Foster The People are one of those bands that define a specific chapter of my life. It was summer 2012, I was dating a wonderful girl (who would become my wife), and everywhere we went, Foster The People was playing. Maybe it was Pumped Up Kicks, maybe it was Houdini, or maybe it was Helena Beat, but it was always something from their 2011 debut Torches. A triumphant outdoor show in June 2012 along the Lachine Canal is about as Montreal as you can get. A perfect soundtrack to a perfect summer.
Then, strangely, they never headlined Montreal again… until tonight. A couple of Osheaga slots in 2014 and 2017, but that’s about it. It’s no wonder, then, that so many are willing to brave the snowpocalypse that is downtown Montreal (after the 80 cm that fell on the city in the last 7 days) to pack out MTelus tonight!
Frontman Mark Foster arrives on stage sporting an Elvis-like slick quiff, and after a synthy Feed Me opens the set, he grins ear to ear watching the crowd’s response as they realize its seamless transition into banger new song Lost In Space. The response gets even bigger as the feedback intro of Helena Beat arrives, and when Mark incites a huge singalong, the crowd is more than happy to oblige.
It’s unsurprising that the indie-pop cuts from the aforementioned debut record get the biggest roars of the night. Mark plays the keys on the classic Houdini as a laser explores the far reaches of the darkened room, before the funk of Call It What You Want keeps everyone dancing. Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls) is much rockier in the live setting than on record, and of course, show closer Pumped Up Kicks sees the most phones in the air of the night. Mark thrusts his mic towards the crowd to sing the chorus at the outro, and it gets absolutely deafening.
The band are certainly not one-trick ponies though; ear-worms like Coming of Age (from 2014’s Supermodel) and Sit Next to Me (from 2017’s Sacred Heart Club) illustrate how solid a discography the band have compiled over the years. Songs from last year’s Paradise State of Mind album are well received too, especially the dance funk of See You in the Afterlife and the squelchy synths of Glitchzig.
Indeed, various offerings from across the band’s 4 albums show how heavily the band have experimented with synths and electronica across their catalogue. Pseudologia Fantastica and The Truth have beats so deep you can feel it in your guts, while on Lamb’s Wool, electronic beats that sound like they’re in reverse are blazed out in tandem with a spectacular laser show that makes you feel like you’re in a stadium gig. A Beginner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon is equally intense.
It’s a fantastic 90 minutes overall. Mark doesn’t say much during the show, but when he does, he’s effusive: “It’s been a long time since we’ve been here, 7 or 8 years, and definitely a long time since we came in the winter; thanks for coming out and warming up the room with us.” As the MTelus crowd heads out into the cold February night, you can be sure that tonight’s show will keep them warm for a while.
Setlist
- Feed Me
- Lost in Space
- Helena Beat
- Take Me Back
- Pseudologia Fantastica
- The Truth
- See You in the Afterlife
- Coming of Age
- Lamb’s Wool
- Houdini
- Call It What You Want
- A Beginner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon
- Glitchzig
- Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)
- Lotus Eater
- Time to Get Closer
- Miss You
- A Diamond to Be Born
Encore
- Sit Next to Me
- Pumped Up Kicks
Support came from UK’s Good Neighbours.
Review – Simon Williams
Photos – Eric Brisson
