Monday 6 July 2015

On Stage: FFS



American synth pop band Sparks have been around for more than fourty years and influenced many artists along the way including Franz Ferdinand. They met each other years ago and decided to work together, which finally happened years later and led to their first self titled collaborative album earlier this year as FFS. When Franz Ferdinand released their last album it was clear the Scottish band reinvented themselves, which became even more obvious at their live shows. The show together with Sparks promised to be quite a night.

FFS at Melkweg Amsterdam, July 2 2015



The sold out show on this hot summer's night results in a sticky, but merry atmosphere in the packed main hall. It turns even euphoric when the band takes the stage and kicks off with the catchy 'Johnny Delusional'. Alex Kapranos and Russell Mael are both at the front leading the pack and tonight's festivities. It suits them well and the rest are in a great mood too, judging from the smiles on their faces. It's obvious both groups are enjoying the collaboration and their time on stage.



Even Ron Mael who always sits grumpy behind his keyboard, changes his act for a moment to do a silly dance. Next to the FFS songs that sound fresh and convincing, some hits from both bands are mixed in. Songs like Franz Ferdinand's 'Do You Wanna' and Sparks' 'The Number One Song In Heaven' are greeted with equal excitement. Although it looks like the biggest part of the crowd are Franz Ferdinand fans, everyone tonight has embraced this wonderful combination.



The catchy side of Franz Ferdinand that works so well in songs like 'Take Me Out' surprisingly mixes perfectly with the bombastic theatrical side of a classic Sparks song like 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us'. I guess it works so well is because they simply do what they each do best and don't try to force it. Despite they sing it themselves in the closing song of tonight, 'Collaborations Don't Work', this one actually does, simply because it's not a collaboration. It's more than that, it's a band.



More Pictures

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Setlist:
01. Johnny Delusional
02. The Man Without A Tan
03. Save Me from Myself
04. Police Encounters
05. Do You Want To
06. The Power Couple
07. Little Guy From The Suburbs
08. Things I Won't Get
09. So Desu Ne
10. The Number One Song in Heaven
11. Michael
12. This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us
13. Dictator's Son
14. Take Me Out
15. Piss Off
Encore
16. When Do I Get to Sing "My Way"
17. Call Girl
18. Collaborations Don't Work


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