SINCE their first album debuted earlier this year, Foals have been an extremely busy bunch.

They’ve been touring all over the world playing in some of the most prestigious venues, they’re working hard and partying even harder. Nick Stuart Miller found out first-hand just how busy lead singer Yannis Philippakis really is after receiving a text very late one night, to announce he was finally ready for an interview…

There was a huge amount of hype around Foals at the beginning of the year. Are you still feeling that in the run-up to Bestival this week? “Not really, it’s passed now. I think the hype exists before the record is released, it’s not a real thing, its just what the people make of us. There is still some hype and excitement, but it’s died down now, which is a good thing.”



You were recently arrested at a festival in Barcelona after breaking up a fight between Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke and John Lydon’s entourage. What was that all about? “Well it was just a fight. You’ve been in a fight before right? Bloc Party are good friends of ours, and if one of your friends gets attacked like that, you’d help him out. Anyone would do the same. I think what happened was absolutely disgraceful, we just helped him out.”

You once said how shocked you were that Foals were so critical of each other when you started out. Do tensions still run between the band? “We’re still very critical of each other, but I think it’s good to know how we all feel. I’m partly to blame though, but it’s definitely not the same as it was when we started out, we’re all quite obsessive with making everything perfect. We’re a band of perfectionists.”

How was your recent tour of America? “Great, yeah well we really enjoy touring generally. America was special because I hadn’t even been before, so doing a tour there with your band was very exciting.”

How did it differ from the UK tour? “I think they are more cynical about bands from the UK. On the whole they were very supportive to us, which was really encouraging. They have most of the biggest bands in the world based there, so sometimes it was quite discerning, I guess they just didn’t pay as much attention to us. I can’t wait to go back later this year, although saying that the UK will always be my favourite place to gig.”

You dropped out of Oxford University after a year. How did that go down? “People thought I was crazy and they still think I’m crazy. It wasn’t a difficult decision for me, because I had already decided what I wanted to do with my life and if that opportunity came up then I would take it no matter what.

“Music was all I really wanted to do. You can work the same job everyday, earning a six-figure salary, but that’s not necessarily what you want to do with your life. I’ve always wanted to do this.”

What music are you listening to at the moment? “A lot of ambient stuff, mainly from the record label Pranky. I’m listening to a lot of Radiohead and Portishead at the moment. Portishead’s album Third is my album of the year so far. I love listening to new music, it’s always exciting finding a new band that you just click with.”

Who or what are your main influences while writing? “Anything and everything. I’m inspired by anything from nature programmes on TV to really good films. I mean, I was watching the steeplechase in the Olympics, and it inspired me. I’ve never been inspired by running and jumping before.”

You finish your current UK tour this October. What’s next for Foals? “Do we? Well, I think we’ll continue touring until the end of the year, maybe do a few dates in America. Then we’ll go back to Oxford to have a break, see our friends and families.”