Music

Franz Ferdinand in Dublin

So it's a balmy late summer's evening in Ireland's capital city; you're an uber-hip British rock band who’ve sold over three and a half million copies of your debut album and then heard your second widely hailed as being even better; you’ve broken America, been called 'the most exciting band in the UK' by the broadsheets, and gathered a couple of Brits, a Mercury Award and an Ivor Novello to boot. You're used to playing to crowds of thousands. Surely you only have to wander on stage to rev up 250 fans summoned by last-minute text to this exclusive gig in Meeting House Square?

Franz Ferdinand, though, don't take anything for granted. An ecstatic introduction from a bespectacled Colin Murray and a flourish of heroic trumpet music herald their arrival on stage. 'Dublin, Do You Want To?' urges Alex Kapranos, grinning warmly, before the band tease us with a slowed down, swaggering slice of that song's My Sharona-esque hook. Soon we’re all swaying shyly to the funk-drenched bassline.

By the time the familiar rhythmic guitars of 'Matinee' slink in, Alex and the boys' quietly confident charm offensive is taking effect and the sway has become a collective stomp, traveling around the crowd like a Mexican wave. 'Nice to see a little bit of dancing' we're told

Franz Ferdinand exclusive footage

Check out exclusive video from Franz Ferdinand's Vodafone TBA gig at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar, Dublin.

View Franz Ferdinand footage

If there are such things as born entertainers, Franz Ferdinand are they. The band cemented their bond in 2002 in Glasgow while hosting a series of legendary warehouse parties at 'The Chateau', the makeshift rehearsal space where their sprawling influences (Bowie to Amerie, Morrissey to Dylan and way beyond) first converged to create something like nothing anyone had ever heard before. It takes a certain skill to throw parties that people remember for years – chiefly, knowing how to get your guests in the right mood, but also knowing your co-hosts quirks inside out: a united front being a solid base. It's a quality that stands them in good stead tonight.

The band specializes in crafting slick and insanely danceable three-minute pop songs, which refuse to conform – frequently by mutating into a completely different song half way through ('Take Me Out' and 'Do You Want To' being classic examples). It's a technique that really takes over on stage: in 'The Fallen', chopped up slices of juicy chords, overlaid with Alex's elegantly delivered, Pulp-ish lyrics suddenly make way for what sounds like a Scottish football chant at closing time in a dodgy pub, bellowed out as the boys hold their guitars aloft like pint glasses. Certainly keeps you on your toes.

"It was cool. I got so many text messages during the gig. There are a lot of jealous people out there. It's great."
Gary from Mayo

"I came with my sister, my brother and me. It was so fun. I did lots of dancing. They're a great band."
Alexander, Dublin

"Never seen them before and they were absolutely outstanding, one of the best live gigs I've ever been to. It's the best way to spend a Thursday evening. And I only found out about it on Tuesday when they sent around the free text."
Suzanna, Cork

'It's not bad here, is it?' reflects Alex, surveying the now highly animated crowd. 'Take off your clothes!' responds a girl at the back. It's about the only audience interaction (thankfully) not capitalized on. When – during the gentle, sunshiny 'L. Wells' – one fan incongruously takes it upon himself to initiate a spot of crowd-surfing, he is swiftly restrained by a pair of enthusiastic security guys. Like a record scratching to a halt, FF go silent: 'Hey! Leave him alone. He’s cool…' they say, before instructing the rest of us to give a round of applause to 'the guy who chose to crowd surf to the slowest song in our set…' Aww. Taking guest welfare to the max.

It's not just this caring, sharing vibe that makes the band's stage presence so engaging. All the way through, no stage position is sacred, no instrument preciously guarded by its owner: the devilishly handsome guitarist Nick McCarthy swanks sexily about the place, climbing up here, posturing over there; guitars are swapped; cymbals tickled by keyboardists. During the finale of final tune, 'Outsiders' (which brilliantly combines a Sister Sledge-y disco riff with the sound you’d get from a mythical 80s super-group), Paul Thomson finds his drumming assisted by the whole band, plus a very excited looking Colin Murray.

There's something hugely energizing about a live show so meticulously rehearsed and yet organic, with the band ready to improvise at the drop of a drumstick – makes us guests feel like we really are at the party of a lifetime.

And when it's all over, the group meet front of stage for a nice polite synchronised bow: very good hosts indeed.