Date: June 13th 2007

The venue is so small that Alex Kapranos happily informs us that he can speak and be heard without his microphone – by way of demonstration – and he isn’t lying. This is the third and last of the ‘secret shows’ that the band are playing in order to road test some new songs before their appearance at Bannaroo festival. And for those who have been queuing since the early hours, the anticipation is unbearable.

Like in the days of old, the evening kicks off with ‘Jacqueline’ and escalates from there. Favourites such as ‘Dark Of The Matinée’ and ‘The Fallen’ have the front lines hopping, but distressingly – except for a few stray pockets of people – the crowd lacks in energy usually seen at a Franz Ferdinand show. It may be the work of age restriction, an abundance of industry types or just too many jaded New Yorkers that are often seen plaguing the smaller venues. But being good showmen, the band keep the hits coming, and those who came to enjoy a show get their money’s worth.

Out of the five new selections, ‘Favourite Lie’, with a bass beat that makes hips swivel compulsively and a lyric that may or may not be “sex is a sweaty job”, and ‘Turn It On’, the oft mentioned but never heard song scrapped from sessions for the second album, are the clear favourites. The new tunes are still damn catchy and now they come with even more synths and keyboard work to accentuate the guitars. Think ‘Outsiders’, but screechier. For the encore a bottle of Scotch makes its rounds, there are “beautiful boys [and girls] on a beautiful dancefloor”, and the stage gets invaded, rounding off the night.

Having been absent for over a year from these shores, this show does wonders to renew the spirits and dedication of their fans. And though it is not legendary, it’s more than memorable for its quirkiness.

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Gallery: Franz Ferdinand – June 13th 2007

Previously published on This Is Fake DIY.