The Sett became an outlet for ironic and meaningful expressions of youth and angst Friday night as Foxygen entranced the glorified café-bar with their established nexus of in-your-face indie rock and laid back, sarcastic lyricism.
A stop on their “The Farewell Tour,” Foxygen’s Madison show was supposedly the band’s last ever concert in Wisconsin. The band has allegedly decided to break up following the release of their third album “…And Star Power,” according to the band’s Twitter account. The band played like it was one of their last nights on Earth, their no-holds-barred performing approach lit up The Sett and brought the audience to their feet and joined them together in a massive energetic pit.
THANKYOU so much to r family,friends,managers,label and most of all YOU.This will be our LAST tour+a revamped show.. pic.twitter.com/3PE6ZOt0d2
— Foxygen (@foxygentheband) March 16, 2015
Despite the melancholic tone of the tour, the show was anything but overly sentimental as the two man act, joined with a full band and three backup dancers, brought Union South to the pinnacle of indie rock bliss.
Different groups made comments about the “different” styles of the groups in attendance; big-haired hipsters and crop top awareness groups alike joined forces to appreciate a band that also doesn’t adhere to standard wardrobe choices. Droves of underclassmen gradually filled the venue as Tame Impala and Big Data poured through the speakers to prime the Madisonians in attendance for the psychedelic and high-energy night to come. Around 9:45 p.m., opener Alex Cameron emerged in a gray, ’80s-inspired suit with a bored saxophonist. While not a spectacle himself, his David Bowie-reminiscent set was enough to mesmerize and fascinate. Cameron’s straight up synthy songs “Happy Ending” and “Take Care of Business” were a nice, easy accompaniment for an otherwise bored crowd. The set lasted around 45 minutes, a bit too long for an obscure, no frills act like Cameron.
At 10:30 p.m., Foxygen descended the stairs on stage right and all at once slammed into “We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic,” an immediate crowd favorite from their 2013 album of the same name that arguably put the Los Angeles-area duo on the map. The backup dancers, dressed in silver, black velvet and sparkles swung their arms with the rhythm, as only ‘60s go-go dancers would.
The concert was marked by a casual vibe, likely because the event was free through the Wisconsin Union Directorate. The controlled environment, however, did not stop anyone from letting loose. A decent sized mosh pit formed near the edge that many were not ready for, but joined no less.
The band only played a small handful of songs, but they were stretched out with mini jam sessions and onstage riff raff. Frontman Sam France was a spectacle in and of himself — his high energy and disorganized bouts of rage manifested themselves in his aggressive microphone movement and strutting around onstage. France’s presence was a replica of Mick Jagger’s antics and motivations for the art of performance. He toned it down, though, for the slower, a la Todd Rundgren cut “Coulda Been My Love,” giving the audience a chance to catch their breath and see a different side of Foxygen. After, the band immediately returned to their tried and true style with “Shuggie.” They welcomed the audience to form a chorus of “nah”s to round out the camaraderie forged between milennials both really into the music and those there just for a good time.
After taking a brief field trip to the rafters mid-show, France returned to the stage, unbuttoned half of his shirt and finished out the show, not easily, but quite abruptly. He took the reigns from his bandmate, Jonathan Rado and stood by his band as they finally played “No Destruction,” to the acclaim of the crowd. The band closed out the concert, in a conclusive, yet ephemeral way with “Everyone Needs Love.”
Their onstage banter and unorthodox rituals of performance were not exactly what one might expect from a chillwave rock band. Foxygen turned up at The Sett with electrically intense guitar riffs and energetic theatrics, defying norms for a free university concert.
