Foster the People at Troxy

You probably remember Californian indietronica boys Foster the People for their viral hit Pumped Up Kicks back in 2010, which has since became something of a cult classic and clocked up over 130 million views on YouTube. It’s been three years since the release of the debut album Torches, and the wait is finally over for fans, who now have new material to pore over in the form of second album Supermodel. Here at Troxy in London for a sold-out gig, we couldn’t wait to hear the new tracks in the flesh.

The atmosphere at Troxy was electric as swamps of fans stomped, chanted and cheered at the sound technicians as they waited for Foster the People to emerge. The second they caught a glimpse of frontman Foster, deafening shrieks/mating calls of the wild fan-girl tribe filled the Grade II listed building and were no doubt heard across the globe. Backed up by two swaying female singers, the set opened with an old favourite – Life on the Nickel. As Foster sang in his quirky falsetto voice “yet again I’m hustling, hustling, hustling”, we were reminded of the sweet neo-psychedelic sounds of MGMT and Empire of the Sun.

Another familiar track from the debut Houdini had the crowd going wild and Foster’s solo performance on the bouzouki of Nevermind was met with warm applause. The newer material, particularly Coming of Age sounded sensational live, but sonically quite a bold move away from Torches classics.

And then, the moment the majority of us had been waiting for dawned in the form of Pumped Up Kicks, which had every single living being dancing and singing along and reminded us just why Foster the People hold a special place in our hearts – the sampling, THAT bass line and Foster’s ethereal vocals came together to unite Troxy in song. We welcome Foster the People’s return with open arms.

Gemma Whitfield
Photos: Ambra Vernuccio

For further information and future events visit Foster the People’s website here.

Watch the video for Coming of Age here: