Alex Kapranos celebrates the 20th anniversary of Franz Ferdinand’s debut album: “Don’t be afraid to dance”
Alex Kapranos has celebrated the 20th anniversary of Franz Ferdinand’s debut album today (February 9).
The band’s self titled debut album arrived 20 years ago today on February 9 2004 – reaching Number Three in the charts, containing the hit singles ‘Take Me Out’, ‘Michael’, ‘The Dark Of The Matinee’ and ‘This Fire’, and going on to win the Mercury Music Prize and become known as an indie classic.
In a 9/10 review of the album on its release, NME said: “without doubt, this debut is an album packed with tunes that will make anyone with legs dance. At indie discos across the land their first two singles have been packing dancefloors…
“This is an album as much about preening and posing as passion, that’ll have you pouring over the lyrics for an age. The fear that they couldn’t match their first two singles has proved unfounded. They’ve done it. With style, wit and, well, great posture.”
“It makes me happy to think that some of you may be giving this old beast a blast,” wrote Kapranos on Instagram. “Play it loud. Don’t be afraid to dance.”
He also went on to thank those involved in helping the band to make the album.
He wrote: “It seems our first LP is 20 years old today. It was a crazy time, sometimes hard to believe that this idea that [bassist] Bob Hardy and I dreamed up in the kitchen of a Glasgow restaurant a couple of years earlier could take us around the world several times, bringing immeasurable joy to us and millions of people whose lives it somehow touched. Thanks for standing with me for the last couple of decades, Bob. A real friend.”
He continued: “Thanks also to our manager, Cerne Canning, who had faith in us and let us camp out in the cupboard he was using as an office at the time, making a lot of personal sacrifice because he believed there was something of true cultural worth in us.
“Also everyone at Domino Records, especially Laurence, Bart and Kris, for being as excited by the whole thing as we were and for not thinking we were ‘too funky.’ Again you’ve stuck with us for 20 years. Amazing. Looking forward to the next 20.”
Kapranos also went on to reveal that he’s working on finishing a new album with the band, adding: “I can’t wait for you all to hear it.”
The band’s last studio album was 2018’s acclaimed ‘Always Ascending‘.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debuta, the band recently re-released the album on coloured vinyl.
In other Franz Ferdinand news, the band performed at last year’s edition of Mad Cool festival back in July. They also released their greatest hits compilation LP ‘Hits To The Head’ last year.
It was also revealed last year that the woman who inspired Ferdinand‘s track ‘Jaqueline’ was running as MP to replace Mhairi Black.
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Elizabeth Aubrey
NME
