Original posting September 3rd, 2005…

Okay, so I’m lazy. I hold my hand up about that, but I thought I’d share these pics of the Arcade Fire and Franz Ferdinand, who were playing in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens last Wednesday…

Completely manic. Jen, I know you’re in sunnier and more exciting places, but whoever got your ticket was dead lucky, because the Arcade Fire were completely awesome.

The dude with the small drum there was all over the place like an excited kid, along with the guy playing the guitar on the far right (of the picture, I don’t know about his politics). Here they are with opener ‘Wake Up’.

I’ve been completely in love with Funeral ever since one of Jen’s friends brought it over from the States, just in awe of the way it mingles melancholy with a kind of mad joy. And this came right through into their live show – all up there, dressed like a bunch of funeral directors, but completely enthused by an insane energy. I, and everone else in the gardens, was absolutely enthralled.

In the corner, some crash helmets are being played as drums. Along with anything else they could get their hands on.

Win Butler decides to tie all his bandmates up with his microphone cord, before hurling the stand across the stage. Genius. Arcade Fire, come back to Scotland soon, please.

To be honest, I kind of felt sorry for Franz Ferdinand after that. I mean, they were fabulous, but were a little bit tame compared to the anarchic Arcade Fire. But they exist at the opposite end of the spectrum, completely smooth with a grand line in patter. Most of Franz Ferdinand got an airing (especially a stonking This Fire to close the encore), but a lot of new material was performed too. A highlight from the new stuff is Do You Want To, although songs like I’m Your Villain and You Could Have it So Much Better seem to point to a slightly different direction for the next album.

Anyway. It may have been raining, but who cared? Not me, anyway!