Franz Ferdinand

Glasgow School of Art to the Mercury Prize

Franz Ferdinand formed in Glasgow, the name inspired by a racehorse, Archduke Ferdinand, which won the Northumberland Plate in 2001. Alex Kapranos, born Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley on March 20, 1972, ran live nights at the 13th Note Cafe in Glasgow and had played with Paul Thomson in Yummy Fur; Mick Cooke of Belle and Sebastian gave him a bass, and he taught Bob Hardy to play. He met Nick McCarthy, back from studying jazz bass in Germany, in 2001. The Glasgow School of Art was central to the early scene, where Hardy studied and Thomson worked as a life model. Kapranos told The Skinny that it was essential for them as a band when they were starting out. They signed to Domino in May 2003, and "Darts of Pleasure" reached 44 in the UK.

The debut Franz Ferdinand (February 9, 2004) was recorded in June and July 2003 at Gula Studios in Malmo, Sweden, produced by Tore Johansson. "Take Me Out" came out on January 12, 2004. The album reached 3 in the UK and 32 in the US, was certified four times platinum in the UK and has sold over 3.6 million worldwide. Metacritic scores it 87, and it won the Mercury Prize on September 7, 2004. Their first headline UK tour ran from April 12 at the QMU in Glasgow to May 7 at London's Coronet. At the Brits in 2005 they won two awards including best British group, and had Grammy nominations. You Could Have It So Much Better (October 2005), produced with Rich Costey, was number 1 in the UK and 8 in the US. Kapranos wrote a Guardian food column, Sound Bites, from September 2005, collected as a 2006 book.

Tonight (January 26, 2009) reached 2 in the UK, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (August 26, 2013) 6, and FFS, with Sparks, came in 2015. McCarthy left in 2016, Julian Corrie and Dino Bardot joined in 2017 for Always Ascending (February 9, 2018, UK 6), and Thomson left in 2021, with Audrey Tait taking over. Hits to the Head (March 11, 2022) reached 7, and The Human Fear (January 10, 2025), recorded at AYR Studios in Scotland and produced by Mark Ralph, reached 3. Live at the Barrowlands is a 2026 Domino release. Setlist.fm shows 1,258 plays of "Take Me Out" and more than 27,000 attendances.