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Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos talks ‘intense’ Indonesian food and rock’s cyclical nature
After the release of its greatest-hits album, Franz Ferdinand front man Alex Kapranos is eager to move onward and perhaps, every once in a while, look back.
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fter the release of its greatest-hits album, Franz Ferdinand front man Alex Kapranos is eager to move onward and perhaps, every once in a while, look back.
To this day, the revered indie-rock band Franz Ferdinand has come to Indonesia twice: in 2009 to Jakarta and in 2018 to both the capital and Bali. Asked about what he remembered from those visits, front man Alex Kapranos got straight to the point.
“This is a terrible thing to say, but the thing that strikes me most in my memories of Indonesia — because I’m a greedy pig — is that the food is absolutely mind-blowing! Oh my god, it’s so good!” Alex gushed to The Jakarta Post on April 25 on a Zoom call.
“You guys are so lucky. It’s probably the most intense, flavorful, enjoyable food I’ve ever had, maybe on the planet,” he added.
At that moment, the band was getting ready to play in Zagreb, but there was no hint of exhaustion from the front man during the interview. After the pandemic holding him back for the last two years, going on tour with the band has made Alex feel “full of life and joy”.
“I can’t begin to tell you how good it’s been after such a long time to be back on the road again,” Alex said cheerfully. “And the crowd has been amazing! And just for us, you know?”
The Scottish singer-songwriter was referring to all musicians’ sigh of relief post-pandemic (if it is indeed over). But Franz Ferdinand, too, has undergone several transformations in recent years. They have said goodbyes to some founding members (guitarist Nick McCarthy and drummer Paul Thomson), but also welcomed new ones (keyboardist Julian Corrie, guitarist Dino Bardot and drummer Audrey Tait). And almost two decades after proving rock songs can (and should) make people dance during the 2000s with its self-titled album, the band finally put out a 20-track greatest-hits compilation Hits to the Head in March.
“It was a nice thing to do, you know. I generally don’t like looking back too much, but I think it’s good at certain points in your career to collect everything together and say, ‘Oh well, this is what we’ve done so far,’” Alex noted.
Old DNA, new tricks
Hits compilations are often scorned by music fans for having lesser “substance” than the actual albums the songs came from. But for Alex, they were the most common and important items in his household growing up.
“My parents didn’t have a lot of money, so they didn’t have every David Bowie album but they had [the compilation album] Changesbowie. They didn’t have every Queen album but they had Queen’s Greatest Hits,” he shared. Eventually, those compilations inspired him to buy original albums like Bowie’s Heroes and Ziggy Stardust.
“They really shaped the beginnings of my musical taste,” he added.
Oddly enough, such a compilation also works to the benefit of Franz Ferdinand. Although people would instantly recognize their hits like “Do You Want To” or the worldwide anthem “Take Me Out”, it is almost sinful to reduce the Glasgow band to only their early releases. Their transition to more disco-sounding indie rock has not only shaped Franz Ferdinand as a band but also other newer bands.
“One thing I really enjoyed about making ‘the best of’ is seeing how, over the years, we explored and went in all sorts of different directions, yet all the songs sound like Franz Ferdinand songs. And I think that’s always been the case for the band,” Alex said.
That claim is apparent in the new singles on Hits to the Head: the dance-y track “Curious” and the meld between 1970s and 2020s rock “Billy Goodbye”. The latter — a song about looking back at a past friendship — brings the band’s old and new sound full circle.
“Sonically, I was trying to go for three different eras simultaneously: 1972, the year I was born; 2002, the year the band formed; and 2022, the year [the song] was coming out,” Alex explained. “And ‘Curious’ definitely has that slinky side of the band and wire-y energy about it. Maybe it’s been that way consistently across [our discography] but now in a new way.”
Cyclical
As one of the few 2000s indie bands that are still going strong, the band’s continuity is quite a feat. Many might slip into the cesspool of their own hit sounds and start to flicker, but Franz Ferdinand remains in tune with its surroundings.
“I think there’s a much bigger gulf now between pop music and — I don’t know — alternative guitar music, or whatever you wanna call it, compared to 10 years ago,” he assessed.
This recent gulf is perplexing because, for a long time, Alex and friends are the flag-bearers of both: injecting pop tunes into the rock scene without sacrificing heavy guitar strumming — which is why Franz Ferdinand became a symbol of dance-rock revival in the United Kingdom and also why Alex once deemed Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” the “greatest pop song of the ‘90s”.
“But then again, that feels exactly how it was 20 years ago when we started our band, so […] It goes in cycles, doesn’t it? We all know that,” he said.
Regardless, Alex still loves a lot of newer bands in the indie-rock scene at the moment.
“I really like Yard Act. The Bug Club is really good. And Wet Leg, everybody loves Wet Leg. Very proud to have them as label-mates! And Los Bitchos, whose [debut album] I produced, is a fantastic band,” Alex said. “So yeah, I think the scene is healthy.”
A breath of fresh air
Being on tour, Alex admitted, really gives the band a fresh start. Especially with the addition of their newest member, Glasgow-based drummer Audrey Tait.
“It’s still quite early days for Audrey, but when she came in and played ‘Curious’, I knew within seconds that she was good. It’s like when you meet somebody for the first time, you often know instantly whether you’re gonna have a good conversation with somebody. Do you know what I mean?” the singer-songwriter queried.
“And socially, the band is great at the moment. We’re all really enjoying hanging out and spending time together — on the bus, in the venues,” he shared.
All things considered, returning to the stage feels like the most fitting way for the band to commemorate its greatest-hits record.
“This tour has become quite a celebration of playing those songs, so I’ve enjoyed that. I actually find it very inspiring to move forward and I’m really looking forward to working on the next record,” he said, hinting at Franz Ferdinand’s future plans.
“I love the idea that maybe this greatest-hits record will introduce a new generation to the band. It’s kind of bizarre when I think about it because there are people in the audience who are 18 and under, who were born the year our first album came out. So yeah, that’s an unusual position to find yourself in, but a very inspiring one,” he said.
But these dates and countries are not enough for them. Alex reminisced about their time hanging out in Indonesia with singer-songwriter Ade Govinda and excitedly banged his fists on the table.
“Yes! Whoever the promoter is, I hope you’re reading this and hook us because I really want to come back and try more food,” he laughed.
