Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish rock band formed in 2002 and based in Glasgow. The band was originally 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).

Following McCarthy’s departure in 2016 after four albums and a full-length collaboration with Sparks using the name FFS, the band brought in Julian Corrie (keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals) before working on their fifth album, Always Ascending. After recording was finished, they added Dino Bardot (guitar and backing vocals) to the line-up before the album’s release and tour.

In October of 2021, Paul Thomson announced his departure from the band. He was replaced by Aubrey Tait who played on the two new songs included on their 2022 retrospective compilation Hits to the Head.

Franz Ferdinand are scheduled to release The Human Fear, their sixth album overall and the first to fully feature Bardot and Tait, on January 10, 2025.