Franz Ferdinand

Back in 2004, Franz Ferdinand was on a course to Biggest-Band-in-the-World status. Then the future happened, serious music appreciation was hobbled by casual music consumption and any notion of a "next big thing" was rendered as quaint as a compact disc. So the suave Scottish rockers have settled for cult stardom, as evidenced by the shrinkage of their Seattle gigs: Their 2009 show was downgraded from the Paramount to the Moore and tonight they play the comparatively wee Showbox. No matter. They'll still put on a viciously upbeat dance party, and their cult will rejoice.