Scottish band Franz Ferdinand tours in support of their latest album The Human Fear

Franz Ferdinand signed to Domino in May 2003 and released their first single, “Darts Of Pleasure” shortly after. Second single, “Take Me Out” exploded onto the international stage, putting the band firmly on the global map and was a precursor to their eponymous debut album which went on to sell over 5 million copies worldwide.

Artistically always forging forward, their following albums, You Could Have It So Much Better  (2005), Tonight: Franz Ferdinand  (2009), Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action  (2013) and Always Ascending  (2018) all offered a new take on the Franz template and saw them work with some of the most pioneering producers around including Dan Carey, Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, Todd Terje and Philippe Zdar.

Their music continues to resonate globally and over the course of nearly two decades they’ve become, commercially and critically, one of the biggest UK bands in the world, selling over 10 million albums, 2.5 billion streams to date, 14 platinum albums, winning Brit, Ivor Novello & Mercury Prize awards, Grammy nominations and selling 6 million tickets for their incendiary live show worldwide which have included headline slots at festivals such as Reading & Leeds, Rock En Seine, Primavera and All Points East. A greatest hits compilation Hits To The Head, released in 2022, was a potent reminder of how universal and loved many of their songs have been and the U.K. run of shows saw them sell out Alexandra Palace in London.

Franz Ferdinand released their new studio album, The Human Fear, on January 10, 2025. Produced with Mark Ralph, who previously worked with them on their 2013 album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, the album showcases Franz at their most immediate, upbeat and life-affirming, unashamedly going for the pop-jugular in classic Franz style. Recorded at AYR studios in Scotland, the 11-songs on The Human Fear all allude to some deep-set human fears and how overcoming and accepting these fears drives and defines our lives.

Talking about the album, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand said: “Making this record was one of the most life-affirming experiences I’ve had, but it’s called The Human Fear. Fear reminds you that you’re alive. I think we all are addicted in some way to the buzz it can give us. How we respond to it shows how we are human. So here’s a bunch of songs searching for the thrill of being human via fears. Not that you’d necessarily notice on first listen.”

The video for first single “Audacious” was directed by long-time Franz collaborator Andy Knowles and filmed at Barrowland in Glasgow, over the years the scene of many a celebratory ‘homecoming’ gig for the band. Talking about the track Alex added: “It’s about having an audacious response when you feel the fabric of existence come undone around you. Being bold, contrary. Peering over the edge into the eternity of non-existence and saying Aye! Fuck it! Not today thank you!”

Director Andy Knowles said about the video: “After listening to ‘Audacious’ for the first time it immediately felt like a song which needed a celebration of a video. I wanted to build on the jocular approach we took for ‘Curious’ in 2022, contrasting some of the more sombre moments of life with an explosion of fun when you look at things through an ‘audacious’ lens.”

Ever since their beginnings, throwing illegal parties in condemned Glasgow buildings, Franz Ferdinand have been defined by a fresh, unfading, forward-facing outlook, a transgressive art-school perspective, but with a love of a big song and The Human Fear undoubtedly continues in this tradition; distinct yet new, musically, and creatively it’s a record eager to push forward.

Pretty much all written before they hit the studio, the idea was to have a songbook ready before they started recording and once in the studio it was all quickly executed – a lot of it recorded live with the band in the room and many of the vocals on the album being the original takes.

The first studio album to feature members Audrey Tait and Dino Bardot, the record also sees Julian Corrie step forward to collaborate with Alex Kapranos and Bob Hardy on song writing and creative duties.

See them live at MTelus, on Monday, April 14, 2025.

To purchase your tickets, visit: www.mtelus.com