darts of pleasure

When you hear a lot of talk about how a show sold out within minutes, you expect said show to be pretty insane, right?

I wouldn't consider last night's Franz Ferdinand show to be insane, or anywhere near it.

However, the Scottish lads put on a great performance, and played all of the songs I was hoping ("Take Me Out," "40'," "The Dark of the Matinee," "The Fallen," "Do You Want To," etc...). It's just... to me, a show isn't just the band playing. In order to critique the experience, you need to take into account the audience.

Watch "Dark of the Matinee"

That being said, why the hell did I only see less than ten arms flailing about until the final song of the encore, "This Fire"?

I've seen Lee's in more of a hopping state. Granted, they were more dance oriented shows and Franz is more rock. But come on. I feel like Toronto's lost the meaning of rocking out! We need to get it back! Especially if you've been talking about the show for weeks. Even more especially for the fact that they played Lee's, not the Sound Academy or even Kool Haus.

Even so, last night it was clear how Franz takes dance beats and bass beats that can be used in any pop or electronic song, but they incorporate it into rock. This is amazing.

In October, front man Alex Kapranos explained their upcoming album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, out next year. (This tour was actually a pre-album one, but they only really played maybe 3 or 4 new songs, they sound awesome though.) Here's what he said:

It's "music of the night: to fling yourself around your room to as you psyche yourself for a night of hedonism, for the dance-floor, flirtation, for your desolate heart-stop, for losing it and loving losing it, for the chemical surge in your bloodstream."

Watch "The Fallen"

So, for the love of god Toronto, by the time Franz Ferdinand come back, you better be ready to dance.

Let's not forget... the band itself was fantastic. I was thinking Kapranos was a little awkward (I dont think he wears the leather jacket and pants the way a video costume design person must have told him he did back in 2004) and his voice could have used a little work, until 45 minutes in the set he whipped out his inhaler. Guitarist Nick McCarthy was obviously doing most of the work as he ran between guitar & keyboards, and the sometimes Big Foot-esque, sometimes pummel through the tunnel beat relationship between Bob Hardy & Paul Thompson was top notch.

Watch "Take Me Out"

Also, coming out of that night, I have rekindled my love for [now] Toronto-based band Born Ruffians. If you're one to get past Luke LaLonde's vocals, you'll find them amazing as well... brains lie behind tracks like "Hedonistic Me," "Coldness Hot," "Hummingbird," and "Badonkadonkey."