Not to be too Anglophilic in my writing here, but there is sometimes a striking difference between the sounds created from across the blistering North Atlantic, for better or for worse. Luckily for the crowd at the near capacity Subterranean in Chicago, this was to all of ours advantage. Hailing from Oxford, England, the city of one of Western Civilizations oldest universities, (and the home of another little English band, Radiohead) the Foals made a stop here on their first proper tour of these United States.
When asked about their impressions of Chicago and their general opinion of touring the states, Yannis referenced his recent reading of John Steinbeck’s classic dust bowl novel Grapes of Wrath, with its striking descriptions of the hugeness of the American continent. Vast was the word used, I believe, that best described their opinion of the country. And their opinion of Chicago, in the few hours they had to walk around? “There seem to be a lot of hipsters.” There, in the heart of Wicker Park, I wasn’t sure if I should defend this element, or agree of their destructive force. I agreed, saying “yes, for better or worse”.
Probably for worse.
I changed the subject to their next Chicago appearance, Lollapalooza. Apparently they had not wandered to the proper downtown area, and I described the occasional wonders of our largest spanning rock fest. And the autumnal nature of the weather this past Saturday night Yannis mentioned? That will be a distant memory the first weekend of August. Though something else to look forward to? A Lollapalooza after show with the Foals and Battles “in a warehouse somewhere”.
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