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Franz ferdinand band 20021/22/2024 ![]() "I'm enjoying it more two years down the road than I did."īradford boy Hardy had never played a musical instrument before Kapranos convinced him to learn bass. "Now at least we know what we're letting ourselves in for," says Hardy. They sat, smiled and signed, posed for photos and traded pleasantries with strangers as if they'd had the best of sleeps the night before (as opposed to a kip on a tour bus on a ferry back from playing Europe).įranz Ferdinand have a ferocious work ethic - they've played nearly 300 gigs in 18 months - and one similar to that evoked by the communist iconography they're fond of, the work of Alexander Rodchenko and the Russian constructivists. After initial bewilderment ("Who is she?" he asked), he was charming, chatting about the Grammys, at which Franz played last year, and even expressing interest in her new film, some horror made in Romania.Īt the NME signing tent, the band were mobbed by a diverse collection of fans, from Japanese teenage girls to thirtysomething Essex blokes. Kapranos found himself being interviewed by Tara Reid - American actor, party girl and drinking buddy of Paris Hilton - for her new reality show, Taradise. It takes some presence not to be overwhelmed by Scissor Sisters, but Franz Ferdinand manage. ![]() "If I bumped into someone from EastEnders, I wouldn't think, 'Oh my God, it's that guy from EastEnders.' But bumping into David Bowie, I still felt, 'Fucking hell!'"īowie might well have said "Fucking hell" back had he seen the riotous rendition of Suffragette City that they and Scissor Sisters gave as a joint encore and finale to this second day of the V festival in Chelmsford. For example, famous people don't intimidate you - you see them as ordinary people who have done something exceptional." You still appreciate things, but you're not panicked by adverse circumstances. You feel unflappable by weird circumstances. But it's easy to take everything in your stride. "I try not to think about the success too much because I don't want to turn into an arrogant cocky twat, but then again, the people who are twats start out that way. ![]() They might not be brilliant, but they could do it."Ī songwriter since he was 14 and a veteran of several bands in his adopted Glasgow, none of which set the heather alight, Kapranos has the air of someone who's been preparing his whole life for right now. And anybody who has an appreciation of music, who gets it and likes it, and can vaguely hum a tune and can move their fingers, can play an instrument. If a kid can write a story - not necessarily good ones, but ones that are fun for the kid - they can write songs. "You know when you're a kid, you're encouraged to write stories? I find it horrifying that kids aren't encouraged to indulge in creatively writing songs. He really believes in music as a thing, as an art, almost as a democratic right. The band's much-mentioned intention to make music for girls to dance to, literally popular music, is Kapranos's passion. The others likely share his ambition and drive but Kapranos articulates it and they appear content to let him get on with it. As well as walking the walk, or rather strutting the strut, he talks the talk. Even when he's not on stage, he fizzes with energy. Kapranos is certainly a natural-born frontman. There are very few things in life when you're just doing that thing and not thinking about anything else. You don't consider your moves, you just do them. "When I first started in a band, I wasn't very good I was thinking too much about being on stage rather than just being on stage. It becomes incredible when you get over the self-consciousness, your self-awareness. You get good when you go from thinking about what you're doing to just doing it. It's only in those situations that you have a real sense of abandonment: you don't think about the implications. "I was talking to another musician," Kapranos says later, "and he said that the only time he feels himself is when he's performing or having sex. Despite not being furry - or, indeed, made of sponge - he is strangely reminiscent of Animal from The Muppet Show.įranz Ferdinand's set reaches its raucous climax - bathed in glory, swamped in applause, they take their sweaty bows, knackered and exhilarated, and relish the moment. On bass, Bob Hardy is inscrutable, almost to the point of nonchalance, the original poker-faced Yorkshireman.īack on drums, Paul Thomson is in a world of his own, like Shiva, a flurry of arms.
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