Foster The People live in Sydney
- By Shannon Andreucci -
- Feb 02, 2012
Every once in a while, a pop song emerges out of the blue and takes the world my storm. Maintaining a hold of that unexpected momentum without being outlasted by the song and being reduced to the dreaded one hit wonder status, is easier said than done for any band that is strictly defined by one such track.
You’d be forgiven for thinking Foster The People were destined for that piteous road, with their viral song ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ becoming a crossover hit in 2011, dominating airwaves and topping international charts. But judging by the vehement shaking of the Enmore Theatre’s floorboards at their recent sold-out Sydney show, and the excitement that erupted from the crowd’s familiarity with not one, but all ten songs - that make up their only album to date ‘Torches’ - it seems Mark Foster and his People have extinguished any doubts about the band’s future career with enviable success.
As the stage illuminates with blinding strobe lights and the pulsing synths of ‘Houdini’ and ‘Miss You’ come into play, Foster The People begin crafting a house-party atmosphere that induces a cocktail of flailing arms both on and off stage. The months of constant touring have certainly honed the trio’s stage skills, especially front man Foster who avidly busts some awkward yet endearing moves from one side of the stage to the other and back, during the likes of ‘Life On The Nickel’ and ‘Broken Jaw’.
He briefly pauses to acknowledge the fact that Australians were one of the first to embrace the LA-based band, helping them achieve their first number one hit with ‘Pumped Up Kicks’. The gesture of gratitude sends the audience into raptures and Foster The People continue sprinting through their acclaimed debut album with ‘I Would Do Anything For You’ and ‘Waste’.
Foster’s affability is put to the test during pop behemoth ‘Call It What You Want’, where the lead singer accidentally headbutts the microphone and falls flat on the floor. Displaying true showmanship, he nonchalantly picks himself up and continues with a humble smile that welcomes praise from the crowd.
It’s easy to see why the threesome – swelled to five for this percussion heavy show – have carved themselves a place in people’s hearts and iPod playlists. The saccharine choruses and disco-floor riffs of their bubblegum melodies such as ‘Waste’ and ‘Don’t Stop’ are unavoidably burrowed into your brain and accurately translated to a live environment.
Foster The People also proved to be quite the musical chameleons, pulling off a host of different genres. Covering Weezer’s garage rock hit ‘Say It Ain’t So’, Mark Foster substituted his pre-pubic high-pitched voice for a deeper, grungy growl, whilst the guitarists carved up a haze of distortion. Soon after they toned things down in the encore, with an uncharacteristically somber and stripped back track entitled ‘Ruby’, which remains unreleased and relies almost solely on keyboard notes. The removal of electronics and heavy bass revealed the inherent talent of the band, who were able to retain the buzzing crowd’s attention even through a tender ballad.
But predictably enough, Foster The People upped the ante once again with ‘Warrant’, and culminated the floor-shaking set with a 10-minute dubstep version of the ubiquitous smash hit, ‘Pumped Up Kicks’. The audience wasn’t expecting anything divergent from the studio cut, but the extended nightclub remix was surely a pleasant surprise to all, as they chanted and danced in euphoria until the curtains eventually fell.
By Shannon Andreucci. Blogs at Four Weeks With The Queen and tweets at @s_andreucci
This guest blog complies to Virgin.com terms & conditions.
