On June 6, 2023, I saw Franz Ferdinand perform locally at the College Street Music Hall in New Haven. The band has been around for many years and continues to be an alternative must-listen.

The group formed in Glasgow in 2002 and were known for dominating the world of indie rock with hits like “Take Me Out” and “Darts of Pleasure.” After these releases, the band was considered one of the most popular post-punk revival groups and went on to receive a Brit Award.

The band currently consists of Audrey Tait, Dino Bardot, Miaoux Miaoux, and original members Bob Hardy and Alex Kapranos, who last year released a collection of their music called Hits To The Head. The album serves as a walk down memory lane for all of the most popular hits that the band has provided over the last twenty years.

In many ways, this tour as a fan feels like a celebration of the accomplishments that the band has been able to achieve over the span of their career and shows how much passion and heart they still have for this music even as time has passed.

Franz Ferdinand also clearly show a continued love for touring, as they just recently wrapped up a support tour with The Pixies and Bully following the headlining shows.

College Street Music Hall in particular provides an intimate and comfortable atmosphere that is absolutely unmissable, with the stage being very close to the floor area. This also allows for the audience to be bathed in colorful light and to be completely visible to the artists as they perform, which adds a layer of interaction between the artist and the listener.

The Fiction Kids, a local band based in New Haven, opened for the band and provided an easy-going opening to the show with a bit of humor mixed in between songs and a relaxed vibe to get the crowd started. As the band describes in their own bio, “They occupy a post-punk niche nestled between shoegaze and goth rock that’s both nostalgic and fresh, replete with rollicking guitar anthems.”

The work of members Rama Kooks, Alexa Ambrose, J. Thompson, and Harrison McClain was just that, with a nostalgic feeling to perfectly complement that of Franz Ferdinand before they came on stage.

The anticipation reverberated through the entire crowd when the band took the stage with their hit “Walk Away.” The energy and excitement that the band brought to the stage was unforgettable. Kapranos was jumping on stage and amping up the crowd throughout the night.

Despite a lot of the songs having been written many years ago, it’s clear that the band keeps their love for every song that they play and that they’re very intentional in which songs they choose to perform. They want to give each audience the best performance possible.

In an interview with Jehnny Beth, Kapranos mentioned the importance of not playing songs they don’t feel like playing and sticking to what they feel passionate about. This decision absolutely shines when it comes to seeing them perform live.

Of course, fans were excited when the band began to play their most popular hit, “Take Me Out,” which serves as a perfect example of what their music captures and the feeling that their music invokes. The crowd was happily singing along and jumping around to the popular hit.

However, the performance had highlights that made the night even more special, including a solo drum performance unlike any I had ever seen for the track “Outsiders” and a special moment where they asked the crowd to get low before performing the very last song of the night, “This Fire.” The last song definitely felt like a big moment of the entire show and brought the energy of the crowd to a peak.

The passion also shines through in the dynamic between the members themselves and the way that they interact on stage and play off of each other’s energy. It’s incredible to see a band that has grown so comfortable with each other over so many years and truly appears to be fueled by each other’s spark.

Fan interaction was also incredible to see, with Kapranos not only pointing the mic at many points towards the audience to get them to sing along but also interacting with a huge fan in the crowd multiple times and singing to him directly. Bardot on guitar did the same and made sure to interact with the crowd while playing. While these elements may feel small, they can completely change the dynamic between the artist and the fans in terms of what listeners will get out of the show. Moments like this can be unforgettable.

Overall, I left the show feeling as though it was one of the best performances that I have personally ever seen, and it is no wonder why this band has been creating music for so many years and is so beloved by their listeners. The staff over the course of the night was also lovely and helped to ensure that everybody had an amazing time.

To remain updated about the band and different releases that they may be having or shows coming up, you can check out their Instagram. Franz Ferdinand is an absolute must-see for anyone into rock music.