Franz Ferdinand - St James, Auckland, Aotearoa - 26/7/04
4/5
By: thetincan
Well, we were late getting our tickets to what had turned out to be a surprisingly much-anticipated gig. Therefore we got seats way, way up in the Grand Circle, which is an utter misnomer as Grand Circle is the mezzanine floor above the Mezzanine floor. So there ain't much that is grand about it; watching a gig from up there is like watching a rural landscape pass by from the window seat of a jumbo jet. I was worried that I was in the section of the venue where the grown-ups watch rock 'n' roll from a safe distance. As we took our seat, my heart was sunk by a large angry sign that read: 'PATRONS MUST REMAIN SEATED AT ALL TIMES DURING THE PERFORMANCE.' Surely I wasn't going to sit through a rock gig and not even raise a sweat?
I start with this to emphasise the calibre of show the boys from Franz Ferdinand put on: despite the fact that we watched the show a great distance from the blood sweat 'n' tears that makes any rock gig great, it was a f**king well good airing. Franz Ferdinand's only gig in Aotearoa was one of those rare shows where all the elements came together. Sound, lighting, talent and crowd all on point, turning the St James into a frenzy of jump-up, good-time smiling noise. The sound was monstrous and so clear I could understand the band's between-song banter despite their thick Glaswegian accents. I enthusiastically compared it to being demolished with a crystal wrecking ball... right into some poor stranger's ear during 'Dark Of The Matinee'. This earned me a 'f**k off I'm trying to dance you drunken monkey' look of death. But no matter, the band was cranking out the hits and even the large Samoan security guards couldn't convince us that PATRONS MUST REMAINED SEATED AT ALL TIMES DURING THE PERFORMANCE. We danced in our seats, then others' seats, then in aisles.
I was utterly mystified. Where had all these joyous, writhing bouncy people come from? I can't explain how odd it was to see an Auckland crowd having such an honestly good time. For those of you unfamiliar with Auckland, the city is renowned for its chilly pretentious attitude, especially at rock 'n' roll gigs where the most common pose is arms-folded, foot trying not to tap, no smile. Franz Ferdinand were one of those rare acts that managed to cut through the Auckland bullshit, and the crowd lapped it up like a hungover cat with a lorry-load of freezing milk.
I had an extremely drunken evening (Jagermeister should sponsor me, Goddamit) so I can't remember what order they rolled the album out in, but I am fairly certain I heard every single song at some point, and then some. The crowd literally seethed and foamed at the mouth during 'Michael', the aforementioned 'Matinee', and predictably enough 'Take Me Out'. All the way to the back rows of the Grand Circle, almost everyone was off their seats moving to the all four on the floor sounds of Franz Ferdinand. Roughly halfway into their set, we all decided it was one of those gigs. A wave surged through the packed-out St James and everyone just knew tonight was something special. Seemingly, Alex and co. recognised it too, as they passed knowing looks amongst themselves and cranked up the raw energy another notch or four. It was around this point that frontman Alex announced that since we were the best crowd they'd had on their tour they were gonna try out a new song on us, to elated roars of approval and much gnashing of teeth. Of course, the new song, whatever it was called, produced the goods and Franz had us in the palms of their hands. Had they followed it up by reciting the contents of a phone directory the crowd would've still danced like rabid dogs on heat to it. Instead they chose to tell us that they are 'almost definitely comin' back in the summer to record a new album', confirming for all present that their ticket may have cost NZ$45.00, but the gig was priceless.
In the end, after a three-song encore, the band left the stage and the house lights came up on the best gig of the year so far. Some dazed kid with Christmas Trees in his eyes asked me how they did it. I didn't answer him. I was too busy wiping the sweat out of my eyes.
Artists in this article: Franz Ferdinand
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