Franz Ferdinand Was On Fire For The Third Time On Their South America Tour in Lima, Peru on November 8th, 2024

Chronicle written by Liam Choy – Kifox

Franz Ferdinand, the iconic Scottish indie rock band formed in 2001 in Glasgow, Scotland arrived for a third time in Lima, Peru to promote their new album The Human Fear that will be released on January 10th, 2025. Kandavu was the local production company that organized the concert and this time the chosen venue was the Explanada del Parque de la Exposición located in the district of Cercado de Lima. The stage was raised especially for the show and the place was not huge but it had a decent size and the fact that it was an open place was pretty good. The sound was perfect, the loud noise of all the instruments was not concentrated in a closed space and the music could be enjoyed without any problem.

The openers were the Peruvian band Los Outsaiders and the Argentinian band Bestia Bebé, both bands have a similar indie/alternative spirit, the only difference being that Bestia Bebe has a happier sound and Outsider are more atmospheric.

Starting with Los Outsaiders, their set was good. At the beginning, the bass and drums were too loud and kinda absorbed the rest of the voice and the guitars, but thankfully that problem was fixed between the second and third songs. They played some of their classic songs and also the most recent one to date. Something to highlight are the guitar effects. The blend between some calm parts with the reverb pedal and more loud parts with the distortion pedal really contributed to the emotions transmitted by the band.

Los Outsaiders Band Members:

Charlie VTW- Vocals/Guitar

Juan Carlos Calderón – Bass/Vocals 

Renzo Pinedo – Drums

With Bestia Bebe, the set was a little more energetic. They had a more traditional guitar-driven rock sound but still maintained the classic indie punk sound. The singer interacted with the public, which contributed to the dynamic atmosphere. Something noticeable was that the Bestia Bebe set felt longer than the Outsiders one, but it is not something important to complain about.

Bestia Bebé Band Members:

Polaco Ocorso – Drums.

Chicho Guisolfi – Bass.

Tom Quintans – Vocals/Guitars.

Boui Vilche – Guitars

The stage in where the openers played was a little small, but the public could notice a big curtain in the background, and that curtain came down before the band entered the stage, revealing the drums used by Audrey Tait, some white stairs at the left side on which  Alex Kapranos and Dino Bardot were going to get up later at the concert and a big gray frame decorating the platform that represented the cover of their upcoming album The Human Fear, the staff was still preparing the instruments and checking the stage and it was funny to see one of the guitar techs coming to the stage more than 5 times to tune a guitar. The band came into the stage a little later than expected but it was definitely worth the wait because the concert was very lively.

Franz Ferdinand kicked things off with “The Dark Of The Matinee”. Seeing all the crowd jumping and actually being there and not with their cellphones all the time was really enjoyable. Moving on, we had the classic for dancing “No You Girls” and the first new song that they played at this concert: “Audacious”. What was really surprising was the fact that despite being a song released only a few weeks before the concert many people sang along with the song, proving that the Franz Ferdinand fans were really there for the band and not just for a few songs in particular.

Out of all the songs from their upcoming record The Human Fear, the most remarkable one was “Build It Up”, in which Alex Kapranos played the intro of “La Danza de Los Mirlos” by the Peruvian cumbia band Los Mirlos in the middle of the song. It was a nice little tribute to this prominent music genre in Peru. Most of the songs played in this concert were new ones that are going to be released in January of 2025 in the album previously mentioned.

How can we forget the epic moment that was when the band played their hit “Take Me Out”. All the crowd jumped along and danced through that song and also every other song that Ferdinand played. The most striking ones were “No You Girls”, “Do You Want To”, “Michael”, “Love Illumination”, “Ulysses” and a long etcetera. Also, in the most quiet ones like “Walk Away” and “Jacqueline” the crowd were always following the band with their bending-site-to-side arms.

For the encore, the band played four more songs: “Jacqueline”, “Bar Lonely” and “The Birds” (both being new upcoming songs) and the one that closed the concert in an epic way: “This Fire”. What a way to end a set. The original song was four minutes long, but in this concert, they made a 10-minute version including an interlude where both the guitarist Alex Kapranos and Dino Bardot played a double solo and moved around. The dynamics kept the crowd very entertained and attentive at what the band were doing.

Overall, it was a great performance. The band is formed by five talented musicians that know how to keep the public animated. Audrey Tait played the drums great with various arrangements throughout the set, Bob Hardy always filled the blanks with catchy bass melodies, one of the best bassists in the genre. Julian Corrie’s ability to switch between keyboards and guitar all over the concert and always playing the right thing to play and with a lot of feeling is something that needs to be recognized. Dino Bardot was always accompanying with his guitar melodies and arrangements and also with his voice. It is remarkable to notice also the use of the tremolo bar in key moments, providing more energy to the concert. Alex Kapranos was always moving around and dancing throughout various songs and playing the guitar and interacting with the public. Truly a skilled frontman that knows how to maintain the liveliness of a concert. Franz Ferdinand always knows what they are doing, and this concert was proof of that. By the time you´re reading this review the band has just played in Chile and are on its way to Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.

Franz Ferdinand Band Members:

Alex Kapranos – Vocals/lead guitars.

Dino Bardot – Rhythm guitar/backing vocals.

Julian Corrie – Keyboards/guitar/backing vocals.

Bob Hardy – Bass

Audrey Tait – Drums.

Setlist:

Follow Los Outsaiders online:

Follow Bestia Bebé online:

Follow Franz Ferdinand online:

Ricardo Choy-Kifox Photographer / Writer

I’m a photographer with extensive experience working for national and international media. I’m also a passionate photography educator with extensive experience working with students of different ages. I love Heavy Metal music and I began shooting concerts in 1992. Concert Photography is my passion. I’m based in Perú but willing to travel anywhere.