Franz Ferdinand pulled off a nice gig, no kidding. But for a band with so many dance-friendly hits and audience favourites, they don’t really return the outstanding response they get from the many Swedish fans throughout the concert. Alex Kapranos mentions a few songs in that he’s had a bit of a voice problem lately and it seems the entire band are already a little worn out from touring. I get a discomforting feeling that Stockholm is just another stop on an endlessly busy touring schedule.

Considering the proper outfits on their latest album cover and the electronic ventures the album delivers, they are quite sloppy dressed. And with the latest album’s title in mind, Franz Ferdinand do not put on a flashy show where the polished and hyped party mood shines through, despite brilliant large psychedelic and majestic imagery going on behind them. I feel more like I’m watching a pure post-punky indie rock gig and things only start to get truly interesting when songs from Tonight: Franz Ferdinand are played and the synths come forward to colour the band’s sound a little. I really do wish they would’ve given the newer material more space on a more frequent level. But the truth is Franz Ferdinand is a band with so much routine and so many energetic songs that the audience knows that they almost can’t fail a gig. Do You Want To, Take Me Out, The Dark Of The Matinee, Walk Away, What You Meant and many more (!) are all safe cards that run steady through their alcohol-drenched Scottish veins.

All in all, I’ve got not much to complain about. But I think the latest album carries some of the keys that may lead the band into new territories, even though these are already explored since long by many other bands. The past is important, indeed, but the present is crucial to progression. I saw it. I heard it. I saw it through the lucid screen installations while I heard it through songs like Ulysses and Lucid Dreams.

Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out

Franz Ferdinand - This Boy

Franz Ferdinand - Lucid Dreams (ysi)

BONUSES:

Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses (My Dear Disco Remix)

Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls (Zodiac Cartel Extended Mix) (ysi)