ACL Live Shot: Franz Ferdinand
Chic meets the Clash in Glasgow
By Tim Stegall, 10:28AM, Mon. Oct. 7, 2013
Going by evidence presented all weekend at ACL Fest, of all the bands of their generation, Franz Ferdinand might be the only one with a sense of humor.
You can see it in the deliberately cartoonish oversized guitar amps with huge dials, knobs, and red lights erected in front of their actual backline. You can hear it as they morph one of their songs into Donna Summer's “I Feel Love.”
The Glaswegian New Wave revivalists prove a master class in taut, muscular rock & roll and how to engage and entertain even the largest audience. Franz Ferdinand was the one band I saw on the Samsung Galaxy stage that put on a calisthenic, action-packed show displaying an active stage presence with no light show or flashing video displays.
Leader Alex Kapranos’ stage banter was witty without any cliched “All right, Austin!” condescension. The quartet worked up a lean, aggressive assault that was simple but angular, dovetailing Chic into the Clash.
So engaging was the band, even songs from the disappointing new Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action took on a new life in performance. Once career-making hits “Take Me Out” and “This Fire” exploded off the stage, Franz Ferdinand owned this weekend. They’re true stars.
For more ACL Fest coverage, see austinchronicle.com/acl. For photo galleries from the fest, see austinchronicle.com/photos.
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
Richard Whittaker, Oct. 13, 2013
Dec. 8, 2023
Aug. 11, 2023
Franz Ferdinand, ACL Fest 2013, Alex Kapranos, Donna Summer, Chic, Clash