THE Oxford rock band Foals thanked local fans for their support by turning up at the city’s only record store to sign copies of their new album.

Hundreds of music-lovers queued outside the Truck Store, in Cowley Road, yesterday afternoon, for a chance to meet their heroes, pose for selfies and get the indie five-piece to scrawl their names on vinyl and CD copies of the album What Went Down.

Frontman Yannis Philippakis was unable to talk to fans, having lost his voice after acclaimed weekend shows at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, but bandmates Jimmy Smith, Walter Gervers, Jack Bevan and Edwin Congreave chatted with admirers, who had travelled from across the county.

Walter said: “We are here for a couple of days before starting the tour, and, because we don’t have an Oxford date yet, this is the next best thing for now. It’s great. And hopefully there’ll be an Oxford gig next year.”

Shop manager Gary Smith was delighted with the turnout. He said: “It has been a busy day – far busier than a normal Tuesday. We had asked the band to come five months ago, way before the album came out, but it didn’t come off. And then two days ago ago we heard it was happening.”

He added: “Foals are up there with Radiohead as one of the biggest Oxford bands ever. They are already huge, can headline any festival and are among the best British bands, so it’s quite cool that they still come in here to buy music.”

Among the youngest fans was 10 year-old Rowan Scourfield, from Hertfordshire, who was there with his brother Finn, and uncle Keir Thorogood, from Cowley, Oxford. Rowan said: “They are absolutely amazing. This is the first album I have bought, and I’m really pleased I met them.”

Friends Charlie Smith, André Norman and Dani Bonventre, all aged 18 and from Didcot are in the band Lightspill. Dani said: “I have been a fan since the second album, and they are the biggest influence on our music.”

What Went Down was recorded at the Studios La Fabrique, in the village of Saint-Rémy de Provence, in the south of France. The village is the birthplace of Nostradamus and was  where Van Gogh was hospitalised after chopping off part of his ear.

On Friday the band return to France, for a show in Paris, commencing a tour of Europe, South and Central America and then back to the UK in November. Details from foals.co.uk