Franz Ferdinand

Rewind back to 2004. It's hard to believe it's been nearly a decade since Franz Ferdinand announced their arrival with the inescapable anthem 'Take Me Out', which still to this day sounds as euphoric and exciting as on first listen. Back then, it truly felt like Franz Ferdinand's moment. That moment has now seemingly passed, but with the imminent arrival of their fourth album 'Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action', now is the time to remember what made them great then. And get on your dancing shoes once more.

Taking to the stage in the cramped, sweaty Brixton Electric, the band immediately launch into new single 'Right Action', evidently energised by its infectious groove and jubilant chorus. From thereon in, there’s no stopping them. Whilst taking the opportunity to reveal most of the new album, they scatter their hits throughout their set, much to the delight of the delighted crowd. An extended 'Do You Want To' and 'The Dark of the Matinee' see the crowd yelling back every single word, evidently thrilled by the band's return. Similarly, 'Michael' is am exhilarating moment, reminding the room that here is a band that made homoeroticism cool, melting the icy and distant charm that the likes of The Strokes and Interpol had displayed so perfectly before they burst on the scene.

But what of the new material? It's not exactly been a wait on the scale of 'Chinese Democracy' but four years is still long enough to slip away from the consciousness of the public. Tonight, they play to a small crowd of devoted fans, but the good news is that on the strength of this performance, the new songs will without doubt see them playing to much bigger audiences in the months to come. Obvious highlights include the surreal stomp and glamour of 'Evil Eye', as well as 'Stand On The Horizon', a slow-building, unifying anthem which displays a tenderness rarely demonstrated by the band before.

The closing song of the night, 'Goodbye Lovers & Friends', a new song which sees the band move into the unchartered territory of brooding darkness, sees lead singer Alex Kapranos sharply singing "I hate pop music", but that's a sentiment that's hard to believe when they are this joyful and downright fun. Franz Ferdinand released their debut album with a simple manifesto of making music for girls to dance to. With album number four just a week away, they've delivered on their promise and it looks like there's no letting up. That old cliché of absence making the heart grow fonder is definitely ringing true.

FUTURE GIGS