Franz Ferdinand don't get just their constructivist artwork from the USSR; their work rate would impress Stakhanov. Only 12 months since they finished promoting their debut album, they are back touring their second. Then there is the increasing ubiquity of Alex Kapranos - the kind of rock front man controllers of Radio 4 might have dreamt up: lecturer, art curator, food columnist and all-round cultural commentator. It's a wonder he hasn't dashed off a wry stocking-filler book in time for Christmas.
With such an enduringly high profile come rumbles of a backlash. Some critics have deemed them too arch and knowing: all head and no heart. As the Pet Shop Boys will tell you, that's what you get for being clever. The charge of seeming too pleased with themselves is harder to shrug off. From its title down their latest album, You Could Have It So Much Better, walks the tightrope between winning chutzpah and mere smugness.
On stage, though, Kapranos's cocky raconteur act is just the ticket. The answer is "Yes we do" he says before Do You Want To's orgy of doo-doo-doo vocals kicks in. Then when he sings, he's abruptly more menacing. The floor lights carve valleys of shadow from his cheeks and dark pits where his eyes should be. The song suddenly has teeth and his chant of "Lucky, lucky, lucky" acquires a note of hysteria. Consistently, there's an edge of danger to the fun.
Far from being dwarfed by the scale of the venues they are now playing, they harness it to their own grand designs. Against a blood red stage set, they display a playful understanding of the visual dynamics of a four-piece band. During Take Me Out, Kapranos, Hardy and guitarist Nick McCarthy stand in a line, their guitars tilted just so. Above them hang drapes bearing giant portraits of each member. They simultaneously recall Soviet war heroes and the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. Most of all, they look like a band on top of their game.
In an expertly judged mid-set change of pace the acerbic Walk Away sees drummer Paul Thomson join his band mates on guitar. It's followed by Eleanor Put Your Boots On, Franz Ferdinand's only bona fide ballad. But in the front rows some habits die hard. "I never thought I'd see stage diving for that song," Kapranos purrs, evidently having the time of his life. "That's marvellous."
· At the Brighton Centre tonight. Box office: 0870 900 9100. Then touring.
