Quick Facts
Biography
Yannis Philippakis (born 23 April 1986) is the lead singer and guitarist of the British indie rock band Foals.
Early life
Born to a Greek father and a South African-born Ukrainian-Jewish mother (Renee Hirschon), Philippakis left Greece with his mother when he was five years old. His father taught him traditional folk songs and dances. He was raised in the Greek Orthodox religion.
Education
Philippakis was educated at Magdalen College School before studying English Literature at St John's College, Oxford. He dropped out before completing his degree.
Career
Music
Foals
Philippakis formed Foals in 2005 with friend and former Youthmovies frontman Andrew Mears after the break-up of his former band The Edmund Fitzgerald, which also featured his Foals bandmate, drummer Jack Bevan.
Other musical projects
In a BBC 6 hub session interview, Philippakis expressed his desire to write a 'ballet with beats'.
Intentions to develop his Bins Are For Bombs project with former Foals and Youthmovies member Andrew Mears appear static, but may be rekindled at some point in the near future.
Yannis produced the track "Wolf" on Trophy Wife's 2011 EP Bruxism.
Other
He performed as an actor in an adaptation of Marguerite Duras' Moderato Cantabile, directed by Alexander Zeldin.
TV appearances
Individually
- Never Mind the Buzzcocks
With Foals
- Later... with Jools Holland
- Skins (Released as a MySpace exclusive, then aired by E4)
- The Culture Show
- T-Mobile's Transmission
- The Album Chart Show
- Barclaycard Mercury Prize Sessions
- Live from Abbey Road
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Albums
- Antidotes (2008)
- Total Life Forever (2010)
- Holy Fire (2013)
- What Went Down (2015)