Raise your hand if you’ve experienced a smell or sound that immediately triggers a distinct memory from your past. A memory so vivid you feel as if you’ve been transported back in time for a moment and everything is exactly as you left it.
Now, imagine you’re an American college student studying abroad in the U.K. during the summer of 2004 and your first experience with English pubs coincides with the release of Franz Ferdinand’s self-titled debut album including the anthemic smash hit, “Take Me Out.” You’re enjoying one too many pints of lager at the local and a single perfectly fuzzed out guitar chord rings out over the crowd noise and by the time the lead singer calls out “If you’re feeling lonely,” seconds later, the entire bar is singing along at the top on their lungs. Backs were slapped and drinks were spilled and to this day it is still one of my core memories.
So you can imagine my excitement when the band announced not only a new greatest hits compilation, Hits to the Head, but a North American tour to follow. The new album celebrates Franz Ferdinand’s 20th anniversary and pulls from their five studio albums. We were lucky enough to snag a session with the band on their Austin stop and they took us right back to the pub with performances of “Walk Away,” “Curious,” and “Take Me Out.” This session was also a bit of a reunion for our Live Music Producer Deidre Gott. Franz Ferdinand gave Deidre her second ever interview as a fresh-faced radio host during their first ACL Festival appearance in 2004.
So, pour yourself a tall cup of nostalgia and enjoy one of the U.K.’s greatest indie rock bands tearing it up for our listeners in Studio 1A.
FOLLOW FRANZ FERDINAND
Musicians:
Alex Kapranos – vocals, guitar; Robert Hardy – bass; Audrey Tait – drums; Dino Bardot – guitar; Julian Corrie – keys, guitar, bv
Credits:
Host: Deidre Gott; Producer: Deidre Gott; Audio Engineer: Jake Perlman; Rene Chavez; Audio Mix: Rene Chavez; Cameras: Michael Minasi, Patricia Lim, Renee Dominguez; Edit: Patricia Lim
