Pop Break Live: Franz Ferdinand at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ
Words: Christian Bischoff | Photos: Al Mannarino
On Friday night August 10, Franz Ferdinand made their first visit to Asbury Park, performing a sold-out show at the Stone Pony. After a five year absence, the band released Always Ascending in February, their fifth studio album. After a distortion-heavy set from San Francisco based band POW!, FF took the stage and immediately launched into the title track from their latest release. The Pony was filled to the brim, and fans erupted into singing as the band powered through “Lazy Boy” and deep cut “The Dark of the Matinée.”
Frontman Alex Kapranos led the band with riotous energy, jump kicking his way through the set and dancing through each lyric. The chunky art-rock guitar work of Kapranos and new member Dino Bardot was note perfect. Performed live, the production heavy “Paper Cages” sounded better than it does on the record, infused with immediacy via Paul Thompson’s tight drum work.
Surprisingly, the band delivered a triad of their most popular songs, “No You Girls,” Grammy-nominated single “Do You Want To,” and “Take Me Out” in the middle of their set. While this early inclusion of the band’s most commercially successful songs would be a bold choice for an upstart group, Franz Ferdinand was a veteran outfit performing before a crowd of die-hard fans.
The band worked through favorites from across their decade long career, from 2005 release “Walk Away” to debut record banger “Michael.” Kapranos’s voice is instantly charming – there’s a showy, almost cabaret quality, that lends each lyric a certain wryness. The band returned to the stage for a four-song encore, ending on a high note with “This Fire.” The crowd at the Pony jumped and jostled their way through the rowdy track before spilling out onto Ocean Avenue in the small hours.
Setlist:
Always Ascending
Lazy Boy
The Dark of the Matinée
Paper Cages
No You Girls
Do You Want To
Take Me Out
Feel the Love Go
Walk Away
Slow Don’t Kill Me Slow
Ulysses
Play Video
Michael
Encore:
Glimpse of Love
Finally
Lucid Dreams
This Fire
