And The Beat Goes On... Franz Ferdinand's DVD Debut

It seems like my favorite band changes every six months or so. First it was Evanescence, then Muse, and now my latest kick is Franz Ferdinand (see a pattern? I have all of their DVD's). We've all heard of those adorable Scots, with their edgy guitars and Alex Kapranos's boyish vocals. Now that they've released their sophomore album, they thought it was about damn time they drop a DVD, as is the trend these days.

Franz Ferdinand is:
Alex Kapranos – Lead vocals, guitars
Nick McCarthy – Lead guitar, backup vocals
Bob Hardy – Bass
Paul Thomson – Drums, backup vocals

The early band started as Alex and Robert playing together in their home of Glasgow, Scotland. They eventually met Nick, who was a classically trained pianist and double bassist, but played drums for the band. Then they met Paul who played drums for the band The Yummy Fur, and took over Nick's position so that he could play guitar. They started out rehearsing and playing gigs at an old abandoned warehouse that they nicknamed The Chateau, but quickly had to move out once the police discovered their illicit all-night raves that they held there. So, an abandoned Victorian courthouse served as their new spot. They recorded the Darts of Pleasure EP, that they had originally planned to release themselves, but positive word of mouth landed them a record deal with Domino. Later on, they were signed to Epic for their U.S. releases. They released their self-titled debut in mid-2004 and their second single Take Me Out launched them to stardom. In September of 2005, they released their sophomore album, You Could Have It So Much Better, with a generally good response from critics and a boost in their fan base. This 2-disc self-titled DVD was released in December of 2005.

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Disc 1

The first disc is a conglomeration of 14 songs, each from different venues. This disc is probably more for the casual viewer who just wants to see a song or two they particularly like. This playlist includes every song from the CD Franz Ferdinand, plus a few B-sides (Shopping For Blood, Van Tango, and my favorite, Love And Destroy). What kind of bugs me about the way they did this is that you kind of lose your focus after them switching the venue every three minutes or so. It seemed like more of a distraction than anything, but that might just be me. Some venues included here are Brixton, the T in the Park Festival, The Avalon, and the band's hometown, Glasgow.

Also included on this disc is the extra footage. The "Tour De Franz" segment is basically about an hour-long documentary, following the band around on tour. It shows backstage clips, footage of Franz's crazy fans, and some interview snippets. The guys obviously love their fans, and they can pick them out a crowd (i.e. Bob won't sign a Ebay shark's drum head unless he can name one song of their's). Other extras included are karaoke versions of The Dark Of The Matinée and Take Me Out, which have rather odd videos playing behind them, and CD-ROM feature that allows you to see the band's original website. And if you look hard enough for it, you might just find a surprise on this disc. (hint, hint)

Disc 2

The second disc is all concert video, which includes two concerts in their entirety, plus three bonus tracks. The first concert is played at the Brixton Academy in London. While this gig has three more songs than the San Francisco show that follows it, it seems like more of a rushed performance. Alex played completely out of key for half of Come On Home and almost made me turn his pretty face off. If you want to see Franz at their best, your best bet is the Regency Grand concert in San Francisco. The crowd is smaller and isn't very loud, but Franz sounds much better here than they did at Brixton. I'm also really happy to see Alex stepping back a bit and letting Nick sing a little more (Tell Her Tonight, Van Tango). Even so, you can't resist Alex's smooth tenor and the almost dominant bass that Bob pulls out. I don't think that this concert really did Paul justice, because he's an amazing drummer live, and the song Outsiders really showcases that. If there were one thing I would change about this DVD, it would be to include that song.

The bonus tracks are Take Me Out (Splendour in the Grass Festival at Byron Bay), The Dark Of The Matinée (Auckland), and the B-side Can't Stop Feeling (Auckland). These are filmed from backstage, probably by the drum tech, Andy, so if you're looking for great sound and video quality, you will be sorely disappointed. You will, however, get a nice view from the drum riser and of the audience.

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All in all, this DVD is probably for bigger fans of the Franz, rather than just your casual listener. But big to hardcore fans will probably love this one to death. This is definitely a must if you've ever seen Franz in concert, or plan to. The only letdown is that they didn't include more tracks from YCHISMB, but that DVD might just be coming later. Overall, this DVD gets Allison's stamp of approval. Enjoy!

Disc 1 Track Listing:
Michael (Brixton Academy, London)
Tell Her Tonight (Pianos, New York)
40' (The Regency Grand, San Francisco)
Take Me Out (T in the Park, Scotland)
Cheating On You (Rock Werchter, Belgium)
Love And Destroy (The Avalon, Los Angeles)
The Dark Of The Matinée (T in the Park, Scotland)
Van Tango (The Regency Grand, San Francisco)
Auf Asche (Brixton Academy, London)
Come On Home (Barrowlands, Glasgow)
Darts Of Pleasure (The Regency Grand, San Francisco)
Shopping For Blood (Rock Werchter, Belgium)
Jacqueline (Barrowlands, Glasgow)
This Fire (The Avalon, Los Angeles)

+ Tour De Franz documentary, 2 Karaoke Videos and CD-ROM feature

Disc 2 Track Listing:

Live at Brixton:
Michael
Tell Her Tonight
40'
Your Diary
Take Me Out
Cheating On You
The Dark Of The Matinée
I'm Your Villian
Van Tango
Auf Asche
Come On Home
Love And Destroy
Darts Of Pleasure
Shopping For Blood
This Boy
Jacqueline
This Fire

Live in San Francisco:
Cheating On You
Tell Her Tonight
40'
Van Tango
Auf Asche
The Dark Of The Matinée
Jacqueline
Love And Destroy
Take Me Out
Michael
Darts Of Pleasure
Shopping For Blood
Come On Home
This Fire

Bonus Tracks:
Take Me Out (Splendour in The Grass Festival, Byron Bay)
The Dark Of The Matinée (Auckland)
Can't Stop Feeling (Auckland)

For more info on Franz Ferdinand, go to franzferdinand.co.uk or franzferdinand.org.