Franz Ferdinand

Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand dropped a brand new single "Billy Goodbye" on November 2nd via Domino. It's the first of two brand-new tracks from their just announced Hits To The Head, a 20-track greatest hits collection due out March 11th. Talking about the process of picking tracks for the album, lead singer Alex Kapranos said, "It's the same as writing a set-list for a festival: you want to play the songs you know people want to hear. The hits. Bring the hits to the head. The heart. The feet. That means obvious singles, but also songs you know have a special meaning for both band and audience like Outsiders. We also added two new songs, recorded last year: Billy Goodbye and Curious, both co-produced at the last stage with Stuart Price. I have friends who believe you’re somehow not a 'real' fan if you own a best of rather than a discography. I disagree. I think of my parents’ record collection as a kid. I loved their compilation LPs. I am so grateful that they had Changes or Rolled Gold. Those LPs were my entrance point. My introduction."

Franz Ferdinand formed in 2002. The band's current lineup consists of Alex Kapranos (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Dino Bardot (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), and Audrey Tait (drums). Audrey is the band's most recent addition, replacing Paul Thomson (drums, percussion, backing vocals) this year. Dino replaced Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) in 2017. The name of the band was originally inspired by a racehorse called Archduke Ferdinand. After seeing the horse win the Northumberland Plate in 2001, the band began to discuss Archduke Franz Ferdinand and thought it would be a good band name because of the alliteration of the name and the implications of the Archduke's death; his assassination was a significant factor in the lead-up to World War I.

The band have been nominated for several Grammy Awards and have received two Brit Awards – winning one for Best British Group – as well as one NME Award. The band's breakout single "Take Me Out" charted in several countries and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal; it became the band's signature song. Their self-titled debut studio album won the 2004 Mercury Prize and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album. The band went on to release five studio albums.  Their last album, Always Acsending was released in 2018.

Franz Ferdinand will kick off their world tour, Hits To The Head Greatest Hits Tour in March of 2022.

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