Taking its name from the homonymous Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand was founded in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2002. Its four members are: Alex Kapranos (vocal and guitar), Bob Hardy (bass), Nick McCarthy (harmonic guitar, keyboards, vocal) and Paul Thomson (drums, vocals). The band's first smashing hit was ''Take me out'', the first single from their debut album, ''Franz Ferdinand'' (2004). The song climbed quickly in the charts, and the album's success got the band two Brit Awards in 2005. In the same year, Franz Ferdinand entered the studios once again to work on their second material, ''You Could Have It So Much Better''. Shortly after its release, the album reached the number one spot in UK's album chart. The tour meant another success for the band, with a record number of sold-out concerts! In late 2007, Franz Ferdinand started working on ''Tonight'', the band's third studio album, to be released later this week.
Chosen by U2 as opening act for their Vertigo Tour, Franz Ferdinand is renowned for its extremely entertaining live shows, the band being able to brag about its concerts in international festivals like Glastonbury, Roskilde, Exit, Sziget, Werchter, Benicassim, PinkPop or Coachella.
Official site:
www.franzferdinand.co.uk/ 
