A night in the company of Franz Ferdinand will leave you craving more guitar bands to return. The faces in the crowd may be slightly older and the lager might be significantly more expensive than in the early 00s, but one thing that never changes is the powerhouse performances from one of the UK’s most enduring Indie Rock bands.
This album launch, programmed by Jacaranda Records, balanced brand new tracks and old favourites, with frontman Alex Kapranos gently reminding the crowd not to cheer quite so loudly every time he announces a classic track is incoming. But he makes a good point - although the 00s are now sufficiently distant to be nostalgic about, we shouldn’t forget that seasoned bands can still produce great music. ‘Audacious’, the lead single from their new record ‘The Human Fear’ backs up this claim with aplomb, with an intro riff that hooks you and a singalong chorus to reel you in.
There are some stylistic tinkerings on the band’s new tracks, the notable inclusion of backing synths adding a layer of psychedelia that we don’t normally associate with Franz Ferdinand’s usual brand of explosive riff-laden tracks.
But admittedly, there’s an excitable buzz in the crowd when they play their great tracks from the not-so-distant past. By the fifth song ‘Walk Away’ the audience are slowly shedding their polite sensibilities and by ‘Michael’ the sticky Rock and Roll dance floor is in full swing. Alex holds the audience in the palm of his hand throughout an extended version of ‘This Fire’ during the encore, with a verse-chorus cycle that apparently we can slow mosh to for eternity.
The Dome at Grand Central is an atmospheric old school venue, and one criminally underused in Liverpool. It suited the grandeur of the performance perfectly and made for a stunning, high-energy evening. A pipe burst and flooded the toilets and no one seemed to mind - because this was Saturday night, this was Rock and Roll.
Comments