Franz Ferdinand: Live In Scotland 26/09/2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Strathpeffer Pavilion: ★★★★★

Where I stayed: My house

SETLIST:

The Dark Of The Matinée
No You Girls
Audacious (Live debut)
Walk Away
Do You Want To
The Doctor (World debut)
Michael
Darts Of Pleasure
Bar Lonely (World debut)
Love Illumination
Night Or Day (World debut)
Take Me Out
Ulysses
Hooked (World debut)
Outsiders
This Fire
Jacqueline (Encore)
The Birds (World debut/Encore)

The last time I saw Franz Ferdinand was in November 2022, two days before I travelled to California on holiday. Coincidentally, FF announced they were performing at Strathpeffer Pavilion, a local venue, two days before my trip to Florida. I hope I can make it a tradition as I have really enjoyed my time in the States and still had their songs in my head the whole time, as they are so catchy. I worked all morning but the thought of the gig later kept me energised. I recalled FF putting on a tremendous show in Glasgow and I was curious how different it would be seeing them in this relatively small venue, instead of the famous 14,300 capacity OVO Hydro. This was the first of three intimate shows dotted around Scotland (the next two being further south, in Stirling and Dumfries), in order for the band to practice their newest songs in front of live audiences and gauge their reactions. I didn’t realise most of them had never been heard before and only ‘Audacious’ from their new album, ‘The Human Fear’, due to be released in January next year, had been made available online. It was a very special show, topped off by being the first one I have fully driven to and back home again. It was only taking place in the village next to me, which was about a ten minute drive, but I consider it a milestone since I am a nervous driver. I arrived early to make sure I got a parking spot and queued half an hour before we were allowed in, since there were only a handful of fans waiting by that point and it had been pouring rain. The doors opened more or less on time at around 7pm and I headed straight to the barrier, bypassing the merch stall and bar, though I made a mental note to buy a t-shirt at the end of the night.

The opening act had been a complete mystery, as there was no information on my ticket or any of the other advertisements. It ended up being an all-female band named Brenda, who, like FF, originated from Glasgow. The band is composed of Litty Hughes (guitar), Apsi Witana (drums) and Flore de Hoog (synths). I enjoyed how each of the members had their chance to showcase their vocals and really shine. They each have beautiful voices, though I couldn’t quite get into their quirky style. They chatted a lot between songs and were obviously a big hit with most of the people in the room, who were constantly cheering and laughing along. To me, their songs felt more like awkward psychedelic poetry readings and, although thematically interesting, came across as repetitive. My negative opinion must be in the minority, as I overheard people praising them and asking each other to clarify the name of the band so they could find them on Spotify. They spoke about their song ‘Night Sweats’, which is about premenopause, and kept making jokes about it throughout the evening. They also spent some time plugging their new song, ‘Foot Fetish’. All I can say is it’s no wonder they expressed their embarrassment performing songs with such personal themes in front of their family members on the night. It was definitely an entertaining start to the evening, even if their songs weren’t completely to my taste. They were undeniably charismatic and skilled at playing their respective instruments. I could also tell they were incredibly passionate about their work, which is always nice to witness. I was confused to see MÀNRAN merchandise being sold alongside Brenda’s and wondered if the two bands were linked but I think the venue was just taking the opportunity to advertise an upcoming show. Brenda had some hilarious clothing items which would certainly turn heads if worn in public. They deemed most of the merch inappropriate when they were advertising them, to pique everyone’s curiosity.

FF came onstage at 9pm and immediately got the crowd jumping with one of their most popular songs, ‘The Dark Of The Matinée’. Alex Kapranos is very suave and an excellent frontman. I think he could play the next James Bond. The band also currently includes Dino Bardot (guitar), Bob Hardy (bass), Miaoux Miaoux (keyboard) and Audrey Tait (drums). We were treated to several brand-new songs neatly sprinkled throughout the setlist and the members seemed curious about how well they were being perceived. I was in my element, knowing what a rare experience this night was for all of us lucky enough to snag tickets. However, I can’t help but feel the unknown songs were taking most other fans out of the moment. It is hard to engage with songs you have never heard before and even more difficult to sing along, especially if you came looking to party. I hope AK wasn’t too disheartened by the quiet crowd, who were probably just soaking all of the new material in. They also might have been doing some head-scratching, since the new songs sound substantially different to what we are used to getting from FF. They appear to be going in a different direction with this upcoming album and I am excited about it, as the songs are more pop-oriented and in line with what I usually listen to. The band introduced themselves a little into the set and I thought it was unnecessary, seeing how well-known they are, though it successfully broke the ice. There was a minor technical issue halfway through and AK got us to use the extra time to applaud Brenda, who he was proud to have as their support act. He was happy to see people singing along to their hits as well as the lesser known songs, which surely gave him hope we would come to adore the new songs in time. I caught a guitar pick at the end, after it was tossed into the middle of the crowd by a crew member. It is identical to the one I got from The Feeling, except orange instead of yellow. I wish it had the band name written on it, so I could have proper bragging rights. My favourite song of the night was possibly the classic ‘Walk Away’. Their biggest song, ‘Take Me Out’, received the most enthusiastic reaction and had everyone moving. I hadn’t listened to the band for a while, so some of these gorgeous songs were sitting in the back of my mind. I enjoyed being reminded how great they are. I found ‘Hooked’ to be the catchiest of the new songs, as it is the only one I remember well. They kept ‘The Birds’ for the last song of the encore, so the band must hold it in high regard. I look forward to hearing it again, so I can relive the night.

I was full of adrenaline when the night came to a close and didn’t want to think about having to go home. I hung around the merch stall for a while, waiting for people to gradually exit. I noticed someone had a t-shirt with the album artwork for ‘The Human Fear’ on it and Strathpeffer Pavilion as well as the other two venues and dates on the back, so I aimed to grab one before I left. Somehow I ended up with a totally different design, as it was the only one I saw folded up on the table by the time I got there. Mine has a plain FF logo on the front and is blank on the back but I don’t mind, as I am delighted to own one of their t-shirts. I wasted absolutely no time showing it off, having already worn it throughout the airport. It took me a long time to fall asleep after all of the excitement, even though I had to get up early for work the following morning. It was worth staying up late for, as they are one of the most impressive bands I have encountered. FF are now off on their world tour and did a string of dates in Mexico directly after their mini Scottish tour, where we were the guinea-pigs. The entire list of tour dates can be found on their official website. It was lovely seeing them in such a small setting with some of their biggest fans. I couldn’t believe I got to the front row so easily and could admire the band up close. AK is very good at interacting with the crowd and made sure everyone in his line of sight felt seen and included. I highly recommend seeing them on their main tour if you can get a ticket. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for future Scottish dates.

GALLERY