If you're a fan of musicals, then the 
Franz Ferdinand in Zurich - 11 March 2018
I always emerge from a Franz Ferdinand concert with a huge grin on my face - and I'm not the only one. One look at the crowd as it streams out of the Halle 622 in Zurich and you see smiles everywhere as T-shirts are wrung out, temperatures in the venue having soared to the highs of a hot summer's day.
And that's all down to Franz Ferdinand, who once again prove that they're a cracking live band. They exude so much infectious joy on stage that even the most flint-hearted cynics struggle not to be swept up by the fun to be had.
Mixing angular guitar riffs with dance floor beats, the band have always managed to balance different musical worlds, one foot in post-punk territory, the other eager to explore new sonic landscapes. FFS, their collaboration with Sparks in 2015, was one of those explorations; a delectable melding of the two bands' art pop sensibilities and clever lyrics.
Following the departure of original guitarist Nick McCarthy in 2016, the band have now grown into a five-piece. New members Julian Corrie and Dino Bardot flesh out the keyboard and guitar parts, the former wrapping both subtle and overt swaths of electronica around the beating indie rock heart of Franz Ferdinand's music.
On the band's latest album Always Ascending, the musicians give their songs space to breathe and build, most notably on the title track. They invoke the glam era on Feel the Love Go and up their funk quota on Lazy Boy.
Kicking off the concert with Always Ascending, Franz Ferdinand put the new songs front and centre and add a healthy dose of older favorites. The stomp of Lois Lane and introspection of Slow Don’t Kill Me Slow are complemented by the irresistible beats of Do You Want To and the always fantastic Ulysses.
Frontman Alex Kapranos, sporting blond punk hair, is high-energy, gracious and funny throughout, leading the crowd through mass arm-waving exercises and turning into a gospel choir master on Feel the Love Go.
Take Me Out of course ignites a frenzy of moshing, though the lasting image for me is of four grown men with guitars and bass jumping up and down on stage in perfect sync at the beginning of the song. Busby Berkeley could not have choreographed it better.
You'd think that the intensity of the main set couldn't be topped, but you'd be wrong. The encore is truly astonishing, a four-song slam-dunk in which the energy levels in the room ramp up another notch or ten and the crowd jumps, cheers and dances.
Jacqueline is a delight; Huck and Jim is propulsive and cheeky. By the time This Fire rolls around, the audience goes properly mental, the "I’m going to burn this city" chorus becoming a call-and-response chant. The grins aren't only on the audience's faces - the band also seem to be having a ball.
Huge fun.
Support for Franz Ferdinand comes from Switzerland's Crimer, who delivers pitch-perfect 80s synth-pop. He shot to fame last year with the insanely catchy Brotherlove and is now touring his debut album Leave Me Baby. Crimer is one of the most charismatic acts in the country right now - his eccentric dance moves alone are worth the price of a ticket.
- Anna Wirz
More Franz Ferdinand photos on Flickr.
Listen to our interview with Franz Ferdinand here.
Setlist:
Always Ascending
Walk Away
Lucid Dreams
Lazy Boy
Glimpse of Love
No You Girls
The Dark of the Matinee
Lois Lane
Do You Want To
Slow Don’t Kill Me Slow
Take Me Out
Feel the Love Go
Love Illumination
Ulysses
Encore:
Paper Cages
Jacqueline
Huck and Jim
This Fire