Hangin' in the W.C.: Franz Ferdinand

Hangin in the W.C.: FRANZ FERDINAND
March 23, 2004
Easy Street Records In-Store Performance, 6 pm
The Crocodile Caf, 11 pm
Seattle, the W.C.

All you history geeks, war freaks and people with a brain, identify 20th century Franz Ferdinand as the Archduke of Austria whose assassination in 1914 started World War I and changed the world over. All ye gadgees out there who love music will know that 21st century Franz Ferdinand is the up and coming band who is rocking horse shite. In plain English, Franz Ferdinand, the Scottish post-punk pop quartet, will rock you hoarse!

FF may be good lads with generous and good hearts but there are tigers lurking underneath their moppy heads and tight trousers.

Franz Ferdinand (FF) is Glasgow, Scotlands gift to the world. New Music Express (NME) magazine inaugurate FF as the band that will change your life. The hype and press surrounding this band is tremendous. KEXP, one of the best listener powered stations that anyone around the world can stream on the internet at www.kexp.org, plays FF several times a day.

Franz Ferdinand is on deejay John Richards 10 Top Records of 2004 list. They are huge in Europe. They were the hottest show at Austin, Texas, South By SouthWest (SXSW) music festival in mid-March. They sold out The Troubadour in Los Angeles and The Crocodile in Seattle. This is their first US tour and after taking Europe by storm, they have now come to take us.

See, these boys have been playing together for only two years. We are having a fanastic time. We been mucking about for years as friends so this is great for us lead singer Alex Kapranos tells me when I asked about how they were handling their growing schedule and increasing fame, as he signs the record I just had to buy after being blown away by their powerful sound at their in-store performance at Easy Street Records in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle.

Alex, lead guitarist Nick McCarthy, bassist Bob Hardy, and drummer Paul Thompson are four of the most gracious musicians Ive met in my life. I am impressed with their sweetness and sincerity. I chat them up for 10 minutes as they sign fans CD booklets, posters, and necks. Yes, necks. When I tell them that I am going to review the show, Alex offers to put me on the guest list. Wow! Nick also adds the three guys whom I met while waiting in line; Ewan and Mark are fellow Weegees and by chance, found out FF was playing while looking for a good record store and a show to see while passing through Seattle. What lucky devils!
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FF added at least a dozen other uber-fans. They are so incredibly open and genuinly kind. They even offered the Scots a ride to Vancouver that night on their tour bus. Barry! I am in love with these Scottish Sweethearts!

They become a reckoning, beckoning, teasing, and pleasing creature when they swing their instruments and bodies around the stage.

As promised, our names were on the list and we got to see another explosive performance. FF may be good lads with generous and good hearts but there are tigers lurking underneath their moppy heads and tight trousers. They become a reckoning, beckoning, teasing, and pleasing creature when they swing their instruments and bodies around the stage.

They played a ferocious 45-minute set of all the songs on their self-titled record. The Seattle audience stood there gazing mutely at the boys in the beginning of the set, but by the end of the show, people were tapping their feet, shaking their heads and yes, some were shoogling, Scottish slang for dancing (look at slang glossary end of article.) FFs charming banter between songs disarmed the normally reserved Seattle crowd and by the end of the night, the placed roared in adoring applause.

The band came out to meet their fans right after the show. Alex thanked me for coming out to see them. What? Alex, thank you for having bonnie manners and a super fantastic heart. FF has opened me up to rock coming out of the UK. These darling men are redefining what it means to be a noble hearted rocker in the 21st century. Bloody right!

I highly recommend that you go out and buy the Franz Ferdinand album today and if you are in the UK, you will have the opportunity to see them live in April and May. Bloody lucky devils. The album introductory song 'Jacqueline' starts off deceptively slow and sweet but 15 seconds in, the rolling staccato of guitars thrusts you lustily on a trip to debaucheryville. Hey, "It's always better on holiday,

So much better on holiday, That's why we only work when we need the money." These are songs about seduction, sexy girls and boys, eyes that say so much more than words, and losing yourself to love's trapping obsession. I've listened to this album for the last three days and every song is a perfect blend of rock power and sweet, deceptively simple, sexy lyrics. This album is "destroying so sweetly" my ears, my mind, my heart, my soul! "Now, There is a fire in me, Fire that burns, This fire is out of control!"
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So, my new friends, Franz Ferdinand, "You are the latest contender, You are the one to remember, You are the villian who sends a Line of dark fantastic passion." I do hope that you surrender to the love and adoration that will continue to shoot towards you like "poisoned darts of pleasure." I look forward to seeing you guys again in the W.C. this June. Congratulations on the Epic record deal. May yer lums reek lang and weil!

Ok, come back again to read another exciting installment of Hangin in the W.C. next week with the Queen of Rock n Roll, Joan Jett, and Brit rockers, The Cooper Temple Clause. Rock hard, be generous, and make your dreams come true.

Cheers, Valeria Valiente

Need more info on FF?
Franz Ferdinand's website: www.franzferdinand.co.uk
Their label, Domino Recordings Co. Ltd. website: www.dominorecordco.com
Domino Records also puts out other rocking albums by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Quasi, Sebadoh, Elliot Smith and more!

New Musical Express website: www.nme.com

Franz Ferdinand 2004 UK headline tour:

12 April--QMU, Glagow, UK
13 April--QMU, Glagow, UK
15 April--Academy, Liverpool, UK
16 April--Ambassador, Dublin, Ireland
17 April--Leadmill, Sheffield, UK
18 April--Rock City, Nottingham, UK
20 April--The Blank Canvas, Leeds, UK
21 April--Academy, Birmingham, UK
26 April--Concorde, Brighton, UK
27 April--Waterfront, Norwich, UK
29 April--Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh, UK
30 April--University, Manchester, UK
01 May --Brookes University, Oxford, UK
02 May --Anson Rooms, Bristol University, Bristol, UK
04 May --Pyramid, Portsmouth, UK
05 May --Astoria, London, UK
06 May --Astoria, London, UK
07 May --Coronet, London, UK

More dates to be announced.

Glossary of Scottish slang used in article; don't hate me if I mangled your fine idioms. I'm American!

gadgees: people
rocking horse shite: something rare and hard to find
mucking around/about:hangin out
Weegees: Someone from Glasgow
Barry!: Splendid!
shoogling: dancing
bonnie manners: good manners
May yer lims reek lang and weil: Good luck!

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