Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish
rock band formed in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
in 2002. The band's original line-up was composed of
Alex Kapranos
Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley (born 20 March 1972) is a Scottish musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and author. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand. He has also been a part of the ...
(lead vocals, guitar),
Nick McCarthy
Nicholas John McCarthy (born 13 December 1974 in Blackpool, England) is an English-German musician. His main focus is on songwriting and song production. He is also a guitarist, singer and keyboard player.
McCarthy was the guitarist, backing/ ...
(guitar, keyboards, backing vocals),
Bob Hardy (bass guitar, backing vocals), and
Paul Thomson
Paul may refer to:
* Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Ch ...
(drums, percussion, backing vocals).
Julian Corrie (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals) and
Dino Bardot (guitar, backing vocals) joined the band in 2017 after McCarthy left during the previous year, and
Audrey Tait (drums) joined the band after Thomson left in 2021. The band is one of the more popular
post-punk revival bands, garnering multiple UK top 20 hits. They have been nominated for several
Grammy Awards and have received two
Brit Awards
The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
– winning one for Best British Group – as well as one
NME Award
The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine '' NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding ...
.
The band's first two singles, "
Darts of Pleasure" and "
Take Me Out", peaked within the top 50 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. "Take Me Out" charted in several countries and earned a Grammy nomination for
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal; it became the band's signature song. Their
self-titled debut studio album won the 2004
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...
and earned a Grammy nomination for
Best Alternative Album.
In 2005, the band released their second studio album, ''
You Could Have It So Much Better'', produced by
Rich Costey. It peaked within the top-ten in multiple countries and earned Grammy-nominations for Best Alternative Album and for one of the singles, "
Do You Want To". The band's third studio album, ''
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand'', was released in January 2009; by then the band had shifted from a
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...
-focused sound to a more
dance-oriented sound. A remix album of ''Tonight'', titled ''
Blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...
'', was released in July 2009.
Four years after the release of ''Tonight'', the band released their fourth studio album, ''
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action'', in August 2013. In 2015, Franz Ferdinand and American rock band
Sparks formed the supergroup
FFS and released a one-off
self-titled album in June 2015. Following the departure of McCarthy, the band released their fifth studio album, ''
Always Ascending'', in February 2018.
History
Formation (2001–2003)
![Franz ferdinand](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Franz_ferdinand.jpg)
The band's members played in various bands during the 1990s, including
The Karelia,
Yummy Fur, 10p Invaders, and
Embryo. Alex Kapranos and Paul Thomson met at a party and began a close friendship and played together in Yummy Fur, and subsequently teamed up to write songs. Around the same time, Kapranos taught his friend Bob Hardy how to play bass after being given a bass guitar by Mick Cooke of
Belle & Sebastian. Kapranos met co-guitarist Nick McCarthy, who had returned to Scotland after studying
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
bass in Germany, in 2001.
Once the members came together, they settled on the name Franz Ferdinand for their band. The name was originally inspired by a
racehorse called Archduke Ferdinand. After seeing the horse win the
Northumberland Plate
The Northumberland Plate is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newcastle over a distance of 2 miles and 56 yards (3,270 metres), and ...
in 2001, the band began to discuss
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and thought it would be a good band name because of the
alliteration of the name and the implications of the Archduke's death;
his assassination was a significant factor in the lead-up to
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In an interview, Hardy recollected that "mainly we just liked the way it sounded. We liked the alliteration." Kapranos continued, saying "he was an incredible figure as well. His life, or at least the ending of it, was the catalyst for the complete transformation of the world and that is what we want our music to be. But I don't want to over-intellectualize the name thing. Basically a name should just sound good . . . like music." Thomson concluded, saying "I like the idea that, if we become popular, maybe the words Franz Ferdinand will make people think of the band instead of the historical figure."
''Franz Ferdinand'' and international breakthrough (2003–2005)
![Ff04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Ff04.jpg)
In May 2003 the band signed to Laurence Bell's
independent record label,
Domino Recording Company
Domino Recording Company or simply Domino is a British independent record label based in London. There is also a wing of the label based in Brooklyn, New York that handles releases in the United States, as well as a German division called Dom ...
.
The band moved to Gula Studios in
Malmö
Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal pop ...
, Sweden, with
Cardigans producer
Tore Johansson to record their debut album. In the latter part of 2003, the band released their debut single, "
Darts of Pleasure". In January 2004, the single "
Take Me Out" reached No. 3 in the UK charts. The album, ''Franz Ferdinand'', was released in early 2004, debuting at No. 3 in the UK Albums Chart in February 2004, and at No. 12 in the Australian album charts in April 2004. The album only reached the lowest levels of the Billboard 200 album charts in the US as of early 2004, but reached the top 5 of the
indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
chart and the Heatseeker chart for debut artists. After a couple of North American tours and heavy rotation of the "Take Me Out" video on MTV, the album eventually reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200 later in 2004, and sold over a million copies in the United States.
''Franz Ferdinand'' received a generally strong positive response from critics. ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' rated it 9 out of 10, and said that the band was the latest in the line of art school rock bands featuring
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
,
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
,
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
,
Roxy Music, the
Sex Pistols,
Wire
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is c ...
,
Travis, and
Blur.
On 7 September 2004, the album was awarded the 2004
Mercury Music Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...
. "Take Me Out" gained first place in the Australian
Triple J Hottest 100 for 2004, winning more than twice the votes of the second-place entry, with ''
This Fire'' and ''
The Dark of the Matinee'' entering at No. 24 and No. 50 respectively. Franz Ferdinand won an
Ivor Novello Award
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been ...
in 2004 and two
BRIT Awards
The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
in 2005. The avant-garde music video for "Take Me Out" earned them a
Breakthrough Video MTV Award
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
. ''NME'' named ''Franz Ferdinand'' the best album of 2004, and placed it 38th on their ''100 Best Albums of All Time'' list. The band performed "Take Me Out" as a live medley with
Los Lonely Boys,
Maroon 5,
The Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hi ...
, and
Gwen Stefani at the
47th Annual Grammy Awards
The 47th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2005, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2003, through September 30, 2004. They were hosted by Queen Lati ...
in 2005, in which "Take Me Out" was nominated for
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and ''Franz Ferdinand'' was nominated for
Best Alternative Album. "Take Me Out" was featured on the video games ''
NHL 2005'', ''
Madden NFL 2005
''Madden NFL 2005'' is an American football simulation video game based on the NFL that was developed by EA Tiburon, along with Exient Entertainment and Budcat Creations, and published by EA Sports. The 16th installment of the '' Madden NFL seri ...
'' and the breakthrough game ''
Guitar Hero
''Guitar Hero'' is a series of music rhythm game video games first released in November 2005, in which players use a guitar-shaped game controller to simulate playing primarily lead, bass guitar, and rhythm guitar across numerous songs ...
''. The album has sold around 3.6 million copies worldwide.
''You Could Have It So Much Better'' (2005–2007)
The band spent much of 2005 in the studio in Glasgow working on their follow-up album, ''You Could Have It So Much Better'', which was released on 3 October 2005. The band initially intended to leave the album self-titled like their debut, but they changed it to ''You Could Have It So Much Better...With Franz Ferdinand'' before settling on the final title. The album's cover design was modelled on
Alexander Rodchenko's 1924 portrait of
Lilya Brik. The band attempted to broaden its musical range on the album; Hardy said, "There's more to life than disco-beat guitar music".
It was generally well received in the press and seen as an album equal to, or better than, their first by most critics. It entered the UK Album Charts at Number 1 and the US charts at Number 8. The album eventually sold 2 million copies worldwide.
![Franz-ferdinand-live-2006-tag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Franz-ferdinand-live-2006-tag.jpg)
To support the album, four singles were released. Included in that set is a
double A-side single that contained a video-clip-only single as well (both the AA-side "L. Wells" and the video-clip "Jeremy Fraser" are not featured on the album, recorded in early 2006 during the band's tour of Australia in support of the album). Also included is another video-clip-only single called "Wine, In the Afternoon" which is the B-side to "
Eleanor Put Your Boots On
"Eleanor Put Your Boots On" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the fourth single from their second album, ''You Could Have It So Much Better'', on 17 July 2006. The single version of the song is a new versio ...
", and was also not featured on the album, but recorded on tour in Michigan. "
Do You Want To" made it to number 4 and was declared by Q to be the greatest single of 2005, while "
Walk Away" and "
The Fallen" entered the top 15 of the UK Singles Chart. The fourth and final single from the second album, "Eleanor Put Your Boots On", peaked at number 30. ''You Could Have It So Much Better'' went on to earn a nomination for Best Alternative Album at the
48th Annual Grammy Awards
The 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning from October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005. Irish rock band U2 we ...
in 2006, as did "Do You Want To" for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
''Tonight: Franz Ferdinand'' (2007–2011)
![FF2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/FF2009.jpg)
On 26 January 2009, the band released their third studio album, ''
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand'', which they had been recording in Glasgow since mid-2007. The band recorded the album in a disused building in Glasgow that had been a town hall in the past. Alex Kapranos has stated that "The last record was...like a teenager having sex. This one's a bit more assured and a bit friendlier for the dance floor."
Tonight was mixed by Canadian Mix Engineer
Mike Fraser. The song "
Ulysses" was chosen to be the first single and was released on 19 January 2009. It was first played by Zane Lowe on 17 November 2008. Shortly afterwards it hit YouTube. It did not see that much success in the
UK Top 40, reaching only No. 20, but it fared better in Spain and Japan where it reached No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. It also entered the Top 20 of the US Modern Rock Chart. The album, ''Tonight'' was released 26 January 2009 and debuted at No. 2 in the
UK Album Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
and No. 9 in the
US Billboard 200. The second single, "
No You Girls" saw success both in the charts and on the radio prior to release, eventually reaching No. 7 on the US Modern Rock Chart and was performed by Franz Ferdinand on Comic Relief 2009 Top of The Pops special. "
Can't Stop Feeling
"Can't Stop Feeling" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the third single from their third studio album, '' Tonight: Franz Ferdinand'' (2009), on 6 July 2009.
The song failed to chart in the United Kingdo ...
" was released on 6 July as the third single from the album and on 28 August, "What She Came For" was released as the 4th single in the form of a remix single. The band performed "What She Came For" on ''
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' on Wednesday, 26 August 2009.
The band appeared on Radio 1's live lounge performing their second single "
No You Girls", and did a cover of Britney Spears' comeback single "
Womanizer". In February 2009,
Glastonbury Festival announced Franz Ferdinand as the first major band playing at that year's festival. The band also unveiled a 19-date tour of the US during the spring, in support of the new album. The tour included a set at the
Coachella Festival. The band were also one of the main stage acts performing at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Swindon in May. On 6 May 2009, it was announced that Franz Ferdinand would be the third opening act for the
Green Day's
21st Century Breakdown World Tour
21st Century Breakdown World Tour was a headlining concert tour by American punk band Green Day in support of the group's eighth studio album, ''21st Century Breakdown'', which was released in May 2009.
The tour began with an eight-week leg thro ...
. They played 8–26 August 2009, and they followed
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 2000 as Parva, releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their current name that same year. Since their formation the band h ...
and
The Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, keyboardist John Conway, bassist Mike Hindert and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They are best know ...
.
On 1 June 2009, the band released ''
Blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...
'', a compilation album that includes
dub music versions of songs from ''Tonight: Franz Ferdinand''. The release was timed to coincide with
Record Store Day. ''
iTunes Festival: London 2009'',
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
exclusive, was released in June as well.
Also made for the Record Store Day, on 16 April 2011 Domino released the compilation ''
Covers E.P.'', which featured songs of ''Tonight: Franz Ferdinand'' played by
Peaches
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...
,
LCD Soundsystem,
Stephin Merritt
Stephin Raymond Merritt (born February 9, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the songwriter and principal singer of the bands the Magnetic Fields, the Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes. He is ...
,
ESG and
Debbie Harry (who recorded in duet with the band). The first edition was only vinyl, and on 2 May 2011 it was released on CD.
''Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action'' and ''FFS'' with Sparks (2012–2015)
![Franz Ferdinand 101 Sun Festival 2014 (2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Franz_Ferdinand_101_Sun_Festival_2014_%282%29.jpg)
Writing for a fourth studio album began in 2010. Kapranos stated that the band promised themselves they would also focus on not over-publicizing their progress as he felt that's something he regretted about their previous album. In May 2012, the band returned to touring, playing several festivals during the summer of 2012 including a headlining slot at
Field Day festival in London's Victoria Park. Other appearances included Barcelona's Primavera Sound Festival, Montreal's 2012 Osheaga Music Festival, Chicago's 2012 Lollapalooza Music Festival, Belgium's Dour Festival, Portugal's Marés Vivas Festival and San Francisco's 2012 Outside Lands Music Festival.
During their 2012 tour, the band gradually introduced new songs to their repertoire, along with a reworked version of ''Tonight'' cut "Can't Stop Feeling" combined with "
I Feel Love
"I Feel Love" is a song by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer. Produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, it was recorded for Summer's fifth studio album, ''I Remember Yesterday'' (1977). The album concept was to have ...
" by
Donna Summer. In March 2013, Franz Ferdinand continued touring and premiering new songs. In early March they performed "Evil Eye" and "Love Illumination", while the end of the month saw the live premiere of "Goodbye Lovers & Friends". On 16 May 2013, Franz Ferdinand officially announced their fourth album, titled ''
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action'', along with cover art, track listing, and a release date of 26 August 2013. The band launched the new album at a show at the Electric Brixton. FMV Magazine's Dan Jenko praised the gig, saying that "there's no reason why latest LP ''Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action'' can't be the belated soundtrack of the summer".
On 9 March 2015, it was announced that the band had formed a supergroup with
Sparks under the name
FFS, with plans to release a studio album and tour Europe during that summer.
A teaser titled "The Domino Effect" was released on the group's YouTube channel that same day. The
John Congleton
John Congleton is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer, engineer, mixer, writer and musician.
In addition to his production work, Congleton has fronted the alternative rock band the Paper Chase, and writes music for a newer project e ...
–produced album, ''
FFS'', was officially announced on 1 April 2015. Three official singles were released from the album: "
Johnny Delusional", which was released on 13 April, "Call Girl", which was released on 28 May, and "Police Encounters", which was released on 23 October.
Lineup change and ''Always Ascending'' (2016–2020)
In July 2016, the band announced that guitarist Nick McCarthy would not be involved in the recording and touring of their next album, in order to concentrate on his family and other musical interests. The band, however, have stressed that it is possible he may rejoin the band at a later date. On 14 October 2016, the band released "Demagogue", a song protesting and satirising the candidacy of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
in the
U.S. presidential election of 2016. It was released as part of the ''
30 Days, 50 Songs'' programme that featured 50 songs lyrically against Trump and his candidacy.
On 19 May 2017, two days prior to the start of their North American tour, Franz Ferdinand announced their new five-piece line-up, with former
Yummy Fur and
1990s member Dino Bardot on guitar and
Julian Corrie on keyboards, synth and guitar. On 25 October, the band released the
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title.
Title track may a ...
from their fifth studio album, ''
Always Ascending'' (2018), as its lead single. They revealed the album's release date, 9 February 2018, and announced dates for a world tour. Corrie joined the band for the recording sessions of the album, while Bardot joined after recording was completed.
Departure of Thomson and ''Hits to the Head'' (2021–present)
On 21 October 2021, the band announced through social media that Paul Thomson had departed the band, with Glasgow-based drummer Audrey Tait joining as his replacement, as well as confirming that studio recordings had been undertaken with Tait. The announcement was accompanied by a statement from Thomson and a photograph of him passing his drumsticks to Tait. Tait's debut performance with the band had taken place several weeks before the announcement, at the
Balmain fashion show in Paris on 29 September.
Franz Ferdinand released a new single, "Billy Goodbye", on 2 November 2021.
The track is one of two new songs on the greatest hits compilation ''Hits to the Head'', which was released on 11 March 2022.
Franz Ferdinand performed at Night for Ukraine, a fundraising benefit held at the
Roundhouse in north
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on the evening of March 9, 2022, with the funds raised being donated to the
Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, to provide aid to people fleeing
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
following the
Russian invasion. The event was organized by
Fabien Riggall in collaboration with the Ukrainian pop duo
Bloom Twins.
Collaborations and covers
Franz Ferdinand covered the
LCD Soundsystem song "
All My Friends" which appeared as a B-side on the single, and LCD Soundsystem covered their song Live Alone in return, which appeared on a covers EP alongside
Stephin Merritt
Stephin Raymond Merritt (born February 9, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the songwriter and principal singer of the bands the Magnetic Fields, the Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes. He is ...
,
ESG and
Debbie Harry who all covered songs from ''Tonight''. They have also covered "Sexy Boy" by
Air
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...
, "It Won't Be Long" by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
,
Pulp
Pulp may refer to:
* Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit
Engineering
* Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture
* Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper
* Molded pulp, a packaging material
...
's "
Mis-Shapes",
Gwen Stefani's top 5 hit "
What You Waiting For?",
Blondie's "
Call Me",
Britney Spears' "Womanizer" and
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's song "
Sound and Vision
"Sound and Vision" is a song by English musician David Bowie. It was released in January 1977 by RCA Records on side one of his 11th studio album '' Low''. RCA later chose it as the first single from the album. Co-produced by Bowie and Tony ...
", featuring
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud were an pop girl group that was created through the ITV talent show '' Popstars: The Rivals'' in 2002. The group comprised singers Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. The group achieved a str ...
on backing vocals, for a compilation disc marking the 40th anniversary of
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
, along with other leading artists. Additionally, Franz Ferdinand recorded a cover of
The Fire Engines' song "Get Up and Use Me". In return, the Fire Engines recorded a cover of "Jacqueline". The band also took a similar approach with Dutch band
De Kift, covering the song "Heisa-Ho" whilst
De Kift recorded a cover of "Love and Destroy" with Dutch lyrics. The cover by De Kift is named "Liefde En Puin" which is the title "Love and Destroy" translated into Dutch. The band has had remixes by electronic artists
Daft Punk,
Hot Chip,
Justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
,
The Avalanches
The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in Melbourne in 1997. They are known for their studio albums '' Since I Left You'' (2000), ''Wildflower'' (2016), and '' We Will Always Love You'' (2020), as well as their live and ...
,
Microfilm
Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either photographic film, films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the origin ...
, and
Erol Alkan
Erol Alkan (born 30 May 1974) is an English DJ and producer of Turkish Cypriot descent. He grew up in Archway in North London.
Career
DJ and club promoter
In 1993, Erol Alkan started DJing in various indie nightclubs in London. His fir ...
.
The band also performed, played, and recorded with
Jane Birkin, covering the
Serge Gainsbourg song "Sorry Angel" for the 2005 album ''
Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited
''Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited'' is a tribute album to the works of late French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. First released on Virgin Records in 2006, it consists of English language cover versions of Gainsbourg songs, performed by a diver ...
''. In addition, Franz re-recorded the track "
Brown Onions" for David Shrigley's compilation album ''Worried Noodles''. The band kept instrumentation identical but used lyrics written by Shrigley which include the consistent repetition of the word "No" and occasionally "No brains, no teeth, no legs, no eyes...".
Hot Chip, a band who are reported to be a favourite of Franz Ferdinand, also performed their own version of "No" on the same album.
The band partnered with
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
in Tokyo, filming commercials for the launch of the
A Series Walkman music player on 8 September 2005. A limited edition Franz Ferdinand-themed Walkman A Series player was released by Sony Japan in January 2006, with only one hundred made.
The band 'met'
Gorillaz in December 2005 and interviewed each other for a feature in ''
Observer Music Monthly
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
''.
At the 2009 NME Awards ceremony, they performed a cover of
Blondie's "
Call Me" with Elly Jackson of
La Roux
La Roux ( ) is an English synthpop act formed in 2008 by singer Elly Jackson and record producer Ben Langmaid. The act's debut album '' La Roux'' (2009) was a critical and commercial success, winning a Grammy Award and producing hit singles su ...
on guest vocals.
When Franz appeared on Radio 1's
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cotton ...
on 6 April 2009, to promote "
No You Girls", they covered
"Womanizer" by
Britney Spears.
They have also collaborated with
Marion Cotillard
Marion Cotillard (; born 30 September 1975) is a French actress, film producer, singer, and environmentalist who is widely known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters in both European and Hollywood productions.
She has received ...
for the 2010 Lady Dior campaign. The band wrote the lyrics and plays the music for the song "The Eyes of Mars", while the actress is on vocals. Kapranos noted that it was refreshing working with her as she had a lot of fun going and retrying the song time and time again.
In 2010, Franz Ferdinand contributed to the ''
Alice in Wonderland'' soundtrack with their adaption of the song "The Lobster Quadrille". Later that year, Kapranos and McCarthy collaborated on the song "Do It Again" with
Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Stephen Collins (born 23 August 1959) is a Scottish musician, producer and record label owner from Edinburgh, Scotland. Collins was the lead singer for the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice, which he co-founded. After the group split in ...
on his album ''
Losing Sleep''.
In 2016,
Alex Kapranos
Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley (born 20 March 1972) is a Scottish musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and author. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand. He has also been a part of the ...
took part in a documentary about Glasgow music and
Chemikal Underground Records
Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 at Glasgow, Scotland by rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in ...
calle
''Lost in France'' The film was directed by Niall McCann and brought Kapranos (along with members of
The Delgados
The Delgados are a Scottish indie rock band formed in Glasgow in 1994. The band is composed of Alun Woodward (vocals, guitar), Emma Pollock (vocals, guitar), Stewart Henderson (bass guitar), and Paul Savage (drums).
Biography
The band was fo ...
,
Mogwai
Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogw ...
and others) to
Mauron
Mauron (; br, Maoron) is a commune in the Morbihan department and Brittany region of north-western France. It lies close to the borders of both Côtes d'Armor and Ille-et-Vilaine. Mauron's location make it a crossroads on the routes connectin ...
, Brittany, to recreate a gig they played when Kapranos was in his earlier band,
The Karelia. The film features Kapranos playing live with
Stuart Braithwaite
Stuart Leslie Braithwaite (born 10 May 1976) is a Scottish musician, singer and songwriter. He is the guitarist of post-rock band Mogwai, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums. He is also a member of the British alternative rock supergrou ...
of Mogwai, and other musicians such as
Emma Pollock
Emma Pollock (born 20 December 1972) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, musician, and a founding member of the bands the Delgados and the Burns Unit. She is also one of the founders of The Fruit Tree Foundation project and a regular contributor ...
and
RM Hubbert
RM Hubbert (Robert McArthur Hubbert, born 12 May 1974 in Glasgow, Scotland), commonly known as Hubby, is a Scottish guitarist and singer. Best known for his solo work as RM Hubbert and as a member of Scottish post rock band El Hombre Trajeado, ...
, and
Holy Mountain, as well as interviews with Kapranos and his old label-mates. ''Lost in France'' premiered at the
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...
to wholly positive reviews and was called "funny, vital and sobering" by Scotland's arts bible ''
The Skinny''.
In 2022, Franz Ferdinand's single, "
This Fire" served as the opening theme song for the Polish-Japanese animated series, ''
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.''
Style
Music and art
Stylistically, the band has been labelled as "
indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
,
post-punk revival,
dance-punk,
dance-rock
Dance-rock is a dance-infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and disc ...
, and
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
."
The band is notable for its use of
Russian avant-garde
The Russian avant-garde was a large, influential wave of avant-garde modern art that flourished in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, approximately from 1890 to 1930—although some have placed its beginning as early as 1850 and its e ...
imagery in album and single covers designed by Matthew Cooper. Examples include: "You Could Have It So Much Better", which references a 1924 portrait of
Lilya Brik by
Alexander Rodchenko; "
Take Me Out", which references ''One-Sixth Part of the World,'' also by Alexander Rodchenko; "
This Fire" which references ''
Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge'' by
El Lissitzky
Lazar Markovich Lissitzky (russian: link=no, Ла́зарь Ма́ркович Лиси́цкий, ; – 30 December 1941), better known as El Lissitzky (russian: link=no, Эль Лиси́цкий; yi, על ליסיצקי), was a Russian artist ...
; and "
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
", with single art based on ''A Proun'' by Lissitzky. The song "Love and Destroy" was inspired by the scene of disorder made by Margarita, a character of
Michael Bulgakov's "
The Master and Margarita
''The Master and Margarita'' (russian: Мастер и Маргарита) is a novel by Soviet writer Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐf ...
", in the apartment of the literature critic Latunzky.
Also, in "Outsiders", the lyrics "In seventeen years will you still be
Camille,
Lee Miller
Elizabeth "Lee" Miller, Lady Penrose (April 23, 1907 – July 21, 1977), was an American photographer and photojournalist. She was a fashion model in New York City in the 1920s before going to Paris, where she became a fashion and fine art ...
,
Gala
Gala may refer to:
Music
* ''Gala'' (album), a 1990 album by the English alternative rock band Lush
*'' Gala – The Collection'', a 2016 album by Sarah Brightman
*GALA Choruses, an association of LGBT choral groups
*''Gala'', a 1986 album by T ...
or whatever" are a reference to the lovers of the artists
Auguste Rodin
François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...
,
Man Ray
Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealism, Surrealist movements, although his t ...
and
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...
.
The band have been credited with helping to increase the popularity of men's fringed hairstyles.
Music videos
Many of the videos to promote the band's singles take inspiration from Russian
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
much like their LP and CD sleeves.
The avant-garde music video for "Take Me Out", directed by
Jonas Odell Jonas Odell (born 10 November 1962 in Stockholm) is a Swedish music video and film director and founder of FilmTecknarna. Odell, who specializes in a mix of animation and live action, has directed a number of short films, music videos and comm ...
, was inspired by
Dada
Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...
ism (especially Max Ernst's ''
Une Semaine de Bonté
''Une semaine de bonté'' ("A Week of Kindness") is a collage novel and artist's book by Max Ernst, first published in 1934. It comprises 182 images created by cutting up and re-organizing illustrations from Victorian encyclopedias and novel ...
''),
Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley (born Berkeley William Enos; November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) was an American film director and musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. Berke ...
choreographies and Russian
constructivist design.
Alex Kapranos explained the many and varied influences behind the 1930s-style promo for second single "Take Me Out": "It's kind of two dimensional in a three dimensional style if that makes any sense. It's a montage of images; ourselves, pictures and things taken from other places and put together in a strange, abstract way. That's what gives the video that strange, jerky, style".
The lyrics of "Do You Want To" make reference to parties at the "trendy" Glasgow art gallery Transmission, and the video includes a variety of the work of contemporary artist
Vanessa Beecroft
Vanessa Beecroft (born April 25, 1969) is an Italian-born American contemporary performance artist; she also works with photography, video art, sculpture, and painting. Many of her works have made use of professional models, sometimes in large nu ...
.
Members
Current members
*
Alex Kapranos
Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley (born 20 March 1972) is a Scottish musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and author. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand. He has also been a part of the ...
– lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards, piano
*
Bob Hardy – bass guitar, percussion ; backing vocals
*
Dino Bardot – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
*
Julian Corrie – keyboards, synthesizers, lead guitar, backing vocals
*
Audrey Tait – drums, percussion
Former members
*
Nick McCarthy
Nicholas John McCarthy (born 13 December 1974 in Blackpool, England) is an English-German musician. His main focus is on songwriting and song production. He is also a guitarist, singer and keyboard player.
McCarthy was the guitarist, backing/ ...
– rhythm guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, piano, vocals
*
Paul Thomson
Paul may refer to:
* Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Ch ...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals
Former touring musicians
*Dan McLean – keyboards, piano, synthesizers ; guitar
*Brian Henry – keyboards, piano, synthesizers, guitar, backing vocals
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I.
Fr ...
'' (2004)
*''
You Could Have It So Much Better'' (2005)
*''
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand'' (2009)
*''
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action'' (2013)
*''
Always Ascending'' (2018)
Awards and honours
See also
*
List of bands from Glasgow
This list contains famous or notable musicians, singers, composers and bands who originated in or are associated strongly with Glasgow, Scotland.
0-9
*1990s
A
*AC Acoustics
*Admiral Fallow
* Adopted as Holograph
*Adventures in Stereo
*Aereogram ...
*
List of Scottish musicians
This list of notable Scottish musicians is part of the List of Scots series. Please see List of Scots#Composers for classical writers.
0–9
* 18 Wheeler, band
*1990s, indie rock band
A
* John Abell, countertenor, composer and lutenist
* Ab ...
Notes
References
*Hiatt, Brian (2005)
"Hot Scots – Franz Ferdinand get rock fans dancing again"''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' (Retrieved 16 June 2006)
Franz Ferdinand book out later this monthRebecca Nicholson (2 Nov 2007). Retrieved 30 November 2008
Josh Lovseth (Feb 2007). Retrieved 22 March 2008
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franz Ferdinand
2002 establishments in Scotland
Scottish art rock groups
Brit Award winners
Dance-punk musical groups
Dance-rock musical groups
Domino Recording Company artists
Ivor Novello Award winners
Musical groups established in 2002
Musical groups from Glasgow
Musical quintets
NME Awards winners
Post-punk revival music groups
Scottish indie rock groups