Paramore – Showbams

FOALS with Andy Stavas //
The Belasco – Los Angeles
July 18th, 2023 //

When FOALS rocked the Hollywood Palladium in November (read our show review here) after issuing their seventh LP Life Is Yours several months earlier, it marked the first time in more than three years since they last performed in LA.

But even after signing on as support for the second half of Paramore’s tour across North America this summer, these Brits out of Oxford were not going to let two opening sets at Kia Forum serve as their only shows in the City of Angels this year.

With a few days off in between tour dates and founding bassist Walter Gervers rejoining the band in May after a six-year absence, Yannis Philippakis (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jack Bevan (drums, percussion) and Jimmy Smith (rhythm guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals) along with touring members Kit Monteith (percussion, sampler) and Joe Price (keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals) didn’t pass up on the opportunity to make their latest trip to Southern California a little extra special with a raucous headlining performance in downtown LA at The Belasco last Tuesday.

FOALS have been opening their gigs with Life Is Yours lead single “Wake Up Me” following the album’s release more than a year ago now, and from there they stepped on the gas pedal with What Went Down standout “Snake Oil” to kick off a 16-song set that saw them perform Holy Fire deep cut “Providence” for the first time this year as well as its third single “Late Night” that remains a personal favorite and had not been played in LA since 2016 (read our show review here).

From a photographer’s perspective, I have always found it cool that FOALS are the only band I have covered with a photo policy of “last three songs.” And I can certainly understand why. Because when Philippakis and his bandmates return from an encore break, things often get turned up a notch as we have seen over the years. This time was no different of course, as they hit us with their recent trifecta consisting of “Mountain at My Gates”, “What Went Down” and “Two Steps, Twice” for a terrific encore that had Philippakis shedding his axe and nearly climbing into the crowd at one point.

What might be even more amazing for the three-time Mercury Prize nominees is that they have had three different bassists in the last 18 months, and you wouldn’t even know it from the way they sound right now. There seemed to be a renewed energy amongst these lads with Gervers back in the saddle, as Smith and him shared backing vocals on the same microphone during some of the evening’s most impassioned moments.

If you’ve seen FOALS a few times like I have, you know that they’re going to bring it every single time they step onstage. The UK outfit remains one of the best rock ‘n’ roll acts to come out of the aughts as far as we are concerned, and in that regard, it shouldn’t be a big surprise that FOALS have managed to build a loyal fan base in a crowded indie scene with honest lyrics and thoughtful musicianship. It’s why they’re on our short list of bands to catch every time they come to town, and with The Belasco serving as host to a couple of other excellent concerts I have witnessed so far this year — from Jack White to Fleet Foxes — it was only fitting for FOALS to also get a chance to unload on the 1,500-person venue.

Given this latest run in the Golden State, it could be a while before FOALS are back in SoCal again. By the time they are, there’s a good chance it will be to promote new music and with a band of this caliber after almost two decades in the game, we can’t say we don’t like the sound of that.

Setlist:
Wake Me Up
Snake Oil
2001
Olympic Airways
2am
In Degrees
My Number
Black Gold
Birch Tree
Spanish Sahara
Red Socks Pugie
Providence
Milk & Black Spiders
Late Night
Black Bull
Inhaler