Franz Ferdinand live at the Botanic Gardens

Liverpool are playing in the Champion’s League, headliners The Scissor Sisters don’t exactly float my boat (don’t get me started, meanwhile, on Jem and Maroon 5), and the heavens have suddenly gone bulimic on our asses – spewing forth rain in a disturbingly Novemberish fashion. The Vital two-dayer is usually a soft sell in Belfast’s social calendar – offering us all a rare opportunity to nod along in the fresh air to some top-drawer acts. This year, though, I’m wondering if it’s worth leaving the house for.
Give praise then for those Franz Ferdinand boys. Because it is their presence, and theirs alone, that makes this particular shindig worth attending. And, wouldn’t you know it; they pull out a performance that turns an unpromising evening into an enjoyably memorable one.
Our heroes are in fine form. Taking the rise out of Maroon 5 (“Because they covered that Blur song, we’re going to play an old Carpenters track,” Alex announces as an introduction to ‘Take Me Out’), indulging in elongated band/punters introductions, and never passing up an opportunity for some splendidly arch posing, they look every inch the whip-smart, boys-done-good we’ve all grown to love.
The defiantly tail-up nature of their new tunes helps matters no end. If you want to battle the onslaught of S.A.D, then, on the evidence of tonight, you should grab a copy of FF’s new record You Could Have It So Much Better the day it comes out. ‘I’m Your Villain’ and ‘You’re The Reason I’m Leaving’ have an up-beat, smart-arse swagger reminiscent of Soul Rebels Dexy’s, while new single ‘Do You Want To’ never strays too far from full-on glam stomp.
Three cheers then for this honourably buoyant approach, because the whole ‘up-like-a-firework-down-like-a-stick’ template followed by most lauded new bands has become yawnsome over recent years.
It appears that Franz Ferdinand aren’t ready quite yet to stop exploding in the sky.
And for that, it’s worth getting rained on.