I call it '80s new-wave revival. Those dance-beat rhythms with synthesizer accompaniment are undeniably a throwback to a time when electric rock-pop wasn't a slur but a legitimate genre. Add to this a theatrical front-man and a taste of not-so-subtle androgyny and you've got the formula for success.
Franz Ferdinand has officially made it but still seemed to appreciate that most of the attendees at the Joint Tuesday were dancing.
Their lengthy set was surprisingly intimate and characteristically high energy with pulsating drum marches, super-saturated dueling guitars and a meek Bob Hardy off to the side keeping ska tempo. They opened with "Jacqueline," fitting for what seemed to be a diverse mix of tourist couples and local live-music enthusiasts, soccer moms and faux-hawked scenesters, with people hopping on stage at the end. "Come on Home" pressed even the most stoic concertgoers to bop along to the polka bass line but it was "The Dark of The Matinee" that elicited a roar of approval and threw the crowd into a frenzy of spastic undulation. "Michael" got the boys dancing with boys and Paul Thomson escaped from the confines of his drum kit to impress the audience with his guitar mastery.
With his front-man strut down, Alex Kapranos wooed the boys and girls with his pitch-perfect vocals and bandmate appreciation. Typical rock-star antics were in short supply and the absence of ego allowed for an awesome three-man percussion orgy toward the end of the night. Closing with an outrageous four-song encore culminating in a spectacular performance of "This Fire," they aimed to please and the crowd loved them. With Paul Thomson's drum kit thrown onto the stage and gored by Kapranos' guitar in post-show exuberance and the quartet clasping hands for a formal bow, Franz Ferdinand made a fine go of it.