Beloved Scottish indie-rock band Franz Ferdinand is back on tour, and we couldn’t be happier that they made a stop at Austin’s own Emo’s on Wednesday, May 9. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, Franz Ferdinand has been dishing their post-punk jams since the early 2000s and has continued to surprise us throughout the years. Their most recent album, “Always Ascending” delivers a fresh take on their music while still staying true to their arty, dance-rock sound.
The band currently is comprised of Alex Kapranos (lead vocals, guitar, keyboard), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Paul Thomson (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Julian Corrie (keyboards, synthesiser, guitar, backing vocals), and Dino Bardot (guitar, backing vocals). Though a couple of band members have come and gone, Franz Ferdinand remains to be one of the funkiest, unique bands with a strange yet welcoming twist. The recently released music video for their track “Glimpse of Love” shares just a snippet of how entertainingly odd and colorful these guys are.
Their show at Emo’s was just as colorful, with Alex walking on stage in a hauntingly brilliant manner, staring slowly at the crowd before jumping right in to their first song of the night. Their presence was so dense in the insanely packed Emo’s (quite possibly the most packed I’ve ever seen it), and the whole crowd reflected back just as much energy as the band put forth (high enough to set a fire).
We all danced and sang the night away, as if all the members of Franz Ferdinand were good friends that we hadn’t seen in a long time and nothing had changed. Alex and his band mates graced us with their groovy moves and tunes that had us feeling both nostalgic and lively, and as soon as they began strumming that first chord of “Take Me Out,” the crowd (including myself) FREAKED. OUT.
The full set was nearly two hours of pure, sweaty fun (they brought the heat both literally and figuratively), and though we may have gotten bumped around a few times from fellow Franz fans, it was completely worth it. Songs in the set list included the following (bolded with links are my personal favorites):
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The Dark of the Matinee
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The Fallen
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Lois Lane
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Walk Away
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Finally
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Love Illumination
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The Academy Award
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Feel the Love Go
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Ulysses
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Lazy Boy
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Evil Eye
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This Fire
Check out the full photo gallery of Franz Ferdinand below.
Want to see where Franz Ferdinand is headed next? Check out their website http://franzferdinand.com/. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more music coverage!
Leigh is a native Texan gone temporary New Yorker and now proud Austinite. Passions include but are not limited to music (both as a spectator and dabbler), traveling & cultural adventures, film & television, true crime, design (of the fashion, interior, and graphic sorts), and photographing & writing about all the aforementioned. Self-acclaimed coffee connoisseur & wino, cat aficionado, book worm, and nature junkie.