Franz Ferdinand: Concert Review

At last, the brilliantly original Franz Ferdinand have returned to the touring circuit.

If they have faced recent criticism for an apparent separation from their previous inspiration, the Scottish four piece certainly did not show a drop in quality as they took over our capital city for the night. This is most noticeable in their iconic on-stage style the band moves as a tight and intense unit that really communicates their love for music to the crowd. While any verbal interaction is kept to a minimum, passion oozes from the pores of every person on stage.

Front man Alex Kapranos obviously takes a lot of attention and considering his perpetual vocal improvement this is certainly well-deserved. However, the drumming skill of Paul Thomson completely stole the show. The power and ingenuity of Thomson is borne out in every single song as he confidently breathes life into new tunes and past classics alike. It is hard to overstate the impression that this Keith Moon/Phil Selway/Animal hybrid makes and how important he is in creating the bands unique live sound.

The consistency of Thomson and the band in general is important when the changing sound of the band is considered. While their latest album, "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand" marks a departure from earlier work, the cohesion of the band makes a set of old and new virtually seamless. This culminates in a brilliantly innovative and well-paced concert. The highlight of this set would have to be the energetic "Outsiders", but this is akin to choosing a diamond from a collection of other gemstones.

The mark of a great band is one that sounds better in person than on record; point in case is the newly revived and truly fresh Franz Ferdinand.

-The English Student

Jack Peñate: Concert Review

Music does not always need to be political, dogmatic or depressing. Jack Peñate seems well up to championing the cause of merry music.

The newly crowned king of alternative indie, vaguely ska-esque new rock seemed delighted to be playing a small venue of our illustrious capital city last Saturday. Of course, with such a ridiculous concept of genre that goes with Peñate's music, the place was packed with fans from all sorts of musical backgrounds. Unfortunately, the under-age drunken teenage girl was the predominant social group to be found.

This strong following makes a direct comment on Peñate's music. By attracting such a large crowd of seemingly musically ignorant children, we could easily perceive that Peñate has had a repertoire of shallow music. His debut album "Matinee" is short and while it does not advance the realms of song writing, it is fun, fresh and highly entertaining. Jack epitomises this attitude in his live act.

While jauntily pouring through his back catalogue of songs, Peñate skips around stage, pulls insane faces and generally, has a lot of fun on stage. Backed up by a competent band, songs like "Torn on the Platform", "Learning Lines" and "Spit at Stars" come to life and entrance the audience with their brisk melodies. The encore of "Second, Minute or Hour" was a wonderfully jovial conclusion to the set.

No boundaries are pushed by Peñate, in his studio work or live act. However, he was highly entertaining and how could I ask for more?

-The English Student