Franz Ferdinand at Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Like the best group of friends, Glasgow indie veterans Franz Ferdinand come on stage looking like they’re all heading to or coming from a different occasion: from a corporate meeting in Canary Wharf to a night out in Soho. The band’s storytelling, with its trademark youthful defiance and humour, takes us back to their early 2000s heyday, back when Take Me Out made its debut on MTV, a core memory for this writer and many others. But – much to their credit – it never feels forced or dated. If perhaps a bit more tired and not as obsessed with making girls dance as they used to be (the girls did dance, though) they yet still carry that same cheeky aura. And everyone seems to be basking in it.
At times, the line between performer and crowd blurs completely. During Walk Away, for instance, the audience’s voices almost overpower the band as everyone belts out “the sound of you walking away” in unison. Then, after new track Everydaydreamer, from latest album The Human Fear, lulls the room into a sway, Kapranos ends with a hermetic sentence: “I had a dream,” he says, “it said –” only to then immediately catapult into the riff of Do You Want To. The abrupt shift from a newer mellow tune to the 2005 dance-rock classic is a fun moment that keeps the energy up. Guess we will never know what the dream was about.
Audacious lives up to its name when Kapranos introduces it by announcing, “I think what we need right now is a riff!” – an audacious move indeed, with a barrage of guitars and a funky groove. Later, a small hiccup turns into one of the highlights during Black Eyelashes, Franz Ferdinand’s take on Greek rebetiko. This little gem of a song is unlike anything they’ve made before. After flubbing the intro, Kapranos bursts into laughter and confesses “I f***** that up massively!”. Once they get it right, though, the rock ballad proves to be irresistibly danceable – a slinky number that has everyone swaying and clapping along. Mistake forgotten. By the time the unmistakable opening riff of Take Me Out rings through, near the end of the main set, the energy reaches its peak. Even after nearly two decades, the impact of the indie anthem hasn’t dimmed one bit.
Throughout the set, the band maintains a relentless momentum. The lighting design shifting to match each song’s mood is also a clever touch – from blues during the moody, bass-driven grooves to explosive red strobes for the big guitar anthems. Overall, their energy, the intimacy of the venue and the unshakable bond between Franz Ferdinand and their fans create an atmosphere you wish you could bottle. 20 years later, we are all still those kids watching MTV, turns out.
Benedetta Mancusi
Photos: Virginie Viche
For further information and future events visit Franz Ferdinand’s website here.
Watch the video for the single Audacious here:
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