Franz Ferdinand

Formed in Glasgow in 2001, the quartet didn't release their first EP until 2003. When the Darts Of Pleasure came out, it was as though their lean, romantic, and often danceable form of post-punk fell right from the pages of a Smash Hits from twenty years prior. In their formative years, most of the band were students at the Glasgow School of Art and spent their time practicing music at a spot called the Chateau, a music/art space along the lines of Andy Warhol's Factory. The group's smart and slightly oily brand of angular pop was soon embraced by press and fans, whose appetites for a post-punk revival were whetted by the success of bands like Interpol and Hot Hot Heat. They finally released their first full-length in 2004. The LP's unorthodox but unstoppable single "Take Me Out" quickly took off all over the world. In the summer of 2005, Franz Ferdinand built on that success with It Could Be So Much Better, which actually lived up to its title by bettering their winning debut. The Scots then released their third album in early 2009. Stripping away some of their post-punk roots, the band opted to load Tonight with disco-punk beats and spacey synths, making it some of their most experimental and upbeat material to date.