This is a Franz Ferdinand live review. Please check your doubts in at the door.
Ignore the storm of hype which surrounds them. Forget their Guardian-editing dilettantism. Don't even worry about that slightly disappointing debut album. Because within five giddy chords of opener "Cheating On You", Franz Ferdinand prove that whatever that thing is which lifts a band out of the ordinary, which makes them a band to fall in love with , they have it to excess. Like a very few bands before them - The Smiths, Suede, even Oasis - they have arrived fully formed and full of intent, hungry to show the world what they have to offer.
And what they have is a sense of purpose and excitement that has been missing from guitar music for far too long, along with a handful of killer tunes. It's the crowd that offer the first clue. The media trollops and coolly cynical hipsters who usually clog up London venues when a name act performs are happily noted for their absence. This crowd has paid for its tickets and is determined to get value for money even if that means such gauche behaviour as dancing and singing along to every word.
Besides, not even the most rabid fan could look as fabulously uncool as guitarist Nick, who jerks hyperactively to every choppy riff. He is the biggest star of the evening but make no mistake - Franz Ferdinand are a real band, not a collection of anonymities hiding in Alex's ambitious shadow. Every one of them brings something special to the party, whether it's Paul's clipped drumming on the lean, mean "Darts Of Pleasure" or Bob's thumping bass on the hedonistic charge of "Jacqueline".
The roar which greets the opening chords of "Take Me Out" remind everyone again of just what a glorious song this is, an endlessly loveable concoction of tempo shifts and pop crazed catchiness which creates a genuine hysteria. But the thrash of "Michael" is even better, both sexily seductive and indefinably menacing, a frisson underlined by Alex's voice; half croon, half howl.
Even on the lesser moments - the slight "Tell Her Tonight", the alarming novelty of "Shopping For Blood" - FF's wiry energy, tight playing and brazen confidence carry them through. Their future may hold disappointment or triumph, but for now that uncertainty can only add to the sheer excitement of seeing a great band taking on the world and winning the first round.
