W& I: Ste Brodie @shotbybrodie

BRIXTON O2 ACADEMY — It felt less like 2026 and more like a fever dream from 2004. At a sold-out Brixton Academy, the front row offered a sight now rarer than a vintage vinyl: barely a phone in sight. Instead of a sea of glowing screens, there was only raw, frantic anticipation.

When Alex Kapranos finally stormed the stage, he wore the band’s mission statement on his back—literally. Donning a sharp Franz Ferdinand jacket embroidered with the title of their latest record, The Human Fear, the frontman wasted no time bridging the gap between the classics and the contemporary.

The night ignited with the jagged, familiar opening chords of "The Dark of the Matinée." From that moment on, the atmosphere was electric. Kapranos remains one of rock’s most kinetic performers; he spent the night shifting, lunging, and jumping across the stage with the same lithe energy that made the band global icons two decades ago. The crowd didn't just watch—they followed suit, jumping in perfect sync with the frontman’s every move.

In a class act move between the hits, Kapranos paused to champion the evening’s support, Home Counties, voicing his hope to see the rising band funding their own headline tours in the near future. It was a nod to the future of indie music, delivered by a band that has officially mastered the art of staying timeless.