"OK, we understand our songs are hard to dance to," singer-guitarist Barry Hyde offered at the Futureheads' first North American headlining gig Monday night at Toronto's Lee's Palace. "Fair enough. However, this next song is a bit easier to dance to. So we expect to see some dancing."

Despite its billing, Decent Days and Nights did not, in fact, make it much easier for the assembled anglophiles to get their grooves on; instead, the same few keeners continued to shuffle awkwardly about, as they had throughout the gig, while everyone else stayed firmly in place. But danceability, really, is more Franz Ferdinand's thing - as the Sunderland, U.K. natives would know first-hand, since their first overseas exposure came with a recent opening spot on the Glasweigans' North American tour. Coming off rather like Franz's slightly scruffier and punkier kid brothers, though sounding more like The Jam with a bit of early Blur thrown in for good measure, the Futureheads are all about two-minute adrenaline bursts.

On their eponymous debut disc, these bursts eventually lose some of their potency. With the exception of a few stand-out tracks (Robot, which boasts a few welcome tempo changes, is a particular standout), it all runs together a bit. Still, they seem a band brimming with potential - provided their songwriting skills develop enough to add a little meat to the catchy hooks and disarming lyrics that dot their debut. But on stage, they're so bursting with promise that they seem ready to explode. Less than a year ago, it was the band they recently opened for that was generating this sort of buzz; by this time in 2005, the Futureheads might be revisiting some of the venues they hit as more than just a support act.