Franz Ferdinand tested songs for their second album at a top secret show in LONDON last night.
The band, who have just returned from their latest tour in the US, were only supposed to play two more shows in 2004 – at the Glasgow SECC (December 18-19) – hometown gigs to celebrate the end of an amazing year for the band.
However, Franz Ferdinand turned up at the Mildmay Social Club in Stoke Newington last night (December 15) for an unannounced set. The group played under the name A Touch Of Velvet.
Watched by only 150 fans and invited guests, the group played new songs including ’I’m Your Villain’, ‘It’s So Easy’ and ’Your Diary’, alongside classics like ’Darts Of Pleasure’ and ’Michael’. There was also a cover of The Fire Engines’ ‘Get Up And Use Me’.
A fan at the show told NME.COM: “It felt more like a Christmas party than anything else. There wasn’t a setlist, Alex Kapranos was asking what songs they wanted to play, and they did them. All good fun.”
Speaking after the show, Alex said: “We did the gig last night for a friend of ours who runs the Guided Missile label, it was their tenth anniversay party. It’s such a great label and it was an honour to do the show. The gig was pretty amazing. It was fantastic to be playing such a small and idiosyncratic venue again, a real reminder of our early gigs.”
Following their last two shows of the year Franz Ferdinand will regroup in early 2005 to start work on their second album, which is due later that year.