Nick McCarthy (left), Alex Kapranos and Robert Hardy of Franz Ferdinand. The indie band performed Wednesday night at the Newport.
Credit: Jake Niles / Lantern reporter
Pants held high and hair slicked back, Franz Ferdinand succeeds in what it does best: getting people off their feet and smiling.
Hailing all the way from Glasgow, Scotland, the indie band performed an impressive set at the Newport Wednesday night.
You never knew what lead vocalist and guitarist Alex Kapranos was going to do next, bringing his wide array of vocal talent to the stage as well some even more impressive dance moves.
Wearing a tiger-striped silk shirt and some slacks, Kapranos bounced around stage electrified by the crowd’s energy, which included people of all ages.
He jumped off speakers, did the splits midair and shuffled his feet around stage while boasting his unique post-punk voice. Songs like “This Fire” allowed him to involve the hyped audience in his singing.
Some fancy keyboard playing was done by guitarist Nick McCarthy, who used the synthesizer to his advantage in songs like “Ulysses” and “Can’t Stop Feeling.” McCarthy resembled a greaser with slicked back hair and a jean jacket, playing his guitar above waist the old-fashioned way.
Robert Hardy played a great fast-paced bass throughout the hour-and-twenty-minute set, with Paul Thomson providing a steady beat on drums, a rhythm that allowed the crowd to move their feet and clap along.
Many of the songs played during the set were from the band’s most recent album, “Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action,” which released in August. Tracks included “Evil Eye” and “Love Illumination” along with several others, including encores of the artsy “Fresh Strawberries” and “Goodbye Lovers & Friends.”
While Franz Ferdinand stuck mostly to its recent tracks, they didn’t shy away from the classics. The crowd exploded when the first few notes of the popular “Take Me Out” were heard, a song that the band is most famous for. Security was even caught off guard when fans started crowd surfing, a feat that only occurred during the 2004 single, with female surfers blowing Kapranos a kiss when reaching the front of the stage.
The artsy band provided a great evening filled with dancing and an overall good time. People jumped up and down, swung their arms back and forth, danced with one another or even created a personal bubble to jam out in.
You could feel the strong bond between the four friends that had traveled across the world to be there, smiles beaming on their faces clearly in love with what they do.
