Foals at Wonder Ballroom

From submitting my Perfect Playlist to 947.fm, I got free tickets to see a band called Foals.  I knew nothing about them or the other bands, but was excited to see a show at the Wonder Ballroom.  The venue is pretty nice and not worn out like many other concert halls.  It has an awesome upstairs bar and seating area.  It's great, but I don't think the bar should be upstairs as I saw plenty of tipsy people falling down on the stairs.

Freelance Whales were just before Foals.  They are an Indie rock band from New York.  They sounded like Postal Service mixed with Mumford and Sons.  They were really close to being good, but just didn't sound quiet right.  They seemed to build a repetitive track rather than a solid sound.  They had lots of instruments and it seemed like each band member was a good musician, but all together the sound was very mundane and boring.  They must be good and have a following though because they are playing at a lot of great upcoming shows.  I assume people are going towards a folk sound like Mumford & Sons a little more every day, but I'm hoping this is a phase.  I would keep an eye on Freelance Whales because they might change just enough to be really good, but as of now, not so perfect.

Foals, the headlining band from England, was a little funny looking as they walked out on stage, but as soon as they played it was money.  The lead, Yannis Philippakis, has voice just like Robert Smith of The Cure.  Overall I thought they did sound like The Cure, but with a lot more rock.  According to their wiki page, it says they are linked to “dance-punk” and that sounds just about right for them.  They are fantastic musicians and every other song felt like a live jam session.  They were awesome and constantly had a fantastic bass line and beat.  I just thoroughly enjoyed one song to the next and was always loving the sound that came from them.  I highly recommend them and if you are unsure, see them in concert for the jam session vibe because they are fantastic live.