This is the story of a group of pals from Glasgow who formed a band and changed the face of British music forever.
Narrated by comedian and Franz Ferdinand mega-fan Rose Matafeo, Words So Leisured hears the band revisit their extraordinary journey along with contributions from their friends, collaborators and those they’ve inspired.
This four-part podcast series, formed of all new, exclusive interviews – charts their career from playing in friends’ bedrooms to The Grammys: takes in the pinch-yourself highs and sometimes dramatic lows of being in a band. All episodes of the podcast launch on Thursday the 10th of November 2022.
The series goes behind the scenes of some of the biggest moments – meeting Bowie, winning BRITs, playing to millions – and candidly recalls the times it all almost fell apart. It also delves deeper than ever before into the stories behind the band’s most iconic songs.
The band are currently in the middle of their ‘Hits To The Head’ tour, taking in all corners of the globe. The album, which was released on the 11th of March, features 20 tracks showcasing the world-conquering success of the band’s career to date. To round off the year, the Franz Ferdinand’s song ‘This FFire’ was the theme song to Cyberpunk Edgerunners the critically acclaimed Netflix Anime based upon the CD Projekt Red game. The show is one of Netflix’s most acclaimed shows with a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Words So Leisured will be available here. The series was made by New Allotment productions for Domino Recordings. For more information visit Franz Ferdinand’s website.
Episode 1: Glasgow
A bottle of vodka. A fateful house party. A fight. How Franz Ferdinand went from a near-punchup to forming a band within 24 hours.
The story of the group’s formation is a mix of serendipity and ambition; myth and legend; late-night whiskey drinking and learning to play an instrument on the job.
All which led them to play their first gig in pal’s Glasgow bedroom – suddenly the city’s music scene was abuzz with excitement. Alex, Paul, Nick and Bob even move into their own band HQ – the beautifully disgusting warehouse-cum-venue grandly nicknamed, The Chateau.
Episode 2: A Fire That Burns
Barely 12 months since they played their first show and Franz Ferdinand emerged from a record company scrum to work on what would become one of the all-time great debut albums.
But the making of Franz Ferdinand was not without its challenges. However, those sessions would produce music history – and the band released Take Me Out, a song that would come to define an entire era of British music.
Suddenly the four friends would be catapulted from DIY art-school band to global superstars – the beginning of what would become the wildest of rides.
Episode 3: You Could Have It So Much Better
Franz Ferdinand’s home was now a tour bus, hotel room or venue backstage, as they relentlessly tour the world and perform to thousands of new fans.
But the non-stop work also begins to take its toll as they recount a famous night in Paris that almost ends the band.
Surreal moments kept on coming for the globe’s buzziest new act: from sharing a stage with Black Eyed Peas at The Grammys to meeting David Bowie dressed in disguise. As the accolades roll in and their fan-base grows, they re-enter the studio to make albums 2 and 3: a process of blood, sweat and tears. Quite literally.
Episode 4: Always Ascending
In the final part of Words So Leisured – The Story of Franz Ferdinand: the band’s future is once again in jeopardy as Alex Kapranos and Bob Hardy meet in Shetland to try and resolve their differences.
It’s a fresh era for the group – one of experimentation and collaboration, including the formation of an all-new hybrid outfit with Sparks, FFS.
But it’s also about change, and fresh energy: two founding members exit, and three enter to usher in a brand new chapter for the band who never stop reinventing.
