They were greeted with a hero’s welcome as they took to the
stage in a peculiar ensemble of mismatched black and white outfits and
delivered a raucous set of their characteristically sharp, witty and undeniably
catchy hits, spanning almost two hours. Opening song Bullet, from their new album Right
Thoughts, Right Words, Right Actions, set the show off to a swinging start
followed by toe-tapping favourite The Dark of the Matinee.
Whilst the crowd responded enthusiastically enough to new
hits Evil Eye and Fresh Strawberries, it was the classic hits
from the bands back catalogue that really lifted the roof. No You Girls, Do You Want To and Take Me Out were
the obvious fan favourites, with fans eagerly snatching the chorus from
frontman Alex Kapranos leaving him with little to do in the way of getting the
crowd going.
Note-perfect singer and guitarist Alex was not the most
flamboyant or talkative of frontmen, but he had an undeniable stage presence
and commanded the show with ease. Alex and rhythm guitarist, Nick McCarthy, were undoubtedly
the leaders of the show, with both giving an admirably energetic and spirited
performance which led fans into a sweat-fuelled, po-going frenzy.
It was a shame their enthusiasm failed to be matched by bass
player, Bob Hardy, who barely raised a smile through the entire set and looked
decidedly unenthused by the whole event. Despite a rather reserved performance from Bob, the set did
maintain its pace throughout and the band should be commended for their
fantastic instrumental interludes.
The instrumental sections of the show, including a drum solo
performed by all members of the band at the end of Outsiders, perfectly
showcased their superb musical talents reminding fans exactly why they are a
platinum-selling band.
The band delivered an impressive lengthy encore, with singer
Alex taking a request from a fan at the front to play Jacqueline, before
closing the show with This Fire and Goodbye Lovers & Friends.
After delivering an exciting live show with an impressive
array of infectiously catchy hits, Franz Ferdinand have proved that time hasn’t
taken away any of their charm or shine.
