Jumping With Franz Ferdinand

At the height of their fame Franz Ferdinand started playing the bigger venues. At the same time it looked as if they weren't enjoying themselves anymore. Things had to change and the band took a long break. In the meantime their fame slowly started to fade again. But last year they returned with a strong new album and an impressive and energetic show at the Lowlands Festival. Now they were going to play Paradiso, a smaller venue than usual and this could only mean one thing: party!



Franz Ferdinand at Paradiso Amsterdam, June 12 2014

First Dutch new wave band Rats on Rafts are going to warm us up. It's no secret Franz Ferdinand singer Alex Kopranos is a big fan, so it's no surprise they are the support act. They play a rough and dark set of songs, heavy on reverb. The band has grown over the years and they start to sound really tight. Their newly released single 'Powder Monkey' sounds great as well, so things look really promising for this band.



Things have changed for Franz Ferdinand since their long break from fame. The band looks a lot more relaxed on stage and it seems they have found a way of dealing with their place in a famous band and with each other. Kopranos is smiling throughout the show, looks very pleased and is without a doubt enjoying himself a lot. No one can stand still when they start playing, including Kopranos himself, who is doing split jumps from time to time. There's a lot of energy on stage and in the crowd who have come here to party. On the last album the band is emphasizing that they want us to dance, by including disco influences like on 'Can't Stop Feeling'. This proves to be very effective live as well.



But of course the band did write so many great songs that no one can resist and should get everyone moving. They may not always be very original but they are so effective. Every single one of their records has at least a few irresistible dancing tunes. And they are all in the setlist tonight: 'The Dark of the Matinée', 'Tell Her Tonight', 'Do You Want To', it doesn't take much to get this crowd going wild. In the middle the four are kind of slowing down, but just when you think they are letting it slip away, they knock out one killer after one another: 'Michael', 'Take Me Out', 'Love Illumination', 'Ulysses' are back to back and Paradiso explodes.



On 'Outsiders' the band gather around Paul Thomson's drum set to hit the shit out of it. Then they leave the stage for a short break. Which hit songs didn't they play yet? Of course we're still waiting for 'Right Action' and 'This Fire'. They close the night with 'Goodbye Lovers & Friends', a fitting end to an amazing evening. And the best part? We get to see them again next week on the Best Kept Secret festival. Mental note to myself: bring dancing shoes.



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Setlist:
01. Bullet
02. No You Girls
03. The Dark of the Matinée
04. Evil Eye
05. Tell Her Tonight
06. Do You Want To
07. The Fallen
08. Fresh Strawberries
09. Walk Away
10. Stand on the Horizon
11. Can't Stop Feeling
12. Auf Achse
13. Brief Encounters
14. Lucid Dreams
15. Michael
16. Take Me Out
17. Love Illumination
18. Ulysses
19. Outsiders
Encore
20. Right Action
21. This Fire
22. Goodbye Lovers & Friends