Scottish Heavyweights Franz Ferdinand Take Over The Manchester Academy
- Desh Kapur
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Academy Manchester - 27th February 2026
WORDS / IMAGES MICHAEL BOND
There is a particular energy to a Friday night in Manchester, and tonight it crackles along Oxford Road, as a queue of Franz Ferdinand fans make their way into the Manchester Academy. Inside, the anticipation is starting to build as the low ceiling amplifies every chant that ripples through the crowd.
Opening duties fall to Home Counties, the Hertfordshire-formed quintet whose wiry art-pop has been steadily gaining traction over the past few years. With a recently released second album, their sound is a sharp-edged rhythmical cocktail of post-punk pulse and suburban satire.
Frontman Will Harrison stalks the stage with a twitchy charisma, half preacher, half PE teacher, delivering spoken-sung lines with a sly disdain. The guitars slash rather than shimmer, and the synth lines add a neon undercurrent that bounces effectively around the Academy’s compact interior. There is a distinctly British observational humour running through their set, tales of commuter towns, social awkwardness and aspirational weariness, and it lands well with a Manchester crowd primed for cleverly thought out, danceable guitar music.
The band Win the early arrivals quickly, particularly during their punchier numbers where bass and drums lock into a groove that feels built for sticky-floored venues. By the time they leave the stage, there is a sense that they have done more than just warm up the room, picking up a chunk of new fans along the way.
A huge cheer erupts as the lights drop again and the silhouette of Franz Ferdinand materialises against the stage. From the first jagged riff of “The Dark of the Matinée”, the band wastes no time in establishing control. The song’s clipped, kinetic guitar lines slice through the room, and Alex Kapranos delivers the lyrics with theatrical precision, with his still gloriously cynical voice.
Without a pause, they swing into “Night or Day”, with its disco groove setting hips in motion across the floor. The Academy’s crowd sways visibly as the rhythm section leans hard into the beat. Kapranos prowls the stage, with his sharp suit angles and knowing smiles, while the band lock into a groove that feels both meticulous and loose at the same time.
“Walk Away” provides the first real singalong moment of the night. The audience takes over the chorus with a collective enthusiasm, with their voices bouncing back off the venue’s low ceiling. It is a reminder of how deeply these songs are embedded in the collective memory of British indie culture. When the chiming guitar intro of “No You Girls” rings out, the crowds response is deafening, as the dancefloor becomes a heaving mass of limbs as strangers shouting lyrics at one another.
Newer songs like “Audacious” fit well, alongside the classics. The live performance feeling punchier, as its glam rock stomp amplified by the band’s delivery. With no dip in energy, it reinforces the sense that Franz Ferdinand remain forward-looking, and not just content on relying on 2000’s nostalgia. “Evil Eye” follows, with its darker, slinkier groove casting a brief shadow across the set, as the band lean into the song’s darker undertones. Then comes “Cats”, which injects a wiry, almost playful tension back into the set.
As the band break into the opening chords of “Do You Want To”, they are met with one of the night’s loudest cheers. It is impossible not to move as the song barrels forward. Kapranos encourages a call-and-response, and there is no hesitation from the Manchester crowd. There is a communal joy in the room as this indie disco classic is played in its purest form.
Mid-set, “40'” introduces a slightly moodier tone to the set. With its brooding bassline reverberating powerfully around the venue, offering a brief but effective change of pace to the night. “Glimpse of Love” and “Build It Up” keep the momentum steady, the former shimmering with melodic warmth, and the latter driven by a rhythm that underscores the band’s enduring knack for marrying art-school sensibilities with unashamed pop instincts.
When the bassline of “Michael” kicks in, the atmosphere turns ecstatic. The crowd surges forward, and Kapranos grins as he delivers the knowingly provocative lyrics to the sweaty, chaotic crowd. “Black Eyelashes” follows, maintaining the sultry undertone while allowing the guitars to snarl a little more aggressively. Then comes the inevitable, as a single, angular riff cuts through the noise, “Take Me Out”. The reaction is seismic, with everyone in the Academy seeming to leap in unison as the song shifts from its staccato intro into that irresistible, strutting groove. It’s easy to forget how inventive the structure of this song still feels and how thrilling that tempo switch still remains, after all this time.
“Outsiders” closes the main set in a blaze of controlled chaos. Extended and euphoric, it builds to a climax, drums pounding with primal force as the band stretch the outro into a frenzy of feedback and rhythm. Leaving the stage to a roar of appreciation.
The band return swiftly, barely allowing the applause to fade. “Hooked” kicks off the encore with a punch and swagger, setting the tone for a triumphant final stretch. “Ulysses” slinks in next, its hypnotic groove wrapping around the crowd as lights pulse in time with the beat, feeling almost psychedelic in the close quarters of the Academy.
“Love Illumination” brings brightness back into the room, with a melody that sparks a fresh wave of dancing. This leads into the opening cry of “This Fire”. As the song progresses, the chorus is shouted rather than sung, as the band push the tempo, stretching the outro just enough to keep the tension at boiling point before cutting it dead.
Tonight, Franz Ferdinand prove that they are not merely survivors of the mid-2000s indie explosion but masters of it. They understand pacing, dynamics and most crucially, the simple power of a razor-sharp riff played loud in a packed room, and the Academy, with its low ceiling suits them perfectly. As the house lights rise and the crowd spills back into the Manchester night, there is a collective sense of having participated in something both nostalgic while still current. Franz Ferdinand are not reliving past glories; they are actively reaffirming them, one ferocious chorus at a time.
SET LIST
1. The Dark of the Matinée
2. Night or Day
3. Walk Away
4. No You Girls
5. Audacious
6. Evil Eye
7. Cats
8. Do You Want To
9. 40'
10. Glimpse of Love
11. Build It Up
12. Michael
13. Black Eyelashes
14. Take Me Out
15. Outsiders
ENCORE
16. Hooked
17. Ulysses
18. Love Illumination
19. This Fire
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