Franz Ferdinand review: Albert Halls, Stirling

“Hooked was a fidgety art synth pop number in the vein of previous collaborators Sparks”

Franz Ferdinand are back with a new album The Human Fear cleared for take-off in January, and showcased at a short run of relatively intimate gigs on home turf.

A handful of juicy new songs received their world premieres the previous night in Strathpeffer and were captured for radio at this Stirling show. Taster single Audacious is already out there, confirmed live as an instant earworm with a big glam chorus and ELO-style pomp pop flourishes.

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Hooked was a fidgety art synth pop number in the vein of previous collaborators Sparks with frontman Alex Kapranos revelling in the realisation that “I thought I knew what love was, aha you got me good”.

From this angle Night Or Day also sounded like a love song, Franz-style, while there was a touch of cult band The Cardiacs in the hectic synths and nosebleed pace of The Doctor, with Kapranos declaring “I feel so much better”.

The rest of the set was crammed with all-killer favourites from the wiry Michael to the wired Love Illumination via the groovy ghoulish Evil Eye and mellifluous singalong Walk Away to the exultant Ulysses and their immortal multi-part anthem Take Me Out, itself the very definition of audacious pop music.

But there is always more in the tank even if the momentum stuttered slightly while technical issues were resolved at the start of the encore.

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Bob Hardy’s bassline on Jacqueline was all the sweeter when it arrived and the five-piece were fully functional for another new song, the rather proggy psych odyssey The Birds, delivered with a stealthy break for their traditional teasing band introductions before they roared home with This Fire.

There was also gleeful support from Glasgow trio Brenda, intent on “rocking your knickers off” with their catchy lo-fi synth songs about the menopause, stalkers and foot fetishes.

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