LIVE REVIEW: Franz Ferdinand

This article is copyright of The Scotsman and used with their permission for this purpose only.

Franz Ferdinand

SWG3, Glasgow

****

Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand have always been steeped in the post-modern spirit of their art-pop idols, Roxy Music, Talking Heads, ABC, Pulp, and former supergroup collaborators Sparks (their 2015 album FFS is an underrated gem).

These are bands who sincerely love disco-friendly pop while operating behind a veneer of arch self-awareness. When done right - and Franz Ferdinand at their best get it absolutely right - the results of that approach are often rather glorious.

There was a whole lotta glory to be found at this sold-out homecoming party, held outdoors during the last sticky gasp of the summer heatwave. 

The set was packed with all their bangers: The Dark of the Matinee; Michael; Do You Want To; and, of course, Take Me Out (such is their assurance as live performers, the energy levels never subsided after the played that with 30 more minutes still to go).

But Franz Ferdinand are no mere '00s nostalgia act. Two of the standout tracks were plucked from recent album The Human Fear. Bolstered by a guest spot from rapper Master Peace, Hooked can comfortably take its place alongside the crowd-pleasing hits, as can the traditional Greek music-influenced Black Eyelashes (scissor-kicking frontman Alex Kapranos is half-Greek).

And I suppose you have to admire them for stubbornly refusing to correct the "So I'm on BBC Two now, telling Terry Wogan how I made it" lyric in The Dark of the Matinee, despite having presumably been told countless times over the years - by people like me - that Wogan never had a chat show on BBC Two, and that they could've easily replaced it with "Radio 2" instead.

But that's Franz Ferdinand for you. They shimmy to the beat of their own dance floor-filling drum.

KAREN DUNBAR'S SCHOOL OF RAP | PHOENIX RISE | BRITPOP: THE MUSIC THAT CHANGED BRITAIN

This article was originally published in The Courier on 18th March 2023.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Karen Dunbar’s School of Rap – Thursday, BBC Scotland, 10:30pm

Dunbar playfully admits in her intro that this sounds, on paper, like a terrible idea for a documentary: a comedian running a rap workshop for elderly grannies? The potential for embarrassment is immense. 

You know where this is going, folks, but of course it’s not embarrassing. On the contrary, it’s a touching exercise in which Dunbar and a friend from empowering community outreach initiative the Glasgow Girls Club encourage older working-class Scottish women to express themselves. The abiding lyrical themes are friendship, faith and family. 

Self-evidently lovely people, they reflect upon their losses while celebrating life’s treasures. In their modest way, these unlikely rappers are representing a generation whose voices are so often ignored. A delightful programme. 

The Gold: The Inside Story – Monday, BBC One, 9pm

A companion piece to Neil Forsyth’s excellent dramatisation of the notorious Brink’s-Mat robbery, this documentary revolves around a fascinating interview with Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Boyce. He led the convoluted investigation, and this is the first time he’s spoken about it on camera. 

The programme exposes glaring loopholes in 1980s banking machinations. A lack of strict regulations with regards to money laundering coupled with fervent Thatcherite desires to rebuild London’s docklands laid the groundwork for the biggest gold bullion haul in history. Corrupt opportunism writ large; white and blue collar crimes working in tandem. A disastrous domino effect. 

If you haven’t caught up with The Gold, all six episodes are available on iPlayer. Watch this afterwards.

24 Hours in Police Custody: The Honeytrap Murder – Monday and Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm

A Luton man has been brutally murdered. He bled to death in the hallway of a block of flats. The police are baffled. What happened and why was he totally naked? A terribly bleak story unfolds. 

As usual, I recommend this sort of thing with a sensitive note of caution. 24 Hours in Police Custody is very well-made, it’s objectively better and more thoughtful than all of those rubbernecking ‘Woo! Bang! What a Grisly Crime!’ atrocities you sometimes stumble across in the nether regions of our TV schedules. 

But what are we left with when the closing credits roll? A gnawing sense of hopelessness. That’s my default setting, I’d rather it wasn’t compounded. Tastes may vary.

Imagine… Stephen Frears: Director for Hire – Monday, BBC One, 10:40pm

Stephen Frears is a talented British filmmaker who doesn’t reside in one particular genre. Highlights from his eclectic body of work include High Fidelity, My Beautiful Laundrette and The Queen. 

This profile follows Frears as he wanders ruminatively around Vienna while filming an ambitious drama for HBO. He’s dryly amusing and affable. Glowing tributes are gushed by associates such as Steve Coogan, Judi Dench, Hugh Grant, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren. 

As always with Imagine, you’ll have to grit your teeth and tolerate the buffoonish presence of host Alan Yentob. But after years of dogged practice I can assure you that it’s almost possible to blank him out. Imagine there’s no Yentob, it’s easy if you try…

Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily – Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm

Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice, for it is they, are the stars of this standard-issue sunny travelogue. Pernice was born and raised in Sicily, so he does at least possess some local knowledge and emotional attachments. His Panama hat-sporting Strictly pal is just along for the expenses-free ride. 

Both men merrily embrace their designated roles: Du Beke is the hapless Englishman abroad, while Pernice is the laidback expert. Scenic odd couple jollity ensues. 

These shows are contrived by their very nature, we’re essentially watching semi-scripted holiday videos, but I must admit that our guides do come across as actual friends. Their chemistry feels fundamentally warm and genuine.

Phoenix Rise – Friday, BBC Three, 7pm

Based around a fictional school in Coventry, this promising coming-of-age drama follows six teenage students as they re-enter the mainstream education system after being excluded. 

A likeable bunch played by an entirely natural cast of talented young actors, at first they don’t appear to have much in common beyond their shared situation. But gradually, close friendships start to form. Their fresh start is a significant experience, something they’ll never forget. 

Phoenix Rise is – if you’ll excuse the pun – textbook BBC Three, and I mean that in a positive way. A drama about, and primarily aimed at, young people, it’s empathetic and authentic. The target audience isn’t patronised. Grange Hill creator Phil Redmond would doubtless approve.

Locked Away: Our Autism Scandal – Friday, Channel 4, 7:30pm

The award-winning filmmaker Richard Butchins presents this Dispatches report about parents on the autism spectrum who are struggling within mental health units. 

Preview copies weren’t available, but it sounds stark. Butchins, who is autistic, allows his interviewees to tell their stories via secretly recorded videos. Many of them have been incarcerated for years in unsuitable wards and hospitals. 

The press release contains this quote from a young inpatient: “People need to speak out and so many voices are silenced. I feel like that's my duty to do, not just for myself, but for others because it's not going to change if... it's not going to change if it's not spoken about and we need to be heard."

LAST WEEK’S TV

Wild Isles – Sunday 12th March, BBC One

Attenborough’s latest stellar report from the wildlife frontline has been overshadowed by a bogus controversy surrounding its ‘missing’ sixth episode. The great man must despair, as this is a typically absorbing and beautifully filmed essay in which he celebrates Britain’s wide variety of wildlife while explaining why our island environment is so crucial to its survival. 

As always, he doesn’t shy away from stark empirical facts. And that’s what certain mendacious parties don’t want to hear. Why can’t this kindly old man just show us some entertaining footage of cute little animals? That’s not Attenborough’s job, he’s a learned environmentalist who cares passionately about our damaged ecosystem. 

We’ll miss him, this estimable educator, when he’s gone.

Britpop: The Music That Changed Britain – Sunday 12th March, Channel 5

Britpop, as you know, was a cultural phenomenon in the mid-1990s. Indie bands such as Blur, Oasis, Pulp and Suede scored actual top ten hits, they were bona fide stars. But what did it all mean (man)? 

This enjoyable series reminds us that Britpop was a movement in which none of the major players sounded anything like each other. What they did have in common was a certain concerted ‘Britishness’. 

The likes of Alex James, Alan McGee, Louise Wener and various prominent music journos delivered eyewitness reports. I’m not convinced that it’ll add up to much more than a bittersweet bolt of nostalgia for ageing pop kids such as myself, but I can’t deny that Proustian rush.