‘The Human Fear’ Takes Over Liverpool: Franz Ferdinand Album Release Show

Franz Ferdinand have been knocking around and popular amongst indie rock listeners since the early 2000s, and they’re still as impressive as they were then, now.

The Dome at Grand Central Hall in Liverpool received a visit from the Glasgow five-piece for a brilliant show in honour of their new album ‘The Human Fear’ and over 20 years after their first album, the show was living proof that their place in the music scene is still just as iconic.

Regardless of the minus degrees in the city of Liverpool, fans were still showing their dedication and commitment to the album release show, with the queue going all the way to the back end of the street of the venue. Wait in the cold, get inside, put your coat in the cloak room, get a beer, then stand and wait for the music to commence. Standard procedure for a gig, and this one wasn’t any different.

Whilst the crowd gathered in the venue and eagerly anticipated what was to come, everyone was in high spirits and all we knew was that we were all in for a night of great music, from the support to the headline. As time goes on, local Liverpool band Permanent (Joy) make their entrance to the stage to get the ball rolling. Formerly Blondes, the band has rebranded into what I think was a perfect support band for the gig at hand. With their songs such as ‘Josephine’ and ‘Aeroplane’, they set a darker but pleasant vibe throughout the crowd, almost a softer sound in comparison to the heavier guitar riffs that Franz Ferdinand are known for and what would be heard later. The band’s most recent release ‘I Wanna Go Home’, was a solid closer for their set, more upbeat and set the tone for the rest of the gig. For people in the crowd who hadn’t heard of the support before, Permanent (Joy) definitely left a good impression in The Dome and they highly likely gained new fans from it. 

After stumbling through the crowd and profusely apologising to every person’s toes stood on whilst trying to get out for a quick breather, preparation for the main event began. The wait was eventually over, and Alex, Bob, Dino, Julian and Audrey appeared in front of a well hyped crowd to play the perfect mix of old and new songs for Liverpool. Although this was an album release show for their new album, they managed to curate a setlist that incorporated fan favourites with newness. It was quite evident to see amongst the gig-goers that this was a crowd of big Franz Ferdinand fans and many of them were really dedicated - which positively added to the whole atmosphere whilst the band were playing. 

The songs from the new album were well chosen and well represented the sound they have gone for with ‘The Human Fear’. Songs ‘Hooked’ and ‘The Doctor’ flawlessly demonstrated their obvious talent for blending electronic synth sounds with indie rock, which the band have never been strangers to throughout their career. Having never seen the band before, it was a highlight to hear the classics live, like ‘Take Me Out’ and ‘No You Girls’ which most definitely left the crowd pleased. Not only was it a first time seeing the band but a first time at the venue, which suited the band well and allowed for a very strong gig. To close their set, after the ever so loved “band leaves the stage and fans know full well they’re coming back for the encore” they returned with the band introductions and went straight into ‘This Fire’ - another highlight of the gig and the peak of the energy amongst the crowd. As I stated, this was my first time seeing Franz Ferdinand, and squatting to the floor to jump up on the beat drop was the last thing I was expecting, but it worked well and the whole crowd participated. 

For a first impression of seeing the band, I, without question, was left impressed. It goes without saying that Franz Ferdinand hold a lot of talent, of course, with over 20 years of experience and being one of the country's most popular bands in this realm of music, it is mostly a given. From start to finish the crowd was engaged and the atmosphere was one of the best I’ve seen at a gig for a while, and hopefully that was a sign of what’s to come for gigs in 2025. 

You can listen to the new album ‘The Human fear’ here and get tickets for remaining shows here!

Neve Pomfrey

@nevepomfreyy

Image: Neve Pomfrey

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