Bet You Didn’t Know : Foals


If you could dispel any misconceptions about Foals that you’ve encountered, what would it be? They would say, “That it’s difficult. That it’s ‘math’. That it’s ‘new rave’. That we’re in pain. That Edwin knows how to play keyboards. That because we are geeks we don’t know how to dance. That only Campari is good enough. That our only friends are girls. That we have kids and run marathons for fun. That Walter is actually someone else who killed Walter along time ago and is wearing his face. That there is another Jimmy. That Yannis is the Caucasian heir to Prince. That Jack is a Beaker. That we are afrobeat….” Thing is, with Foals, you never know whether one, some or all of those things are actually true. Musically and personally enigmatic, impossible to pigeonhole but full to the brim with potential; potential that is now, hopefully being realised. As Arctic Monkeys might have said: bet they’ll look good on the dancefloor.

And we have ten super special facts to enrich your knowledge about Foals!

1. Before the inception of Foals, Yannis and Jack were in a proper math-rock band and have been playing together since they were 15. They described their first band Edmund Fitzgerald as being ‘heavy’, ‘technical’, and ‘mostly instrumental.’

2. Yannis and Edwin dropped out of Oxford University to pursue a career in music. Walter and Jack also dropped out of university and joined Foals.

3. Guitarist Jimmy was the only member to finish his degree. He studied geography at the University of Hull.

4. Before writing Total Life Forever, Yannis explained that he wanted to use some drugs to play a part in the album because it is “a totally valuable and enjoyable way to make music.”

5. Yannis has been keeping a journal since he was 12. He still has all of them except the one that he lost during a fight.

6. Yannis told interviewers that Walter Gervers is a descendent of Lord Kitchener. The internet isn’t sure whether or not he’s telling the truth, though.

7. Keyboardist Edwin Congreave keeps a food blog on the meals he makes and orders on tour. It’s called Tour Bar Blues.

8. Jack Bevan recorded some of his drums for ‘Antidotes’ in Brooklyn alleyways in the middle of the night.

9. Yannis once survived an earthquake in Greece. “It wasn’t very terrifying,” he commented.

10. Holy Fire’s ‘Inhaler’ is about claustrophobia.