.
he is amazing bro his style can not be touched....some people dont know what he is talking about caz u dont do what he does he is sickkk bra
by dylyn on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 11.59 am from the entry: Wiz Khalifa: Burn After Rolling (Mixtape)
Wow,Great post.Thanks for sharing with us. land wi
by wisconsin land on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 09.53 am from the entry: of Montreal + Gang Gang Dance - Orpheum Theatre (Boston, MA; Oct. 30, 2008)
Ugh. Paste’s profile of Free Energy made me kind of hate them. So does your review. It’s this unctuous defense of good-time rock-and-roll ("we’re just here to party, and we’re awesome!") that seems more self-serving than fun-loving.
by beth on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.41 pm from the entry: Foreign Born + Free Energy - The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY; Mar. 12, 2010)
that inescapable feeling you are referring to, is that like when you hear something and you could have sworn you heard it before because of the nostalgic catchy quality? or is is like when you’ve heard a band exactly like said band?
great post by the way!
by paul on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 03.15 pm from the entry: The Novel Ideas - "The Sky Is A Field" - Borrow It
Whoa! I had no idea she was enegaged. You would never know with the way she behaves! Wow!
by art on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.48 am from the entry: Nikki Darlin and John McCauley: 1+1=1
This comment stream is so meta. Great review Kelly.
by chris on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 07.50 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
no prob. The whole album is excellent, combining some of the harder sonics of Los Angeles with the meat of his debut and obviously difficult to summarize in only 50 words… 
I’d say it’s on par with the debut, but better than Los Angeles.
by kelly on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.23 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
