Foals life and biography

Foals are a band from Oxford, England, United Kingdom, formed in 2005. The band’s musical influences are varied. Their musical style is linked to various genres such as indie rock, dance-punk and math rock.

Current members Jack Bevan and Yannis Philippakis were originally in cult math rock band The Edmund Fitzgerald, but disbanded after they claimed that things had become “too serious” and they wanted to have more “fun making their music”. The lead singer of Youthmovies (now disbanded), Andrew Mears, originally formed part of the band, playing as guitarist and lead vocalist. He was present on the bands debut 7” single Try This On Your Piano/Look at My Furrows of Worry, but left shortly afterwards to concentrate on Youthmovies’ debut album Good Nature.

Hummer, the band’s first single with current line-up of Yannis Philippakis on vocals and guitar, Jack Bevan on drums, Jimmy Smith on guitar, Edwin Congreave on keyboard and Walter Gervers on bass, was released as a digital download and on vinyl on April 23, 2007.

Foals began working on their debut album, Antidotes in 2007. The album was recorded in Stay Gold Studios, Brooklyn and was produced by Dave Sitek and socialite Wendy Jane. Although content with Sitek’s participation in the album’s recording process, the band decided to do mixing of the album themselves. Antidotes was released on March 24, 2008 in the United Kingdom on Transgressive Records and on April 8, 2008 in the United States through Sub Pop. The album was a commercial success in the United Kingdom, debuting at #3 in the UK Albums Charts on March 30, 2008. The album was a minor success in other countries, charting in Japan, France and the Netherlands. Balloons, Cassius, Red Socks Pugie and Olympic Airways were the four singles to be released from this album.

On July 19, 2008, a few months after Antidotes’ original release, lead vocalist Yannis Philippakis was arrested after participating in a fight which had broken out at a festival in Barcelona, Spain. Media reports indicated that Yannis and other members of Foals and Kaiser Chiefs were involved in breaking up a racist attack by John Lydon of the Sex Pistols on Bloc Party’s lead vocalist Kele Okereke.

The band started work on their second album in a communal house where members of Foals and other Oxford bands live. The record in its inception has been described by the band members as sounding like “tropical prog” and “like the dream of an eagle dying”. In August 2009, Foals started recording their album at Svenska Gramofon in Gothenburg, Sweden. The band have described the album as being “a lot less funk” than they had originally planned. A number of new songs have been debuted at recent concerts including “Total Life Forever”, “Death Surf”, “Spanish Sahara”, “Dirty Waves” and a yet-to-be-titled track which is mostly instrumental. The band announced the completion of the second album on January 25, 2010.

"Spanish Sahara" was featured in trailers for Entourage 's seventh season, season four of Skins, and BBC One 's Outcasts. It was also used in the soundtrack of the second season of the E4 drama Misfits. It was released as a full physical single in September 2010, featuring an edited remix starring the strings of London Contemporary Orchestra.

The album was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize. In an interview with online magazine Coup De Main, Jimmy Smith said how the band members live together on and off the road - heading to Australia to record demos for their next album together. "It's just like touring with your family, it's nice".

Members:
-Yannis Philippakis - Vocals, Guitar, Live Drums
-Jack Bevan - Drums
-Jimmy Smith - Guitar
-Edwin Congreave - Keyboard, Backing Vocals
-Walter Gervers - Bass, Backing Vocals

Former members:
-Andrew Mears - Vocals, Guitar

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