To my surprise I spied a sandwich board at BBC at Potterow last week that said ‘Franz Ferdinand and Sparks, live in the Big Blue Tent on Sunday’ get tickets at the info point’. So we did, it all seemed a little too good to be true.

Then the downfall came when, despite having arrived the recommended one hour before show time on Sunday we were too late to gain validation and were put on a stand-by list. The consolation of being able to watch the performance live on the big screen with headphones didn’t really fill me with joy. But luckily, thanks to the very well organised folks at the BBC we gained entry.

FFS released their collaborative album in June this year but have been recording together for many years. Familiar with Franz Ferdinand it was the Spark’s side of the equation I needed to educate myself on. Brothers Ron and Russell Mael initially started out a Rock/Pop outfit and morphed into one of the synth/electronic act heroes of the late 70s, collaborating with the likes of Giorgio Moroder (another artist of this year enjoying somewhat of a revival currently).  On paper the two don’t necessarily seem to fit but as their self-titled album proved they fit very well and are a catchy pairing at that.

Having missed them at Glastonbury, getting to see them live, so close to home, was a great opportunity. As I write they are performing a sold-out gig at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre. But we got to see them first, in all their glory for three whole tracks (two of them twice).

The elaborate sense of style of both frontmen Russell Mael and Alex Kapranos led me to think, what’s better than one frontman? Well, of course, two, when they’re like this anyway.  The stark contrast of Russell’s over-the-top performance with Ron’s po-faced stiffness adds extra comedy value but also an air of authority. These guys have been part of music history so they can command it. FF guitarist is equally elaborately dressed which basically makes for rather an eclectic-looking group of musicians.

We are treated to three tracks; the first ‘Sõ Desu Ne’ gets off to a great start with Bob Hardy and Nick McCarthy both playing the one keyboard one-handed. At the end of the song they are joined by Alex and Russell, also both playing one-handed in a four individual single-hand playing bonanza. Sadly the last 40 seconds or so of the song are mired by the loss of power to drummer Paul Thomson’s drum machine. The crowd seems into it but it’s hard to tell as we’ve been told by the BBC Producers that we have to save the dancing for later due to the fact the film will be used for various programmes and continuity is important.

The second track leads to a change in station for almost every member except the two front men. ‘Collaborations Don’t Work’ is self-aware and ironic, but above all bouncy and pretty epic at 6.42 seconds. Alex’s outfit and gyrations prompt comparisons to an 80s cowboy and Russell’s being bespeckled and adorned in a cloak-like garment wearing prompts comparisons to Harry Potter. But happily it all works.

The third and what was to be the final track, ‘Police Encounters’ sees Alex encouraging the audience to wave to the music, some getting involved some not. A technical issue sees them restart and ultimately start it again for a third time, delivering the whole song in total, twice. They perform as energetically as they did initially and everyone’s pretty delighted they got to hear it again. Due to the earlier hitch with the drum machine ‘Sõ Desu Ne’ also gets a second outing.

Five tracks for the price of three and that price was, well free. All in all, a great experience that actually left me pretty disappointed I hadn’t secured a ticket for tonight’s gig. Oh well, I’ll make it along next time.

Just as an aside I haven’t been posting as much as I would like to due to the wonderful Edinburgh Fringe Festival taking place and the long hours I’ve been putting in both at work and play. More to come in September, when I am left slightly bereft by the end of the festival no doubt.