Franz Ferdinand played the Ambassador, Dublin. This was fee-fee's idea - she was into them after they supported Interpol somewhere. I got two tickets. Originally set for the Village, it got moved to the still favourite Ambassador.

By the way - I'm sleepy.
It's saturday, ireland, raining.
Just a day to keep me in the house.
So I'll mail this to work and cut it up.
I'll try to look like I can string two words together better than I did in school...

Didn't hang around town after work. Went home and took 300 calories of microwave food. Got a bus to meet smiling fee-fee fairly dead on time. We went in.

Crowd was relaxed again. The two of us ended up third from the front with lots of head gaps. Later on the boys would come along and try and jump. My brother's lady's brother was there from Cork with a pal.

Support one looked better than they were. Unless I missed something. Support two looked better than Support one, but played as good as they looked. We'd find out later that they were called The Fiery Furnaces (2006 ticket here)(2007 ticket here). They owned two of the same synths as me and were all pretty thin. Good drummer, good bass/synth, good organ/synth/tele, good singer/guitar. Pretty much a quality band straight away. I shall find their stuff and listen to it.

(six hours later: me and fee-fee just found it in tower)

Next came Franz. I'd listened to the album almost once, I'd heard the singles around. Music had been drip fed to me, but I'm capable of getting a good first/second listen on a live band. All the tunes were familiar, and any that weren't seemed like they were (sic - contradiction).

Franz Ferdinand were better than their album. The record sounds squeezed - live they sound a hell of a lot better. Visually they're a collection of ectomorphs wearing tight stuff and interesting shoes. They were a good band. I was certainly pleased. Sound kicked in full after about two songs, then stayed great for the rest of the show. I don't need to do the details again.

Um, there's a list of songs in my setlists section.

They played through, then skipped off. It seemed short, but it wasn't (das ist gut). One encore happened - they finished it very very very well. I hoped they wouldn't come back and play any more. These guys finished perfectly, then left us all with that finish. That's the best way to leave things...

I begged a little for setlists out of habit. Dr J said I touched two, and got none. I touched one.

After it we hung around a little. Fee-fee wanted to go talk to The Fiery Furnaces' drummer. He wandered out on stage to put stuff away - she went and talked to him. Later on she would sit around with the bands talking and having fun. Everyone else lay in bed wondering where Fridays go and why.

I left with Dr J and Tuffles. Eddie Rockets, then to the Wrong Market Bar. Stood there blocking the cigarette machine and wondering at the girls from other people's work. It was all a little strange. I didn't feel like it.

Fee Fee got a setlist from the drummer guy when she was chatting. She gave it to me, and I'll hold it should she someday want to hang it on a wall.

It was a nice evening. Most things went well. Sometimes we were tired. Sometimes we were energetic. We don't have to jump up and down and be happy if we don't want to.

I guess I'm going to Ash on thursday. They're in the Music Centre (a caustic bleach-washed room). There's something in the back of my mind about why they're playing there. I can't get it out...