I saw Franz Ferdinand play hits and new music for fans in Glasgow hotel rooftop bar

If Franz Ferdinand ever tire of playing arena gigs on international tours or headlining music festivals, they could consider embarking on a new residency as a hotel’s house band. Bombastic, playful and energetic anthems that have filled venues like the nearby Hydro were stripped back without losing any of their potency in a special homecoming gig for the band at Radisson RED Glasgow’s Sky Bar in front of a small audience. In another life, they could have been the world’s greatest lounge act.

Fans had won tickets for the night in a competition run by Scottish radio stations including Clyde 1, who were hosting the event. The rooftop bar at Radisson RED hotel overlooks Glasgow landmarks including the Finnieston Crane, Armadillo and the River Clyde as part of the Scottish Exhibition Campus. The Sky Bar has created a reputation as a venue in its own and is an atmospheric place for a performance - frontman Alex Kapranos noted the impressive view from the stage.

International DJs and local singers are regular performers at Radisson RED but tonight it was about new songs and greatest hits, given a fresh presentation by this pared-down version of one of Glasgow’s most successful bands. Lead singer Kapranos was joined by fellow original member Bob Hardy, sat of a chair clutching his bass, and Julian Corrie on keyboard and backing vocals. Drummer Audrey Tait, an essential part of the band’s full throttle performances on bigger stages, and rhythm guitarist Dino Bardot were given a night off.

It was a quirky trip through the band’s back catalogue, Bob’s enigmatic bass bringing momentum. Julian Corrie’s gleeful keyboard replacing guitar parts. A reined in Kapranos strumming on an acoustic and striding through lyrics with his distinctive vocals - a singer completely comfortable with his role in life after over 20 years on the road. His mum and dad were at the side of the stage watching along.

In a set that moved through the back catalogue, we also had bouncy versions of Audacious and Hooked from the new album The Human Fear. After some less pacy numbers that had made the packed venue seem mellow, Alex caught both his bandmates and the audience off-guard by launching into Do You Want To - “Oh I woke up tonight I said I, I've gotta make somebody love me” - which soon turned into an audience sing-along. Franz Ferdinand can still bring the party.

Music is part of the identity of Glasgow, an essential part of the life of the city. Sky Bar have made it part of what they do, particularly with their own Skyline series of progressive house DJ events and now with their partnership with Clyde 1 that has saw performers like Callum Beattie and Tom Walker to the glass-enclosed bar at the top of the hotel. Manager Graham Chalmers says: “We have the perfect venue - a glass box high above Glasgow - with a killer Void sound system, and a great production team.”

After establishing their sound performing at parties and organising gigs in Glasgow, Franz Ferdinand signed to Domino in May 2003 and released their first single, Darts Of Pleasure shortly after. Second single, Take Me Out exploded onto the international stage, a precursor to their eponymous debut album which went on to sell over 5 million copies worldwide. Take Me Out has since had over a billion plays on Spotify, so it was only fitting that we should have that as the last song of the night. With the new album making an impact, there’s a lot more to come from the band in the year ahead.