Friday, 31/10/03 The Fiery Furnaces, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Hot Heat @ Barfly, Liverpool

The Fiery Furnaces come packed with much potential, acting as the warm up act for one of the country’s hottest tips for ‘next big thing’ Franz Ferdinand as well as Canada’s last big thing Hot Hot Heat, whose single 'Bandages' tore through the charts earlier this year despite being removed from play lists during the conflict in Iraq. Performing on tonight’s bill – MTV2 sponsored ‘Gonzo on Tour’ and introduced by none other than Zane Lowe himself you’d expect them to come packed with the kind of energy that’ll make London music press whores sweat like bitches on heat.

They dress and stand like the kind of band that has evolved after hours of listening to classic 70s and 80s vinyl in smoke filled rooms late at night, coming together through their collective spite towards the world, and mutual love of really funky clothes. It’s a pity then that the Fiery Furnaces are more the sort of band that is crafted in factories. No, I’m not suggesting they’re manufactured as such, but whilst image is 75% of live music, the neat cultivation present on stage leaves a cold feeling inside.

Formed to make students cream their pants, believing they’ve seen the next White Stripes or Strokes on their first (and only) trip down to  a small venue, having attended because the gig was advertised on TV, the Fiery Furnaces are all substance and no band. Their songs make Travis’s singles sound interesting and well written – and not at all repetitive. Who needs to sing 'Turn' when the Fiery Furnaces wish that they were single again, for a whole five minutes? I won’t get that time in my life back ever again, so do yourself a favour and avoid losing it in the first place.

Someone, somewhere likes Franz Ferdinand, recent signing to the infamous Domino label, it’s the third time in as many months that I’ve been witness to the band’s infectious disco rock, the second occasion as part of a BBC 6music session supporting Ladytron. Unlike the Smouldering Campfires, or whatever they were called, these guys really have emerged from the aforementioned smoke filled rooms and as evident in their popular DJ sets they come packed with a host of influences and styles that will leave no one disappointed.

Formed after guitarist Nick McCarthy (guitar) stole Alex Kapranos (vocals)’s vodka at a party and deciding they both wanted to form a band on a grand scale “on the level of Field Marshall Haig’s tears that fell as he counted the statistics of the men he had sent over the top” to quote bassist Robert Hardy, whilst Alex wanted to make music that girls could dance to. It seems that in the short time they’ve been together they’re well on the way to just that. Their debut single on Domino, ‘Darts of Pleasure’ could describe the band itself as easily at the girl you’re standing next to on the dance floor "You are the latest contender. You are the one to remember". Whereas ‘Take Me Out’ could easily be the launch of a Blitzkrieg on the Nation’s CD Collection blowing away the cobwebs of the current flock of Coldplay style polite rock groups. Someone somewhere likes Franz Ferdinand, and it’s not just Gigwise.

I must confess I’m quite fond of Hot Hot Heat too. 'Bandages' was a cracking tune, and whilst 'Make Up the Breakdown' has its fair share of filler, 'No Not Now' and 'Talk With Me, Dance With Me' confirm that Hot Hot Heat’s first album was a hint of what might follow, more of a false start than a complete letdown. Having missed out on seeing them last time they played the Barfly (the first venue they’ve played twice in Europe) and again in May I’d been forced to suffer the auditory assault of their summer festival performances on television.

Rather than the amazing live performances I’d hoped for, the band were weak, whilst Steve Bay’s voice left a lot to be desired. Oh no I think – they’re nothing but a studio band, not the band-you-can-dance-to that I hoped they were. On the other hand - festivals are notorious for their disastrous sound checks and crap TV recordings - I reassured myself, so when this date was announced last month I was eager to find out once and for all.

It doesn’t take much to realise that Hot Hot Heat are every bit the live piece as the studio. Set opener 'Naked in the City' laid down the score as they ripped through their debut UK album, throwing in earlier songs from their 'Knock Knock Knock' EP. 'Talk With Me, Dance With Me' (released as a single on the 3rd November) was easily the defining moment of the set, as the audience broke from polite claps and tapping of feet to full on jumping and cheers, by the time they’d reached their peak at the end of the set it was time to make my was to the back to avoid being crushed.

Photos by Sakura Henderson