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This time last year Franz Ferdinand weren't even on the musical radar of the vast majority of people (myself included), yet in the space of twelve months they've become the darlings of the indie scene, charmed the summer festival circuit, bagged themselves the Mercury Music Prize for their outstanding debut album, and now find themselves headlining three sold out nights at London's Brixton Academy.
The first of tonight's two supports comes from Bob Log III, a multi-instrumentatlist in a jumpsuit and flight helmet who plays what can only be described as thrash accoustic guitar. We only caught the last four songs, but I suspect that was enough.
Next up are Franz labelmates The Kills, a boy/girl duo who are reminiscent of early PJ Harvey in both attitude and sound. The singer, a tall, thin cross between Polly Jean and a young Siouxsie stalks the stage with a commanding presence while the guitarist gives the crowd a constant thousand yard stare. The songs, while essentially walls of noise that Phil Spector would be proud of, also contain enough passion and emotion to keep the crowd's attention, and they manage to hold their own against now packed to the rafters Brixton Academy that is baying for the Franzie Boys. As soon as The Kills leave the stage a white curtain comes down with a picture of the arch-duke himself on it and you can literally feel the anticipation in the air.
The lights go down and the band are are silhouetted on the curtain in 'ready to rock' pose for a few seconds, teasing the roraring crowd, before the curtain drops and they launch into 'Michael'. The stripped down set and the band's smart attire conjour up images of 60s beat combos and guitarist Nicholas McCarthy in particular looks like he's just stepped off stage at Al's Diner and onto that of the Academy. In fact, so much of the media attention is focused on Alex Kapranos that the sheer enthusiasm and energy with which McCarthy worked the stage almost as a double act with Kapranos, switiching effortlessly between guitar and keyboards, came as a pleasant surpise. An honourable mention also to the ultra-tight rhythm section of drummer Paul Thomson and bassist Rob Hardy, who seemed content to let the other two monopolise the spotlight whileproviding a faultless backline for them.
'Tell Her Tonight' and 'Auf Achse' followed swiftly, keeping the crowd well and truly worked up, and then we get the first of three new songs. 'This Boy', which along with 'I'm Your Villain' and 'Your Diary', both delivered later in the set, suggest that Franz Ferdinand are no one album wonder, and that come the release of their second album next year, they'll either be stepping up to the London arena circuit or booking themselves in for a week at the Academy. All three feature huge hooks, and in 'I'm Your Villain' we get enough time changes to keep even the most ardent Rush fan happy.
The biggest response of the night comes, inevitably, for 'Take Me Out', which has the Brixton crowd pogoing like their life depended on it, and the band whirling around the stage like Taz on speed. The entire album gets an airing tonight, along with b-sides 'Van Tango', 'Love and Destroy', and encore opener 'Shopping For Blood' (complete with the aforementioned Bob Log III guesting on drums and beating them to within an inch of their lives).
New US single 'This Fire' closes the show, with the band in such high spirits that Kapranos and McCarthy even venture into the photographer's pit, grinning ear to ear, to get closer to the crowd, and then it's all over, the band linking hands for a curtain call as we make our way, satisfied and entertained, into the London night.
The first of tonight's two supports comes from Bob Log III, a multi-instrumentatlist in a jumpsuit and flight helmet who plays what can only be described as thrash accoustic guitar. We only caught the last four songs, but I suspect that was enough.
Next up are Franz labelmates The Kills, a boy/girl duo who are reminiscent of early PJ Harvey in both attitude and sound. The singer, a tall, thin cross between Polly Jean and a young Siouxsie stalks the stage with a commanding presence while the guitarist gives the crowd a constant thousand yard stare. The songs, while essentially walls of noise that Phil Spector would be proud of, also contain enough passion and emotion to keep the crowd's attention, and they manage to hold their own against now packed to the rafters Brixton Academy that is baying for the Franzie Boys. As soon as The Kills leave the stage a white curtain comes down with a picture of the arch-duke himself on it and you can literally feel the anticipation in the air.
The lights go down and the band are are silhouetted on the curtain in 'ready to rock' pose for a few seconds, teasing the roraring crowd, before the curtain drops and they launch into 'Michael'. The stripped down set and the band's smart attire conjour up images of 60s beat combos and guitarist Nicholas McCarthy in particular looks like he's just stepped off stage at Al's Diner and onto that of the Academy. In fact, so much of the media attention is focused on Alex Kapranos that the sheer enthusiasm and energy with which McCarthy worked the stage almost as a double act with Kapranos, switiching effortlessly between guitar and keyboards, came as a pleasant surpise. An honourable mention also to the ultra-tight rhythm section of drummer Paul Thomson and bassist Rob Hardy, who seemed content to let the other two monopolise the spotlight whileproviding a faultless backline for them.
'Tell Her Tonight' and 'Auf Achse' followed swiftly, keeping the crowd well and truly worked up, and then we get the first of three new songs. 'This Boy', which along with 'I'm Your Villain' and 'Your Diary', both delivered later in the set, suggest that Franz Ferdinand are no one album wonder, and that come the release of their second album next year, they'll either be stepping up to the London arena circuit or booking themselves in for a week at the Academy. All three feature huge hooks, and in 'I'm Your Villain' we get enough time changes to keep even the most ardent Rush fan happy.
The biggest response of the night comes, inevitably, for 'Take Me Out', which has the Brixton crowd pogoing like their life depended on it, and the band whirling around the stage like Taz on speed. The entire album gets an airing tonight, along with b-sides 'Van Tango', 'Love and Destroy', and encore opener 'Shopping For Blood' (complete with the aforementioned Bob Log III guesting on drums and beating them to within an inch of their lives).
New US single 'This Fire' closes the show, with the band in such high spirits that Kapranos and McCarthy even venture into the photographer's pit, grinning ear to ear, to get closer to the crowd, and then it's all over, the band linking hands for a curtain call as we make our way, satisfied and entertained, into the London night.
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