By keith valfreya | april 18, 2025
“SOLD OUT: FRANZ FERDINAND” reads the venue marquee. A heat lingers in the air, the tight press of bodies and murmur of anticipation spill energy into the street. People aren’t here to pass the time, they’re here to set fire to it. Somewhere behind the curtain, tonight’s headliner is getting ready to throw the match.
Franz Ferdinand formed in Glasgow in 2002 and quickly became one of the defining bands of the early-2000s post-punk revival. Their self-titled debut album, released in 2004, earned them the Mercury Prize and two BRIT Awards, propelled largely by the success of the breakout single “Take Me Out.” Over the years, they’ve released multiple studio albums and remained prominent fixtures on festival stages worldwide. Their current tour supports The Human Fear, their latest release, and tonight’s show at History marks the final stop.
Telescreen kick things off with a set that feels more like a controlled detonation than a warm-up. They came ready to leave everything on the stage for their final show of the tour. The members of Franz Ferdinand swagger out to the Naked Gun intro with a gleeful energy that gives the impression they’re here to crash their own party. And that they do. After “The Doctor,” frontman Alex Kapranos muses to himself that he ”just really loves playing that song.” Then, before launching into “Take Me Out,” he urges the crowd to consider leaving their phones in their pockets. If you want to see a shitty, out-of-focus video of us playing this song, there’s tons online; But you’ll only ever get to be here once. The set continues through favorites like “Ulysses,” and “Do You Want To,” and by the encore, when each band member joins “This Fire” one by one, they have the entire room sweaty, dancing, and completely absorbed in the moment.
As the crowd spills onto the street after the show, Alex Kapranos’ words are still echoing in my mind. Each moment only comes once, and when it does, you need to be ready to let yourself fall in. Phones forgotten, voices hoarse, feet sore. If you missed it, you’ll have to settle for one of those blurry videos until the next time.
Keith Valfreya is a freelance photojournalist for Majestic Music Magazine. See more of his work here
