September 24, 2008 10:25

Foals trash stage at tiny London gig

Yannis Philippakis gets destructive at chaotic show

Photo Gallery: Foals

Foals' Yannis Philippakis trashed his equipment in frustration at the end of a show in a east London venue last night (September 23).

The band were playing at Hoxton Hall, a small community centre, for a handful of fans as part of the Levi's Ones To Watch series of gigs.

Following a number of problems with the frontman's amp throughout the gig, Philippakis' microphone lead came loose as he sang the final song 'Electric Bloom'.

Throwing the mic away, he pushed over his amp, trashed his microphone stand and half the drumkit then attempted to push over bandmate Walter Gervers' amp. The bassist stopped him before the stack toppled over.

Philippakis then ran to the front of the stage and jumped onto a drum. The drum broke, causing the singer/guitarist to fall into the audience, where he pushed through the crowd to leave through the back door.

Before the destructive climax, Foals played a typically high-energy set, beginning with their usual 'jam' 'XXXXX' and 'The French Open': the first track on their debut album 'Antidotes'.

Singles 'Balloons', 'Cassius' and 'Hummer' were among the best-received songs of the night.

Foals played:

'XXXXX'
'The French Open'
'Olympic Airways'
'Balloons'
'Cassius'
'Heavy Water'
'Two Steps Twice'
'Hummer'
'Electric Bloom'