The first thing I noticed from the article is the large photograph that is spread over the first two pages. In the photograph they seem to be contradicting the serious impression given off on the front cover of the magazine, as they are all pulling different amusing poses. This illustrates that they are not all serious and that there is an entertaining fun side to them. The headline is a quote from the text in the article and it uses the same font as on the front cover for the cover line “BACK WITH A BANG” this shows that they are keeping it consistent and uniform; this typography is also quite formal and one that newspapers would use.
The main photograph is of the band standing next to a wall, this ties in with the phrase used in the stand first “writing is definitely not on the wall”. This gives it a visual image and the wall also has connotations of a barrier and a hurdle, which also links in with the main article about them getting over their disputes with each other.
Unlike the other magazines, NME does not use a running head; this gives them individuality to other magazines and shows that they are unconventional. It also means that they use up the negative space in different ways; in this article they use photographs to do this. The photographs also separate the text and which makes it less daunting and intimidating to look at due to the lengthy article. They also use drop caps to separate the different sections in the article, which is a very common convention in magazines. Following on from this they have carried on the appearance of the magazine looking like an newspaper from the contents page, this is not only seen through the drop caps and the fact that the text is separated into columns (which makes it look organised and neat), but also the black and white large photograph of them spread out on the third and fourth page. It may have this newspaper look to it as it is a weekly magazine not a monthly magazine like most music magazines are and are therefore showing that they have a lot of information and news to share and it underlines the magazines popularity.
The magazine also uses an “Agony Aunt” section to use up any other negative space and adds colour to the quite bleak article as it is sectioned in a bright red box which stands out from the page. Following on from this they have also used a separate column on the following page which is also uses up any sparse areas that would have been there, the column is about the other covers that Franz Ferdinand have featured on in NME; this shows that they are a popular band to have featured on lots of NME’s front covers over the years.
The article is very detailed and lets the reader know exactly how the band were feeling and the emotions they were going through. Due to this in-depth article it makes it sound like a story and has therefore a very informative mode of address, this idea of the article being a story is also seen through the colloquial language used. The colloquial language used is highlighted in the pull quotes, for example “I DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT MOST POP”, this shows that they are serious about their music and it also fits in with the sell used on the front cover “MOST MUSIC MEANS NOTHING” both of which are controversial statements; and gives them impression that they come over as a stereotypical rock band as the statements convey attitude. It is clear to see that the article is not aimed for a younger audience due to the taboo words used and it may also appeal to people who are interested in the band Franz Ferdinand as the article is very descriptive and to others who are not interested in them it could become quite tedious.
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