Franz Ferdinand

10,335,743 monthly listeners
Popular

Take Me Out

1,294,734,998

This fffire - New Version

108,162,397

No You Girls

121,682,247

Do You Want To

114,670,110

The Dark Of The Matinée

68,544,461

Popular releases

U Should Not Be Doing That (triple j Like A Version)Latest Release • Album
Franz Ferdinand2004 • Album
This fffire2004 • Album
Tonight2009 • Album
You Could Have It So Much Better2005 • Album
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action2013 • Album

About

10,335,743 monthly listeners
With their sharply stylish mix of rock and dance music, Franz Ferdinand have brought a wry sophistication to indie rock while becoming one of the U.K.'s most popular bands. The Glasgow-based group arrived in the wake of the early-2000s rock revival, with bands such as the Strokes and the Libertines reminding listeners just how refreshing -- and evergreen -- hook-driven guitar music could be. While Franz Ferdinand had a kinship with those acts, their lineage also included the arch, angular post-punk of bands such as Wire and the witty, funky jangle of fellow Glaswegians Orange Juice. From the beginning, the group had a flair for translating arty, unexpected references into widely appealing music and visuals, whether it was the Russian Constructivism-inspired artwork that graced their early releases or the Howlin' Wolf homage in the guitar solos of 2004's smash single "Take Me Out." After laying the groundwork for their sound with that year's Mercury Prize-winning, platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated debut album Franz Ferdinand, the band soon branched out. On 2005's You Could Have It So Much Better, they added more nuance to their style, then explored dub on 2009's Tonight and disco on 2018's sleek Always Ascending. Franz Ferdinand further embellished their sound in the 2020s, bringing vintage glam influences on the new songs included on 2022's best-of Hits to the Head and 2025's full-length The Human Fear. Prior to forming Franz Ferdinand, singer/guitarist Alex Kapranos played in bands such as the Karelia and Yummy Fur (the latter of which also featured drummer Paul Thomson). In late 2001, and bassist Bob Hardy began working on music together when they met Nick McCarthy, a classically trained pianist and double bass player who originally played drums for the group despite no prior experience as a drummer. The trio had rehearsed at McCarthy's house for a while when they started playing with Thomson, who felt like playing guitar instead of drums.
Eventually, McCarthy and Thomson switched instruments and the band switched practice spaces, moving to an abandoned warehouse that they named the Chateau. Taking their name from the Austro-Hungarian Archduke whose murder sparked World War I (and hoping they'd have a similarly world-changing effect on music), Franz Ferdinand rehearsed at the Chateau and held rave-like events incorporating music and art (Hardy graduated from the Glasgow School of Art, and Thomson also posed as a life model there). The band needed a new rehearsal space once their illicit art parties were discovered by the police, and they found one in a Victorian courthouse and jail. By mid-2002, Franz Ferdinand had recorded an EP's worth of material that they intended to release themselves, but word of mouth about the band spread and they signed to Domino in May 2003. Soon after, the band decamped to Malmö, Sweden to work with producer Tore Johansson at Gula Studios. Their spiky debut single "Darts of Pleasure" arrived that September and reached number 44 on the U.K. Singles chart. Franz Ferdinand spent the rest of the year supporting groups such as Hot Hot Heat and Interpol, and in November the Darts of Pleasure EP became their first U.S. release. The following January, the band's second single Take Me Out became a top five hit in the U.K., propelling them to greater popularity and laying the groundwork for their debut album. Arriving in February 2004, Franz Ferdinand fleshed out the wiry fusion of post-punk and disco of the band's singles. It hit number three on the U.K. Albums chart and spawned the additional hit singles "The Dark of the Matinée" and "Michael." In September 2004, the album won the Mercury Prize over such artists as the Streets, Basement Jaxx, and Keane. Franz Ferdinand also fared well internationally, becoming a top 20 hit in Australia and several European countries. In the U.S., the band's consistent touring and frequent airplay of "Take Me Out" boosted the album to number 32 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and, ultimately, sales of over a million copies. In 2005, the accolades for the band and their debut album continued to roll in: Kapranos and company won the Brit Awards for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act, while Franz Ferdinand earned a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album and "Take Me Out" was nominated for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. By that time, Franz Ferdinand was already working on their second album with producer Rich Costey in Glasgow and New York City. Released in September 2005, You Could Have It So Much Better broadened the band's sound with piano ballads and Beatlesque pop. The album was another success, becoming the group's first number one album and notching four top 30 singles in the U.K., and was a top ten hit internationally. In the U.S., it peaked at number eight and was certified gold. You Could Have It So Much Better also received critical acclaim as well as nominations for several Brit Awards and Grammy Awards, including Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for its lead single "Do You Want To." The band rounded out the year by collaborating with Jane Birkin on a cover of Serge Gainsbourg's "Sorry Angel" for the tribute album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited. Though Franz Ferdinand began writing songs for their third album in 2005, they scrapped them for a fresh set that they planned to make into a "dirty pop" concept album. Opting for a dance- and pop-influenced direction, the band worked with producer Dan Carey, who counted Kylie Minogue, CSS, Hot Chip, and Lily Allen among his clients. Recorded in Carey's London studio as well as the old town hall of Govan, Scotland, February 2009's Tonight traced the ups and downs of a night out with songs that nodded to dub, new wave, and dance music. Featuring the singles "Ulysses" and "No You Girls," the album debuted at number two in the U.K. and number nine in the U.S., and reached the top ten in Japan, Australia, and several other countries. That June, the band released Blood, an album featuring dub-inspired remixes of Tonight's songs. In 2010, Franz Ferdinand contributed a version of "The Lobster Quadrille" to the Alice in Wonderland soundtrack and worked with Marion Cotillard on "The Eyes of Mars," a song that appeared in a Dior advertising campaign. That year, Kapranos and McCarthy also appeared on Edwyn Collins'

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