In rehearsals for their recent comeback shows, where they returned to small clubs for the first time in over a decade, Foals watched footage of their biggest moment to date: their headline set at Reading Festival from 2016. The gig cemented Foals’ status as one of a handful of acts in recent times to break through the cabal of perennial festival headliners: bands such as Foo Fighters, The Killers, Kings Of Leon, Coldplay…
Yet Foals remember very little of their triumph. “We’d forgotten what Reading was like,” admits guitarist Jimmy Smith. “Watching the footage, none of us could quite believe it had happened. We were watching it going, ‘There’s flames and everything. And so many people!’ The day itself was incredibly stressful, as everyone’s families were turning up. You’re thinking ‘Oh my God, we’re headlining Reading!’ and then your mum calls, asking ‘I’m at C Gate. Is that near you?’ Playing the show was actually the relaxing bit.”