Alex Kapranos Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

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.

Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson has recalled the past insults he’s received from Mark E. Smith and Oasis.Speaking to NME as part of our ‘Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?!’ quiz, Wilson correctly guessed that the late Fall icon Smith once said “the Kaiser Chiefs and Arctic Monkeys should open a chain of chip shops in North Yorkshire”.The comment came as part of a 2006 interview, in which Smith added: “I think the East Germans had it right actually.

Franz Ferdinand‘s track ‘Jaqueline’ is running as MP to replace Mhairi Black.Jaqueline Cameron – who is currently the deputy leader of Renfrewshire Council – put her name forward to replace Black and is running to be the SNP candidate in Paisley and Renfrewshire South for the forthcoming General Election.“I was delighted to be approved as a potential candidate and am seeking the honour of representing the area in which I live,” she told The National.“I intend to fight for the needs of our communities, with great local knowledge, experience and a deep passion to address poverty and disadvantage wherever I find it. I respect the decision of Mhairi Black to stand down and share her disgust at how the Tories have ignored the needs of our communities.”No longer working on a desk, but working for her constituents instead.

Squid, black midi, Black Country, New Road, Loyle Carner, Kae Tempest and The Lounge Society.The show will take place at Village Underground on Saturday, September 15 from 8pm to 3am and will feature a variety of performers who are currently or previously have been signed to the label, as well as DJs and other special guests.In what’s been described as “typical Speedy style”, no official line-up will be announced till closer to the event.Tickets are on sale now and are priced at £15 for an Early Bird ticket, which will then rise to £20 nearer the time – you can buy yours here.Alongside the 10th anniversary gig, the label are also celebrating their landmark birthday with  the release of a 7” box set, which is limited to only 250 copies. The boxset contains 10 discs and 20 tracks of the original dub remixes produced by the label’s cofounder Dan Carey, under his Savage Gary alias, from their now iconic singles series.‘The Dubs: Volume 1’ will be out on August 4.‘The Dubs: Volume 1’ tracklisting:1a. AArchie Bronson Outfit – ‘Mr Dan’s Dead Duck Dub’1b. Toy & Natasha Khan – ‘(Here Comes) Dub Bride’2a. Scottibrains – ‘Mr Dan’s Shut Eye Dub’ 2b. JUCE! – ‘Mr Dan’s No Brain Dub’3a. Kae Tempest & Loyle Carner – ‘Guts’  – Mr Dan’s Balloon Dub3b. Telegram – ‘Mr Dan’s Inside Out’  Dub4a. Teleman – ‘Mr Dan’s Strange Dubby Nations ‘ 4b. Peluché – ‘Mr Dan’s Gammy Eye Dub’                 5a. Melt Yourself Down – ‘Mr Dan’s Another Dub’5b. DEWEY – ‘Mr Dan’s Dub Me Over’6a. black midi – ‘savage gary’s dbdbdb’6b. Black Country, New Road – ‘Athen’s, France’ – Savage Gary’s Takedown dub7a. All We Are & Alex Kapranos – ‘Heart Attack’ – Savage Gary’s Remix7b. Tiña – ‘Dicks In The Dub’8a. Pynch – ‘Orla Carey’s Pynch Your Lights Out Dub’8b. PVA –

National Album Day returns for its fifth edition on Saturday (October 15) with the 2022 event set to celebrate debut albums from across multiple genres and decades.Franz Ferdinand and Sam Ryder will serve as ambassadors this year alongside KSI, The Mysterines, The Staves, Jake Bugg, India Arkin and others. Around 30 classic debut albums will be reissued alongside new debut LPs to coincide with National Album Day.“What a glorious medium the album is,” Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos said in a statement.“On the most basic level it’s a bunch of songs that sound good together, but what I love is that it is a moment in time for the artist and the listener, a way to define a period of a lifetime.

Franz Ferdinand‘s performance on This Morning today (October 7).The New Zealand comedian, writer and actor played keys and guitar for the Scottish band’s rendition of ‘Take Me Out’ on Friday’s show, where the band were celebrating their 20th anniversary.During the interview segment of the band’s appearance on the show, host Alison Hammond spotted Matafeo standing with the band, and said: “You’ve got a special guest over there, is that Rose?”“I won a competition, I wrote into a magazine,” the Starstruck star and creator jokingly replied, with frontman Alex Kapranos explaining: “Julian [Corrie, Franz Ferdinand keys player] couldn’t make it today.”Dermot O’Leary then added to Matafeo: “We heard you were banned,” to which she replied: “No, I just used a different name when I entered the competition… I’m keeping a low profile.”After the performance, one fan tweeted: “Err, did they mention why Rose Matafeo was playing with Franz Ferdinand on This Morning?”“No comment,” Matafeo responded, then posting a captionless photo of herself with a guitar in the TV studio on Instagram.Watch footage of the performance here from the one hour mark and Matafeo’s responses about her appearance below. no comment https://t.co/6FCrC0E8nW— Rose Matafeo (@Rose_Matafeo) October 7, 2022“The stalking is out of control now,” comedian and Off Menu podcast co-host Ed Gamble then joked in reply, to which Matafeo responded: “I know, they’re obsessed with me.”I know, they're obsessed with me— Rose Matafeo (@Rose_Matafeo) October 7, 2022Earlier this year year, Franz Ferdinand released their new greatest hits compilation, ‘Hits To The Head’, which they were on This Morning to promote.

Franz Ferdinand and Sam Ryder are among the artist ambassadors who have been announced for National Album Day 2022.The theme of the fifth annual edition of National Album Day will be Debut Albums, following previous focuses Women in Music and The 80s.“The Debut Albums theme will look to showcase a broad range of first album releases across multiple genres and decades – from debut recordings that have gone on to become classics to those that are perhaps only now being fully appreciated or which, years later, merit reappraisal,” according to a press release.National Album Day 2022 will take place on October 15, with Franz Ferdinand and Ryder being joined by KSI, The Mysterines and The Staves as ambassadors.A post shared by National Album Day (@albumdayuk)“What a glorious medium the album is,” Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos said in a statement. “On the most basic level it’s a bunch of songs that sound good together, but what I love is that it is a moment in time for the artist and the listener, a way to define a period of a lifetime.

National Album Day is coming back for a fifth year! This year the theme is debut albums. We already knew that. But now we have some ambassadors!For the uninitiated, National Album Day is the one and only day of the year where everyone in the UK listens to nothing but full LPs for 24 hours solid.

Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos has shared details of a new six-part radio series.In August, Kapranos will join Absolute Radio to host a new series that will run every Sunday night at 10pm from August 7. The show will also see the singer being joined by special guests including Johnny Marr.A statement about the show said: “Alex will be bringing his encyclopedic knowledge of and eclectic taste in music to his own show, as well as anecdotes from over 20 years at the top of the UK indie music scene and insight from across the music world.“Alongside this you can expect the musician to be joined by a range of guests including Johnny Marr, The Cribs and Los Bitchos.”Speaking about the new show, Kapranos said: “I’m happy to say that Absolute Radio have invited me in to take over on Sunday nights, play songs I love, and have a bit of a chat with musicians I like.

Deftones have announced that “with deep regret”, they are cancelling their scheduled tour dates in Ukraine and Russia for this July, amid the ongoing conflict between the two nations.“We’re hoping we’ll be able to return to play soon,” the band wrote in a statement on social media yesterday (March 29). “We hope everyone is safe.”A post shared by Deftones (@deftones)The Sacramento alt-metal band are one of many who’ve cancelled shows in both countries since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine just over a month ago.Tom Grennan, Green Day, Yungblud, My Chemical Romance, Biffy Clyro, Placebo and Russian rapper Oxxxymiron are among the acts who’ve announced cancellations in recent weeks, due to either safety concerns or in protest against the Russian government’s attack.Russian president Vladimir Putin’s actions have drawn widespread condemnation across the globe, with multiple countries enacting sanctions on the country.

Franz Ferdinand have announced a North American tour following the release of their greatest hits compilation, ‘Hits To The Head’ – buy tickets here.The US leg runs from August to September with stops in Atlanta, New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles and will mark the Scottish band’s first tour of the country since 2018. General on-sale for the tour kicks off Friday (March 18) at 10am local time.

Green Day have cancelled their upcoming show in Moscow in light of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.It comes after Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation on Thursday (February 24).Billie Joe Armstrong and co. were due to perform at Spartak Stadium in the Russian capital on May 29.

Elton John has expressed that he’s “heartbroken” over the “nightmare” the people of Ukraine are currently living through.It comes after Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation on Thursday (February 24).Last night (February 26), John took to Instagram to post an image of Ukraine’s blue and yellow flag, showing his support for those affected by the attacks.“For over 20 years, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has supported some of the most vulnerable people in Ukraine with access to HIV services and care, as part of our commitment to communities across Eastern Europe and Central Asia.The ‘Rocket Man’ singer’s charity was established in 1992 and supports HIV prevention, education programs and support services for those living with HIV.“We are heartbroken and appalled to see this conflict unfold and our hearts are with the people of Ukraine who do not deserve to live through this nightmare,” he continued.

Dear all, as we write this text, for the moment, each member of JINJER and our families are safe and unhurt. We truly…Posted by Jinjer on Thursday, February 24, 2022Since Jinjer’s post last night, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that 137 people had been killed, with 316 more wounded.Troops from Russia crossed the Crimea border into Ukraine on Thursday after President Vladimir Putin gave the order for his invasion to begin.The actions of Putin, who has claimed that Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine and that his country’s actions amount to a “special military operation”, have drawn widespread condemnation from across the globe.Reactions to the situation in Ukraine from prominent figures in the worlds of music, entertainment and politics have been posted on social media, with the likes of Foals’ Yannis Philippakis, Bring Me The Horizon‘s Oli Sykes, Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos, Yungblud, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Taika Waititi and Amanda Palmer all speaking out in support of Ukraine.Russian rapper Oxxxymiron has cancelled a series of shows in Moscow and St.

The New York Times.“I know that most people in Russia are against this war, and I am confident that the more people would talk about their real attitude to it, the faster we can stop this horror,” said Oxxxymiron in a statement (translated by the Times).“I cannot entertain you when Russian missiles are falling on Ukraine—when residents of Kyiv are forced to hide in basements and in the metro, while people are dying.”He is one of several other Russian musicians who have voiced their protest at the war. Kasta, Shym, Vladi, Khamil, Zmey, and Noize MC have all voiced their opposition to the attack on Ukraine.A post shared by Oxxxymiron (@norimyxxxo)Ukraine has officially severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation.Since Oxxxymiron’s post last night (February 24), Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that 137 people had been killed, with 316 more wounded.Troops from Russia crossed the Crimea border into Ukraine on Thursday after President Vladimir Putin gave the order for his invasion to begin.The actions of Putin, who has claimed that Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine and that his country’s actions amount to a “special military operation”, have drawn widespread condemnation from across the globe.Reactions to the situation in Ukraine from prominent figures in the worlds of music, entertainment and politics have been posted on social media, with the likes of Foals’ Yannis Philippakis, Bring Me The Horizon‘s Oli Sykes, Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos, Yungblud, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Taika Waititi and Amanda Palmer all speaking out in support of Ukraine.

Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos has paid tribute to the “open and welcoming” people of Kyiv in a new Instagram post.It comes after Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation yesterday (February 24).Writing on Instagram, Kapranos paid tribute to Ukraine sharing a picture of the time he and his band visited Kyiv.He wrote: “This is Kyiv when we visited less than three and a half years ago. I loved this city which had a sense of optimism in amongst the deep history. The people were welcoming, open and comfortable in their identity.

Foals have shared a message of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, highlighting the local team that helped bring their recent ‘2am’ music video to life.Russian forces launched a military assault on Ukraine in the early hours of yesterday morning (February 24).

Franz Ferdinand have announced rescheduled dates for their Greatest Hits 2022 UK and European headline tour – see all the details below.The Scottish band were set to head out on the road next month in support of their ‘Hits To The Head’ ‘best of’ album, which is due for release on March 11 via Domino Records.Due to continued COVID restrictions in Europe, the second half of the ‘Hits To The Head’ tour has now been rescheduled for later this year. Some dates are still set to go ahead as planned in April.“We’re sorry to announce that due to ongoing covid restrictions across Europe and the logistics involved with putting on a tour at this time, we have had to reschedule the first half of our upcoming tour,” the band wrote on Instagram.“We’ve kept in all the dates we are logistically able to do but for all others we have had to re-schedule for later in the year.

Franz Ferdinand have spoken about how the 2001 film Enemy At The Gates inspired their classic hit ‘Take Me Out’.The band’s frontman Alex Kapranos broke down the writing and recording process of the 2004 single during the latest episode of the Song Exploder podcast (released yesterday, January 26).“The night before [the idea emerged] I’d watched a film called Enemy At The Gates, and it’s set during the Second World War around the siege of Stalingrad. One of the themes of the film is this stand-off between two snipers,” he explained.“Jude Law is the Soviet sniper and Ed Harris is the evil Nazi.

DEALSBadBadNotGood have signed a new deal with Third Side Music, extending their existing partnership with the publisher. “Alexander, Chester and Leland are true contemporaries, yet articulate a cross-generational sense of virtuosity and energy only known to them”, says Brontë Jane, Third Side Music’s VP Creative. “I feel strongly that this next chapter for BadBadNotGood will be the most impactful”.————————————————–APPOINTMENTSAndy West has been named Executive Vice President and General Manager of Warner Music Canada.

Franz Ferdinand have shared a second brand new track, ‘Curious’, from their forthcoming greatest hits album, ‘Hits To The Head’.After teasing their return back in early November, the Scottish indie veterans released ‘Billy Goodbye’, their first new track in three years – a raucous glam stomper that the band worked on with Stuart Price (Dua Lipa, Madonna, Pet Shop Boys).The only other new track on ‘Hits To The Head’ is ‘Curious’, which frontman Alex Kapranos called “quite a different-sounding song” when speaking to NME in a recent interview.“Sonically, it’s more at the silky dance floor end of what the band is about,” he explained. “That one’s about imagining yourself in a situation at the beginning of a romantic relationship, being part of the magical moments and suddenly being overwhelmed by the sense of what’s to come and wondering how you will be when repetition, routine and the everyday is what your relationship becomes.“Are you still going to love me when the magic has faded?”The track comes alongside a video that sees the band put on their dancing shoes.

Alex Kapranos has starred in Los Bitchos’ video for new single ‘Good To Go!’, which precedes the instrumental band’s debut album ‘Let The Festivities Begin!’In the video the Franz Ferdinand frontman plays a gameshow host who spins a wheel of fortune to try and secure Los Bitchos’ freedom from incarceration.‘Good To Go!’ follows ‘Las Panteras’ as the second single from the pan-continental four-piece’s album that drops on on February 4, 2022 via City Slang.

Franz Ferdinand have returned with new single ‘Billy Goodbye’, taken from their upcoming ‘best of’ collection ‘Hits To The Head’. Check out the new single below, and our video interview with frontman Alex Kapranos above.Having teased their return earlier this week, the Scottish indie veterans have stormed back with ‘Billy Goodbye’ – a raucous glam stomper that the band worked on with Stuart Price (Dua Lipa, Madonna, Pet Shop Boys).

Taking traditional Latin cumbia and whipping it up with a bit of surf-rock and synth-pop, Los Bitchos are the joyous band you need in 2021.

Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos has shared a handwritten note from Bloc Party‘s Kele Okereke asking to support the Scottish band in 2003.Kapranos’ band, who were to release their self-titled debut album six months later, played a headline show at the Electrowerkz venue in London on October 24, 2003.Ahead of the gig Okereke wrote to Kapranos and the band, sending them Bloc Party’s first demo and asking to be considered as a support act at their next London show.“Hey Alex, this is Kele from Bloc

Sparks will be released in US and Canadian cinemas later this year.The Sparks Brothers takes a deep dive into the careers of Ron and Russell Mael over five decades, complete with an archive of TV and concert clips. A string of musical guests were interviewed for the documentary, including Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos and Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers.The Sparks Brothers premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

the death of its beloved doorman ‘Big John Frazer’ last weekend.Tributes to Frazer, who died “peacefully in his sleep,” were shared by the likes of Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos, Arab Strap‘s Aidan Moffat and The Twilight Sad across social media on Monday (February 1).A JustGiving page has now been set up as “people have been getting in touch wanting to contribute” to Frazer’s funeral expenses.“So we thought this would be a nice way to show support to his family with the costs involved,

Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos said he will remember John for being “very jovial” and “compassionate”, but who was “firm” in his job guarding the iconic Scottish venue.“Very sad to hear about Big John, doorman of Nice n Sleazy and loved by many in Glasgow,” wrote Kapranos. “A lovely guy and a presence that will be greatly missed.

here.Musicians supporting Chance and Taylor’s new fund include Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos, who tweeted: “James Chance has been a huge inspiration to us as a band. He guested with us on the [Colbert show] in 2018 for a memorable performance.

Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos tells NME about his new duet with acclaimed French singer-songwriter Clara Luciana – a cover of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood‘s swooning classic ‘Summer Wine’.“It felt like a world that was very far removed from the one I was used to, stuck inside in lockdown rainy Scotland. It was a soundscape to a landscape that I wasn’t experiencing.”Lord knows we could all use a little bit of that at the moment.

Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos and Clara Luciani look set to debut their new collaboration this week.The two artists have been teasing their new project on social media in the past few days, with both uploading the same picture of the two of them together on Instagram on Saturday (July 25).Kapranos’ caption read “I will give to you Summer Wine”, while Luciani’s read the same but in French — hinting at the title of their first collaborative song release.