Oxford indie-rockers Foals sold out the Wiltern on Sunday night and managed to create just the right amount of late-night frenzy. Touring in support of their fourth studio album titled “What Went Down,” released in September, Foals opened their 13-song set with new track “Snake Oil.” Immediately pushing through with their signature aggression, they moved into older songs “Olympic Airways” and “My Number,” which were met by a handful of comments in the crowd about Foals being much better live than on recording. Each track they performed seemed to eventually become a clap-along to their riotous crescendos fueled by their mathematical chaos and singer Yannis Philippakis’ pleasantly harsh vocals. Over the years, Foals have maintained longevity propelled by their bombastic and eruptive funk. As the night pressed on, fans were sent into a emotive trance, especially during “Spanish Sahara” and newer track “Late Night.” And over the course of an hour, Foals managed to outgrow the venue with their mammoth melodies and unstoppable on-stage electricity. They closed their main set with the heavy “Inhaler” from 2013’s “Holy Fire,” but the room, collectively buzzed, willed them back. The band returned for a stunning three-song encore during which Philippakis made his way up to the Wiltern balcony just long enough to look over the edge, then walked back down to the first floor tier, removed his guitar, and crowd-surfed his way to the front. The show closed with ubiquitous dance track “Two Steps, Twice” from their debut album “Antidotes.”

Shot by me for Buzzbands.LA