Success had taken time to arrive.
Kapranos was born in England but moved to to Scotland as a child. As a teenager he became entrenched in the 90s Glasgow music scene, running club nights and playing in the likes of cult indie band the Yummy Fur before forming Franz Ferdinand.
Much has changed since their debut album won the Mercury, with The Human Fear marking the group’s first studio offering since the exit of original drummer Thomson in 2021.
Guitarist McCarthy had left in 2016.
A new line-up has formed around original members Kapranos and Hardy, with guitarist Dino Bardot, keyboardist/guitarist Julian Corrie and drummer Audrey Tait joining up.
Kapranos believes the band’s identity is intact despite the changes.
“Whenever we do a cover it always sounds like us, and I like that. We did Good Luck Babe [by Chappell Roan] on Radio 2, which is an amazing song but when we play it, it just sounds like Franz Ferdinand.
“Bob and I were talking about this before we made this record, that it’s good to be at ease with your identity and your sound.
“Knowing your voice and who you are is important. You could listen to early Birthday Party records and then those dark sombre ballads Nick Cave has been writing now, and it’s still unmistakeably him -it’s the same for PJ Harvey or Leonard Cohen.
“That really informed us making this record. I wanted people to listen to this and know it’s unmistakeably Franz Ferdinand.”
