Franz Ferdinand – Spinning Platters

Single of the Week: “Billy Goodbye” by Franz Ferdinand

It feels weird to call “Billy Goodbye,” a comeback single from Franz Ferdinand… They are consistently putting out records. But “Billy Goodbye” is definitely not so much a return to form, but definitely a renewed enthusiasm within the band. It may be the addition of new drummer Audrey Tait, who is a monster on the skins. The track is classic British glam, calling to mine Bowie at his bluesiest. It’s got the classic Franz danceyness, albeit without that Gang Of 4 angular side.

“Billy Goodbye” is available in all the usual places. It’s the lead single off Franz Ferdinand’s greatest hits compilation, Hits To The Head, due out March 11th, 2022 on CD, Cassette, and a slew of vinyl variations so you can pick one to keep sealed and one to listen to.

Show Review: FFS at the Fox Oakland, 10/15/2015

Nick McCarthy, Russell Mael and Alex Kapranos of FFS

Just over two years ago, timeless whimsical art-pop duo Sparks made their first appearance in the Bay Area in years, in the form of a stripped-down two-man show that spanned the entire course of their career. What probably WASN’T immediately well known, however, was the presence of members of another band at at least one of those very same shows: Alex Kapranos and the other musicians of Franz Ferdinand, who watched the show as regular members of the audience (and then joined the boys backstage after the gig). This wasn’t the first time that Ron and Russel Mael, the brothers of Sparks, had discussed working with the Glasgow rockers, but this gathering became the impetus to make something even bigger — and less than a year after those concerts, the supergroup FFS (named for the bands that make it up) was formed, with their eponymous album cranked out a few months later. The album and the band are their own unique experiences; FFS has a playfulness that recalls the best work of Sparks, which blends smartly with the bombastic showmanship of a big rock show — the sort of thing that Franz Ferdinand is well known for. Lest fans be worried that there’s a clear divide between the two groups, the truth couldn’t be more clear: the two sets of musicians play off of each other marvelously, and when it all comes together under one roof, the FFS live show is a different experience all by itself.

Continue reading “Show Review: FFS at the Fox Oakland, 10/15/2015”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 4/24/14-4/30/14

A band that puns on this show is opening for a band that has Ty Segall in it at Rickshaw Stop.

Thursday, April 24th Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 4/24/14-4/30/14”

Show Review: San Francisco’s 2012 Outside Lands Festival, Day 3

The one banana that didn't come in a burrito this weekend — The one banana that didn’t come in a burrito this weekend

San Francisco’s annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is always tasked with the enormous duty of being the “other” huge festival of California, and the designation is both a blessing and a curse. On the low end, it has to try and come up with acts that Coachella somehow didn’t have the foresight to book ages earlier, or at leasts acts that will stand up as decent competition, and with tickets to the Indio festival now going onsale a year in advance, they’ve got to get their contenders up and available as soon as possible — usually right before Coachella kicks off. On the high end, the climate is, on the whole, much more pleasant, the acts tend to stick to more large crowd-pleasers and new discoveries, and the fine folks putting on Outside Lands spend many months listening to the irritations and complaints about Coachella to use as a salvo against their festival’s possible shortcomings. The result is that by Sunday afternoon, most of the 65,000+ fans that came out to Golden Gate Park got their fairer shares of mindblowing performances and raucous partying behind them, and were ready for the big finish that would wind down the end of the chilly August weekend.

Continue reading “Show Review: San Francisco’s 2012 Outside Lands Festival, Day 3”

Our Guide to the 2012 Outside Lands Music Festival

segwaypolo — Poor guys… Gonna have to find someplace else to play Polo next weekend.

Every year, every festival in America claims to have the “best line up ever!” Well, San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music Festival has made to its 5th year, and they really are going to have a seriously difficult time topping this year’s event. Of course, this means that there are conflicts galore! You’ve got six stages of entertainment to try to decide between at any time of day.

The schedule can be awfully intimidating. Which is why I’m here to help guide you through the complex maze that is the Outside Lands schedule. Without further ado, here is SpinningPlatters’ Official Guide to Outside Lands 2012.

Continue reading “Our Guide to the 2012 Outside Lands Music Festival”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide To Bay Area Concerts: August 18th-24th

Not only are the adorable, they are bringing their emo-en-espanol sound to the Fillmore on Wednesday! — Not only are they adorable, they are also bringing their emo-en-espanol sound to the Fillmore on Wednesday!

It’s another week of greatness for your week… Enjoy!

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide To Bay Area Concerts: August 18th-24th”