Franz party Tonight

Franz' euphoric balloon and glitter-fest launches new album tracks

21 January 2009 - London nightclub Heaven was a suitably sweaty venue to see Franz Ferdinand launch their latest dancefloor orientated batch of songs.

The foot-stomping foursome showcased their third album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand as they kicked off a string of NME awards shows last night (20 January).

Tickets sold out faster than you can sing Ulysses, in just 20 minutes, and the sense of occasion was marked with an explosion of hundreds of white balloons and glitter during the finale, as the finisher This Fire rang out.

The encore also saw the band gather around the drum kit, each taking on a rhythm and section of kit, for a ear-splitting drum jam lead by Paul Thomson.

The catchy choruses of Matinee, Walk Away, Do You Want To, and of course their early hit Take Me Out, are so addictive that new songs were always going to have to fight hard to break through.

Tonight has significantly fewer sing-a-long chorus, big hitters than their flawless debut and number one follow up in 2005, You Could Have It So Much Better.

One fan gave 6 Music her take on the new material: "There were parts that were good and parts that were a bit sketchy, mainly because maybe I couldn’t sing along to the new songs and stuff. Some of the vocals weren't totally in tune as amazing as the other ones were.

"It's got a bit of the Gary Numan and Human League about it, the 80s vibe, which is really cool but the hooks of the first album, I don't think it necessarily has."

Once the album, which is released on Monday (26 Jan), has been digested by the music masses, there are a couple of notable festival anthems in there.

Those are No You Girls and the record’s first single Ulysses, a stand out moment mirrored by the rapturous romp amid the crowd.

Having been initially indifferent to its la la la’s, the song translated well to the live setting with its dirty synthesised beats rumbling underfoot.

The gig saw a sprightly frontman Alex Kapranos pirouetting, lunging and almost moon-walking around the stage, to a preying crowd split between adoring fans and a portion of ambivalence.

The encore also saw the band gather around the drum kit, each taking on a rhythm and section of kit, for a ear-splitting drum jam.

Kapranos’ voice was in good shape - Freddie Mercury-esque in parts - but for the new track Live Alone, which veered off key as the singer hit the chorus peaks, attributed only to the fact that their new material is less rehearsed.

At times, their tunes became all too similar, but they would swiftly reign things in with their prevalent onstage charisma and another earlier hit.

The electronic streak and at times harder garage rock elements on the new songs certainly created a hip-shaking buzz last night and by the time a few tomorrows pass (one hopes for the Glasvegian gents), Tonight: Franz Ferdinand will exceed expectations.

They were preceded by the psychedelic and bizarrely wonderful Atlanta band Of Montreal.

Although they had to tone things down somewhat for the support slot – at a recent gig the lead singer rode across the stage on a real life horse – they still mesmerised with their head spinning melodies and mad jams.

Not to mention their on stage side-kicks which took the form of a pig and priests smothering blood on a devil and warped gold Buddhas.

The finale saw Kevin Barnes dancing around with his head smothered in shaving foam, reminiscent of The Mighty Boosh’s moon character, such on stage antics keeping the punters totally engrossed throughout their set.

The series of NME awards shows will see the likes of Simian Mobile Disco, Black Lips and Metronomy headline gigs in the run up to the NME Awards ceremony on 25 February.
 
Hear Franz Ferdinand perform an exclusive hub session for Steve Lamacq on 6 Music today from 4pm-7pm.

See below for the set list:

No You Girls
The Dark Of The Matinee
Send Him Away
Do You Want To
Live Alone
Walk Away
Bite Hard
Take Me Out
Turn It On
40 ft
Michael
Ulysses
What She Came For
Outsiders
This Fire

Georgie Rogers