Franz Ferdinand
They're a big band from a little country. They are responsible for putting the edge back in rock music. They are the one, the only...Franz Ferdinand. And this is their story. Some time around the end of 2001, Bob was sitting in Alex's kitchen. Alex had just been given a bass by his mate Mick, on the condition that he did something useful with it.
"Do you want to learn to play the bass then, Bob?"
"No, I'm an artist, not a musician."
"It's the same thing."
"Okay then."
So began one of the finest noisemakers since the inception of rock'n'roll. Glasgow's art-damaged rock quartet Franz Ferdinand - named for the Austro-Hungarian Archduke whose murder sparked World War I - stars Bob Hardy, guitarist Nick McCarthy, drummer Paul Thomson and singer/guitarist Alex Kapranos. In late 2001, Kapranos and Hardy had begun working on music together when they met McCarthy, a classically trained pianist and double bass player who originally played drums for the group despite no prior experience as a drummer.
Eventually, McCarthy and Thomson switched to guitar and drums and the band switched practice spaces, stumbling upon an abandoned warehouse that they named the Chateau.
The Chateau quickly evolved into Franz Ferdinand's headquarters and party central, and gave the local police something with which to occupy their time. But then came the music...
By summer 2002, Franz Ferdinand recorded an EP's worth of material that they intended to release themselves, but word of mouth about the band spread and they Scots signed to Domino in the summer of 2003. The group's EP, Darts Of Pleasure, was released later that year, and the band spent the rest of the year supporting groups such as Hot Hot Heat and Interpol. Franz Ferdinand's second single, Take Me Out, arrived in early 2004 with an explosion of angular guitars and a catch-cry chorus. The single propelled them to greater popularity throughout the world and laid the groundwork for the band's seminal and eponymous debut album. Franz Ferdinand was released in 2004 to much acclaim and massive sales. The band had truly transformed from art school hopefuls to certified rock stars.
The group's momentum continued with the release of the Michael single and their Mercury Prize win over such renown artists as The Streets, Basement Jaxx and Keane. Franz Ferdinand released their second album, You Could Have It So Much Better in 2005 to continued acclaim. And now it's time for Franz Ferdinand take III - the long awaited third album. We wait in eager anticipation. Hear greatness both old and new...only at Southbound.