Begrudgingly esteemed by many a musical anorak as one of the “better” guitar bands of recent years, Franz Ferdinand are apparently amidst a departure from said style in favour of a more experimental sound.
As they take to the intimate stage of Stirling’s ‘Fubar: Live Lounge’, the Glasgow-based boys look genuinely pleased to be here. Frontman Alex Kapranos begins proceedings with a typically charming “Good evening Stirling,” and effortlessly secures position of crowd firmly in palm of hand.

The raucous audience break into a unanimous and appreciative bounce as favourites ‘Dark of the Matinee’ and ‘Take Me Out’ predictably go down a storm, whilst the invitation to “come and dance with me” during the sexually androgynous ‘Michael’ certainly doesn’t fall on deaf ears. Teeth-itchingly loud drumming from Paul Thomson and female-friendly, blush-inducing grins from guitarist Nick McCarthy ensure that their frenetic, pop-perfect tunes steal the hearts of all in attendance.

New songs such as ‘A New Thrill’ and a reinvented ‘Can’t Stop Feeling’ see McCarthy switching between guitar and synthesiser, adding a distinctive electro element to their sound, albeit tamer than suggested on the musical grapevine. An encore ending with crowd-pleaser ‘This Fire’ sees Kapranos stage-dive into the delighted audience, as the final throes of the song well and truly bring the roof down.

Straight after the show, itm? got the chance for a quick natter with Franz singer Alex Kapranos…

Did you enjoy the gig?

AK– “It was brilliant! The crowd seemed to enjoy the new songs as well, they weren’t all just singing along to ‘Take Me Out’.

How does playing a smaller venue like ‘Fubar: Live Lounge’ compare with the larger gigs you are used to?

AK- “It’s great, when you play festivals and bigger venues you’re so far away from the crowd, so the intimacy of small venues like this is great. It’s nights like this that remind you why you wanted to be in a band in the first place. I almost lost a leg when I jumped into the crowd at the end though!”

What about the rumours that you’re bored with your sound and are giving up guitars?

AK- (Groans) “As soon as you mention anything like that it gets blown way out of proportion. You say once that you want to bring in a synth and that’s it, you hate your music!”

How important is it to you to support the local music scene?

AK- “It’s very important, there are so many great bands at the moment that aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. Bands like Isosceles and Sexy Kids - weird name I know - are just amazing, we can’t wait to play some shows with them.”

All photos from Colin McQuillen at TwoThumbsFresh Photography.
More gig shots at the TwoThumbsFresh flickr page