Franz Ferdinand Rocks "A Sounds Eclectic Evening"

During KCRW-FM's annual "A Sounds Eclectic Evening" concert, the Scottish dance rockers, Franz Ferdinand made a surprise appearance to the delight of audiences and performers alike. The line up for this year's benefit show from the Santa Monica public radio station was lacking the latin and hip-hop sound of past shows, but with Ben Harper, Ziggy Marley, Death Cab for Cutie, and Franz Ferdinand in attendance, nobody seemed to mind.

Even though Franz Ferdinand wasn't featured on the bill, fans were thrilled if not entirely surprised when the boys were announced at the show. According to Reuters, Franz Ferdinand rocked out the crowd with such tunes as, "Do You Want To", "Walk Away", "Take Me Out", and "This Fire", from their successful 2005 album, You Could Have It So Much Better.

In an article on MTV, Franz Ferdinand's set overpowered even the show's headliners, Death Cab for Cutie, whom the Scottish rockers are currently on tour with. So it didn't come as a huge surprise to some that Franz Ferdinand might actually show up.

Since first taking the music scene by storm with their 2005 album, You Could Have It So Much Better, Franz Ferdinand have steadily climbed the charts and have constantly been on tour, and as of today they have dates set for Austin, Houston, and Dallas, Texas to end out the month of March. According to the official Franz Ferdinand website, it looks as if Alex Kapranos (lead vocals/guitar), Nick McCarthy (guitar/backing vocals), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), and Paul Thomson (percussion) will be spending at least another month in the States before heading back to Europe for the remainder of the tour.

Franz Ferdinand weren't the only performers that night to outshine Death Cab, as an article on the L.A. Times' Calendarlive.com website stated, The headliner, Death Cab for Cutie, couldn't maintain the momentum. The Seattle band, an indie darling elevated to prime time through featured spots on "The O.C.," gave it a good go, but the relatively subdued emotions seemed slight in this slot.. So the lesson to be learned here kids is that if you're going to headline a benefit concert , make sure you bring you're A-game, especially if you plan on sharing the stage with the likes of Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Ziggy Marley, and Franz Ferdinand.

[Additional Sources: MTV, Reuters, Calendarlive, franzferdinand.co.uk]