Concert review: Franz Ferdinand w/ Starwolf | 12.11.24, The Pageant (with photo gallery)

Photo of Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand by Laura Jerele

Franz Ferdinand knows how to bring one hell of a high energy show! Right out of the gate, Wednesday night’s show at The Pageant was a fabulous combination of catchy hooks, relentless energy, and undeniable charisma thanks to some Scottish swagger. But this was no nostalgic flashback to the mid-2000s, this is a band that has literally not skipped a beat and their soon-to-be released The Human Fear (their first in seven years) proves just that. They gave us a bunch if songs from this brilliant new album in their hour and a half setlist – “The Doctor,” “Build It Up,” “Night or Day,” and “Audacious.” These new songs are catchy as hell, radio worthy, and huge crowd-pleasers based on the way the audience reacted to hearing their well-crafted new music.

To say that Franz Ferdinand put on an incredible performance is almost an understatement! They were super-energetic and dramatic, their stage production matching that energy with punchy and vibrant flashes of colors and light and their massive logo serving as their backdrop (ya know, just in case ya forgot who you were there to see!). Everything they do is to the nines, performed and played impeccably well, their instruments and voices having never sounded better. Vocalist Alex Kapranos sings, jumps, dances, saunters, and commands the crowds without missing a beat.  I swear I have no idea how that dude gets his energy! And his voice never wanes no matter how much jumping or running around he is doing!

Sure, this band is a darling in the indie music category, so of course a large part of their catalog does take us down memory lane with mega hits like “This Fire,” “Do You Want To,” and “Take Me Out,” which did not disappoint the crowd in the least! I gotta say… St. Louis – you showed up! Thank you for being a super high energy crowd that sang, danced, and brought more energy than normal on a cold, winter weeknight in the ‘Lou. You did us proud! And Franz Ferdinand proved yet again that they are not just a band from yesterday, but rather a pivotal rock and roll act that is still energetic, bold as hell, and better than the majority of acts that are half their age.

Local act Starwolf got the evening started with their super-infectious and groovy disco-meets-indie music that is bright and danceable, and at times, incredibly heavy and quite rock-infused. I don’t get the yacht rock callouts that some people were saying — I mean, sure there’s a saxophone and all, but this band brought the funk and groove! I think a great many people there last night knew this band, and knew their music well from some of their other bigger gigs they’ve snagged (like this year’s Music at the Intersection), and those who didn’t certainly got a new local band making incredible, original music to rave about. | Laura Jerele