Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos (lead vocals and guitar), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards and backing vocals) and Paul Thomson (drums, percussion and backing vocals).

The band first experienced chart success when their second single "Take Me Out" reached #3 in the UK Charts,[5] followed by their debut album Franz Ferdinand which debuted on the UK album chart at #3.[6] The band went on to win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize and two BRIT Awards in 2005 for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act. NME named Franz Ferdinand as their Album of the Year. From the album, three top-ten singles were released, "Take Me Out", "The Dark of the Matinée" and "This Fire". The band have also received several Grammy Award nominations.

Many believe that the band is named after the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, whose assassination preceded World War I, but the band thought of the name after seeing a racehorse called The Archduke Ferdinand. They began discussing the name and liked the way it sounded.

The members of Franz Ferdinand played in various bands during the 1990s including The Karelia, Yummy Fur, 10p Invaders and Embryo. Alex Kapranos and Paul Thomson 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 buying a bass guitar from a friend. Kapranos met co-guitarist Nick McCarthy, who had returned to Scotland after studying jazz bass in Germany, in 2001.[7]

In May 2003, the band signed to Laurence Bell's independent record label Domino Records.[8] The band had recorded an EP which they intended to release themselves; however, it was instead released by Domino as Darts of Pleasure in the latter part of 2003. The cover art was designed by Thomson. It reached #43 in the UK chart.[citation needed] The band won the "Phillip Hall Radar Award" at the NME Awards of 2004, announced in November 2003.

Discography

* Franz Ferdinand (2004)
* You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)
* Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009)

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