A nice sweaty Thursday evening was had by all at the Riviera with some of Scotland’s finest exports. Yep, the stylish boys of Franz Ferdinand are touring in support of their third album, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, and delivered those new tracks with charisma and some added oomph that seems missing from the album. The sold out crowd responded passionately to both new and old songs—most notably the iPod Touch commercial track of “No You Girls,” and its commercial predecessor, “Take Me Out” (for Playstation).
Stage presence is not a problem for these affable lads, with singer Alex Kapranos charming the pants off anyone within a decent radius. Clad in slim striped trousers, Kapranos leapt high and leaned into the crowd with ease, simultaneously playing the perfect showman and keeping the atmosphere casual and more intimate than the Riviera really allows. But his breezy demeanor is magnetic, and you find yourself easily fixated on his every move as he struts, poses and repeatedly jumps a good couple of feet off the ground for dramatic effect.
The other guys in the band clearly take a backseat to Kapranos, with the exception of Mr. Nicholas McCarthy. Last night, the attention toward McCarthy was due to his foot injury which had him hobbling on crutches, hopping from the keys to the guitar and back. He seemed to be a in lot of pain actually, but it was a testament to the band’s professionalism for not canceling. Many other bands would have used the excuse to postpone or cancel, and they simply had a good laugh about it and soldiered on and still seemed to be having a pretty good time.
Curiously, the band front-loaded the set with the most popular tracks—the aforementioned “No You Girls” and “Take Me Out,” along with “Do You Want To,” “Michael,” and “The Dark of the Matinee.” But the latter part of the set didn’t suffer as a result. It was just proof that even the lesser known tracks that never made it out as singles are solid and engaging. The new songs also seem really vibrant live, and the band took the opportunity to extend some of the electronic based stuff into lengthy instrumental jams. Not what I think of at all when I think of Franz Ferdinand, and yet it worked remarkable well. Opening band Born Ruffians even joined the extended jam of “Lucid Dreams.”
The Riviera’s sound was responsible for my only complaint, and the band tried to overcome it as best they could. That’s where a Scottish accent, a cool haircut and a truckload of charm comes in handy. I felt like I was the only person who was bothered by the tinny sound during guitar solos and some of the vocal being muddied. Again, it’s a compliment to Franz because it didn’t detract from the show as a whole—it just left me wishing they’d played somewhere else. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the next time they come to town!
I saw these guys live a few years ago. They put on really fun shows. I have the new album but haven't gotten around to listening to it. Hope it's as good as the previous stuff.
Posted by: THX7168 | 05/06/2009 at 10:03 PM
Show was recorded for WXRT. It will be broadcast on their Sunday night concert series sometime soon, but I don't know when.
Posted by: mychelle | 05/02/2009 at 10:15 PM
They also mentioned that some radio station in Chicago was recording the show... do you know where I can view/hear it?
Posted by: Choong | 05/01/2009 at 08:36 PM
do you happen to have the entire setlist from the show?
Posted by: Juli | 05/01/2009 at 03:28 PM