There isn’t a venue in London better suited to the flamboyant theatrics of Foxygen than Camden’s KOKO venue – a room that expands upwards over the space of four levels with towering balconies looming off of each floor’s parameter. Hang is Foxygen’s third and potentially most ambitious album yet, apparently involving a 40-piece symphony orchestra on each of its eight tracks. Jonathan Rado, Sam France and friends were to bring the carnival to the capital on a solemn Monday night, something that France would recognise time again throughout the set with his constant greeting of “LONDON!” It’s true, Foxygen were in town.

The set was to largely eclipse much of their second album …And Star Power with the opening part taking bites from the first album, beginning with the debut’s title track ‘We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic’. Rado and the rest of the group sat at their instruments first, setting the platform for the ever excitable Sam France to leap onto the stage, tonight dressed with large-rimmed aviator glasses. It certainly wasn’t easy getting into the channel of the set, the large KOKO venue differed greatly from the tightly cramped Komedia in Brighton where I previously caught the band.

As the band moved into ‘San Francisco’ they found their pace a little more but the more intimate sounds of Foxygen’s earlier material didn’t quite fill a venue like this, it wasn’t until they were immersed in material from Hang that they sounded comfortable. ‘Follow the Leader’ gave room for France to shake and slide across the stage, arching his torso in multiple ways before popping forward occasionally to chant the chorus through the microphone. ‘Avalon’ brought all the Disney theatrics it promised as Rado climbed atop his keyboard to perform the guitar solo, his guitar shimmering from a height as he worked his Brian May dramatics.

France proved his performance’s worth tonight and his honourable title as a frontman, his restless buoyancy kept the set a constant surprise as he occasionally whacked his head across the microphone leaving audience members victims to waves of feedback. ‘America’ was introduced with France slightly mocking the capital’s crowd, ‘Mrs Adams’ showed why crowds should never try to mosh to material off Hang and ‘On Lankershim’ forces home any Bowie comparisons a little more.

It’s hard to understand the concept behind Hang when purely taking the recorded format into account, however, it takes a completely different form when live. It’s hidden behind Rado’s never-ending smile and desperate attempt to reign France in somewhat but it’s equally met in France’s pseudo-Ziggy Stardust haircut and constant dress changes. Hang is an eccentric album that is dedicated to originality and showboating, it’s some of the most interesting songwriting that has taken form in the last five years and when put into a venue like KOKO, it provides the perfect storm.

As Foxygen round off Hang’s material with renditions of ‘Trauma’ and the Queen-like ‘Rise Up’, they provide the fitting contrast in their encore. Touching upon …And Star Power for the first and only time with ‘How Can You Really?’, they provide the best slice of the sophomore record before ending on the singalong song of the night, ‘No Destruction’. A personal favourite and one that encapsulates youthful optimism perfectly – it caps a short set perfectly.

Filled with limitless energy and an album that suddenly makes sense to a lot of people, Foxygen cap off their European stint and get a deserved victory in the capital tonight.

Tom Churchill

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