Franz Ferdinand with Telescreens at History

Franz Ferdinand brought their Human Fear tour to the stage at HISTORY in Toronto Tuesday night (I wonder if they ever thought that they would end up being more popular than the Archduke of Austria). Flying in from the 401 fresh after playing in Montreal the night before. It was the last show of the tour and the fans were possibly unaware of just how much fun they were about to have.

An engaging performance by Telescreens got fans stirred up and ready to throw down. A New York band that still oozes with post-punk energy. Lead singer and guitarist, Jackson Hamm captivated the audience with his brash, enthusiastic charisma. Rolling around on stage. Jumping off the bass drum and eventually leaping into the audience, making sure everyone was committed to having a good time.

There was a buzz building in the venue in between bands. As the headliners took the stage, the atmosphere intensified. Entering from stage left, frontman Alex Kapranos led the way with a little hop as he went to his guitar. The rest of the gang filed in and took their places.

The set kicked off with Night And Day from the new album. It was a well-curated setlist, featuring other new songs like Bar Lonely, Everyday Dreamer and Hooked. Alex even busted out the bouzouki for Black Eyelashes. A heavy dose of fan favourites such as Walk Away, Do You Want To and Love Illumination peppered into the mix was a recipe for success.

At one point in the evening, after Audacious, Alex slowed things down for a bit pleading with fans to be in the moment and put their phones away (one guy recorded the whole speech so he’s definitely going viral). The band then launched into their biggest hit, Take Me Out as the crowd erupted with pleasure. The tongue-in-cheek placement of these 2 songs seemed intentional and was a poignant statement.

The encore smouldered with fire and brimstone as the band jammed through Lucid Dreams, Evil and a Heathen as well as This Fire. On a dreary grey, cold and windy day, Franz Ferdinand punched a hole in the sky and let the sun shine down for an eager crowd to bask in.

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Be sure to check out Collective Concerts to see what other great acts they will be bringing to Toronto this year.