Franz Ferdinand Jump Into Action at Montreal’s MTelus [Photos]

For those who were around to remember, the early 2000s were kind of rough for rock music. The charts were dominated by the last gasp of the boy and girl bands, some solo offshoots of the genre, and lots of R&B. Rock music wasn’t very visible at the time, but from across the Atlantic Ocean came a series of bands with guitars blazing.

Named after the Archduke of Austria, whose assassination was one of the events that led to World War I, Scotland’s Franz Ferdinand was one of the groups that fought to bring rock n’ roll back to the people. They’ve continued to do so for over 20 years now, and they were in Montreal to show that not only is rock not dead, but it’s alive and jumping.

No, I didn’t mix up my sayings, I really did mean jumping. Franz Ferdinand opened their set with “Bar Lonely,” a track from their latest album, The Human Fear. After sauntering onto the stage to the theme from the Naked Gun films, singer Alex Kapranos made his way over to Audrey Tate’s drum kit and leapt into action. It was the first of many leaps on the night as Kapranos spent almost as much time in the air as my energetic three-year-old does on any given afternoon.

Speaking of high energy, the opening band on the night was a real revelation. Hailing from New York, Telescreens hit the stage like a throwback to the down, dirty and grimy rock scene that the city is known for. Singer Jackson Hamm is like a mix of Rocky and Rambo, but holding an electric guitar with uncut strings on the end. Theirs was a short performance, but one that left a mark. Hamm often told the crowd of fans in the upper deck to rise from their seats and to enjoy the moment, and also made a quick trip into the crowd while security did their best to try and find the musician that they had lost in a sold-out crowd. Telescreens easily join the list of opening bands that I have loved, and I really hope they will make a return visit soon.

Not to be outdone, Franz Ferdinand brought 20 years of rock to the party. The set list was a mix of songs from The Human Fear, which was just released in January, and the hits that everyone has been enjoying since they burst onto the scene in 2003. Alex Kapranos also endeared himself with the Montreal crowd by chatting with them in impeccable French between songs.

Franz Ferdinand has wrapped up this leg of their tour, but will be travelling again soon. After a short break, they will be hitting Europe this summer before returning to North America in the fall and then later this year visiting Japan. If a good old-fashioned rock n’ roll show is what you are looking for, then Franz Ferdinand is where it’s at.

Franz Ferdinand (w/ Telescreens) @ MTelus (Montreal, QC) on April 14th, 2025

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