Franz Ferdinand / The Rakes with The Pigeon Detectives - Bowery Ballroom / Knitting Factory (New York) - Wednesday, June 13, 2007

by Rachel Pesin
20 June 2007

My sister and I occasionally play the “Who would you choose?” game. This involves picking two or more bands that we love and having to choose which one we would see if both were playing on the same night. Except during SXSW, this rarely occurs. However, on June 13, I was faced with such a dilemma: FRANZ FERDINAND or THE RAKES? They are two of my favorite bands and I didn’t want to miss either one. Luckily I was able to catch both shows.

I’ve seen Franz Ferdinand a zillion times (okay, 17). I’ve seen them play early on in their career in tiny venues like Maxwell’s in Hoboken and I’ve seen them in places as far away as Atlanta and Glasgow. I love them, okay?! But my love has slowly been dwindling since their last US tour in 2006. The shows no longer excite me and I hate to say it but I find myself bored.

It was nice to see the band again at my favorite venue, Bowery Ballroom, in a small setting, just like the good old days. “Dark of the Matinee” and “Take Me Out” were the highlights of the night for me; singing and jumping around was great fun. Unfortunately, those were the only songs I really enjoyed out of the entire set. They left out some great tracks, most notably “Darts of Pleasure.” The new songs were, at times, either too synthy or too boring, and, on occasion, both too synthy and too boring. I hope they can come up with some exciting new songs that will remind me why I loved them so much to begin with.

Setlist:
Jacqueline
Anyone in Love
Walk Away
Shopping For Blood
The Dark of the Matinee
English Goodbye
Take Me Out
A New Thrill
The Fallen
40 Ft
Favourite Lie
Turn It On
Michael
Outsiders

That same night, In the City of New York’s first night of concerts was taking place at Knitting Factory after being moved from the much larger Nokia Theatre because of HAPPY MONDAYS’ cancellation due to visa issues.

The support band, THE PIGEON DETECTIVES, from Leeds, England, were quite fun. The audience was more receptive than the one I was part of when I saw them at SXSW, and the band clearly appreciated this and played more energetically as a result. I have a feeling that the next time they come back to the States there will be a big buzz surrounding them.

Finally at around 12:45 AM, The Rakes took the stage and it was worth the wait. I can’t say enough good things about this band. These art-punk Londoners make incredibly exciting music that translates well into their live show.

Although the sound at this show was far from great, it didn’t seem to matter much. The set was a perfect mix of old songs from the band’s debut album and their latest release. Lead singer ALAN DONOHUE’s insane, IAN CURTIS-esque dancing and crazy eyes make their set even more entertaining. I’ve seen them eight times already and I hope I never tire of them. Something tells me I won’t!

Setlist:

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