Franz Ferdinand
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Franz Ferdinand are a Post-Punk band from Glasglow, Scotland
founded in 2001. With their art-damaged style of rock and cutting-edge
sound, the band hope to change the music scene like their namesake
changed history.
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[edit] About
The band derived their name from The Austro-Hungarian Archduke whose murder was the catalyst that sparked World War I. The band’s members are Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy,Paul Thomson, and Bob Hardy
In 2001, Kapranos and Hardy began working on music together after Kapranos received a bass from his friend Mick Cooke, of Belle and Sebastian fame, on the condition that he "does something useful with it". Kapranos used this opportunity to teach Hardy to play the instrument, despite initial objections from Hardy, who claimed he was an artist, not a musician. They then met Nick McCarthy, a classically trained pianist and double bass player who played drums for the band despite having no formal training as a drummer. After the addition of Paul Thomson to the band, McCarthy switched to guitar, with Thomson taking over drumming duties.
With the band in place, they recorded their first songs in an abandoned warehouse they named The Chateau, which became the bands headquarters.
By the summer of 2002, Franz Ferdinand recorded an EP that they intended to release themselves, however, their reputation spread like wildfire and the band eventually signed to Domino in the summer of 2003. The group wanted to release their records with Domino because of it's good reputation as an independant label.
The band released their first EP, Darts of Pleasure in September 2003, and spent the rest of the year touring and supporting groups like Hot Hot Heat and Interpol. In January 2004 the band released their next single Take Me Out, which reached number three in the UK singles chart. The group then released their eponymous debut album in February 2004. The video for Take Me Out earned the Band Breakthrough Video Award at the 2004 MTV Music Video Awards. Later that year the album was nominated for, and won the Mercury Music Prize, an award that recognises the best British album of the past twelve months.
The band released their much awaited second album, You Could Have It So Much Better in October 2005. The album went straight in at number one in the UK album charts.
The band are currently working on their third album, which is expected to be available in early 2008.
BAND LINEUP:
- Robert Hardy - Bass
- Alexander Kapranos - Vocal, Guitar
- Nicholas McCarthy - Guitar
- Paul Thomson - Drums
[edit] Awards & Certifications
- The single Take Me Out went Platinum in 2004.
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | NME Awards | Phillip Hall Rader Award |
| Merdury Music Prize | For the single: Take Me Out | |
| Ivor Novello Award | For the single' Take Me Out | |
| 2005 | Brit Awards | Won 2 for: Take Me Out |
| MTV Music Video Awards | Breakthrough Video |
[edit] Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | UK Singles Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Darts of Pleasure | 44 | Franz Ferdinand |
| 2004 | Take Me Out | 3 | Franz Ferdinand |
| The Dark Of The Matinee | 8 | Franz Ferdinand | |
| Michael | 17 | Franz Ferdinand | |
| This Fire | 8 | Franz Ferdinand | |
| 2005 | Do You Want To | 4 | You Could Have It So Much Better |
| Walk Away | 13 | You Could Have It So Much Better | |
| 2006 | The Fallerm / L. Wells | 14 | You Could Have It So Much Better |
| Eleanor, Put Your Boots On | 30 | You Could Have It So Much Better |
[edit] News
[edit] Tours & Concerts
The band are currently taking a break from touring, whilst working on their third album.
[edit] Announcements
- Franz Ferdinand are playing a super-secret gig in Dublin on Thursday
31st August as part of the Vodafone TBA series of events. There's only one way into a TBA gig and that's to register withVodafone TBA, they'll let you know the details the day before the event, if you win tickets. (8/17/06 23:05)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
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[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Labels |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Eleanor, Put Your Boots On | Domino/Epic |
| The Fallen / L Wells | Domino/Epic | |
| 2005 | Walk Away / Do You Want To | Domino/Epic |
| 2004 | This Fire / The Dark of the Matinee | Domino/Epic |
| 2003 | Darts Of Pleasure | Domino/Epic |
[edit] Compilations & Live Releases
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[edit] Other artists
[edit] Similar artists
[edit] Influences
[edit] Contemporaries
[edit] Trivia
- Franz Ferdinand have been quoted as saying they wanted to make "music that girls can dance to".
- The cover for their album You Could Have It So Much Better was influenced by Lilya Brik, a Russian Jew born in 1891 and died in 1978. Lilya could speak both German and French fluently.
- Kanye West described the band as white crunk sound. He feels the white crunk feel has influenced his work as is best shown in his song "Diamonds from Sierra Leone". Kanye made these claims at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
