Photo: Richard Gray
Considering this venue was built in 1871 as part of Prince Albert's vision for a centre for the Arts and Sciences in a more modern Britain, you can't help but wonder what he'd make of Foals selling it out twice in one day.
Many eyebrows were raised when these Royal Albert Hall shows were announced. Known for their idiosyncratic quirks of madness and raising toilet venues to the ground, the idea of Foals in such a world- famous and iconic monolith of entertainment jars the senses more than a little.
The response to the filthy funk furore of 'My Number' tonight would certainly clash will all Victorian notions of decency. But this is perfect. This is Foals, but amplified louder than ever.
Opening with the cinematic 'Prelude', they rise to the challenge with a game-changing performance that reflects sheer scale and towering majestic grandeur of The Hall.
Talking Heads' genius David Byrne once said that “physical contexts affect the way music is played and heard”, and he's right, but tonight you can't help but get the feeling that The Royal Albert Hall was built for the sole purpose of the epic 'Spanish Sahara' being played to its full potential.
The wide open sounds of 'Milk and Black Spiders' and 'Late Night' send waves of swooning adoration around the highest corners of the theatre, while the math-rock bounce of 'Balloons' and the pummelling rush of 'Providence' are loud enough to wake Prince Albert himself.
No one could have predicted the animalistic response to rock-beast 'Inhaler'. Never as the RAH seemed so uncivilised. And of course, it wouldn't be a Foals gig if Yannis didn't climb up something, our grand surroundings only seem to encourage him to scale ever greater heights as he completes a full lap of the stalls as he maniacally jerks to the wild outro of 'Two Steps, Twice'.
What Prince Albert would have thought of Foals' dizzying lazer display and the sight of five fearless freaks inciting circle pits inside his 'grand vision' will remain a mystery. But they more than met the design brief: Foals and the Royal Albert Hall – two truly magnificent British institutions.
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