New Year, New Album, New Energy. I'm Hooked!
It was a privilege to be at the first of two sold-out outstore album launch shows in the Liquid Rooms for Franz Ferdinand's new album The Human Fear. Especially since the band still manages to sell out huge venues within minutes of tickets going on sale, the Liquid Rooms is a great smaller venue, with the band on stage at most only a few yards away from the majority of the crowd. It promised to be something special and delivered and then some. Just wow!
Outstore album gigs are unusual for a few reasons; they’re typically shorter sets than most gigs - as this was, at around 50 minutes; generally, the band runs through the new album tracks with a few classics added on the end – this set was mixed with new songs and familiar anthems throughout; plus, this was an early start for this show with doors at 5.30 for a 6.45 stage time (to accommodate for the second show at 8.00). No bad thing on a Sunday evening for DJ Gez, Gig-Antics Stu and Edinburgh Gigeratti Ian as it would mean an earlier finish and getting our old bones home at a reasonable time (a much better fit for us as our pre-gig chat testified to; corn plasters and bad feet, what’s the best tog level for a winter duvet and tales of someone’s cousin’s mishap with an electric blanket and bodily fluids. Rock n roll or what, people!?).
Even though we were in 15 minutes after doors open, joining the queue to get in that was halfway down the street, the crowd was already 5 or 6 deep, crushed to the front of the stage by the time we got inside (another testament to the appetite and excitement for this gig).
The crowd roared the band on stage, who kicked off with one of the standouts from the new album, Night Or Day, led by the uber-showman Alex Kapranos, who spent the whole set bouncing back and forward across the stage smiling, waving, pointing to and shaking hands with what seemed like most of the crowd. Expecting another new track to follow this, they surprised everyone with the classic No You Girls and the place was bouncing along to the ever-upbeat tune.
After a bit of ‘Hello Edinburgh!’ and thanking Assai Records for putting on the shows (yes, Thank you Assai!), they treated us to another couple of new songs, The Doctor and Audacious. One upbeat, the other a bit more introspective but both carrying that unmistakeable Franz Ferdinand sound that no other band comes close to. And Alex had the crowd singing along in chorus to Audacious that I’m sure will be a future anthem of gigs to come once these songs make their way into regular setlists.
Another throwback with Walking Away brough the tempo down a bit before more handshakes and waves with the crowd, Alex noting fans from Italy, Argentina and Brazil at the barrier up front and he genuinely seemed surprised and honoured fans have gone to such lengths to come that far for this show. Into another couple of bouncing new tracks, Build It Up and Bar Lonely (again, both catchy singalong FF-esque numbers that immediately feel comfortingly familiar). I mentioned it was a comparatively short show, but even at this point, only eight songs in, it felt like we’d had a full, Franz-tastic set already.
Now well into the some new/some classics pattern they absolutely blew the roof off with Do You Want To and Take Me Out. I know it was only Alex and Bob Hardy on bass from the original line up, with Julian, Dino and Audrey having been more recent additions (although all with a good few years in the band now under their belts), the sound was unmistakeably glorious. The older songs had a bit more pace and a bit more rock sound than I expected (a good thing) and as a band they were so tight and just incredible. Absolutely outstanding.
The set had a couple of my favourites from the new album to round things off, with the electro-heavy Hooked and then The Birds (I’d given it a good few plays over the weekend since it was released and had gotten to know some of the standout tracks), then closing the set with one of their first tracks This Fire to finish on a high (for us at least, they were back on in little over an hour to do it all again. I don’t think that would have been a problem, they looked like they were enjoying themselves as much as we were).
So, twelve songs, fifty minutes, a cracking live set in a venue ten times smaller than we had the right to see them in, and only two weeks into 2025 already a strong contender for my gig of the year in my book.
If you’ve not listened to the album, buy it. If you’ve got a ticket for any of their upcoming gigs, you’re in for a treat. If you don’t have a ticket and can go, you should (good luck getting one though). And then, if you’re not already, you’ll soon be Hooked!
Great review Danny - hope I’m as lucky in getting tickets for their gig in Lisbon!