Alex Kapranos | |
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![]() Kapranos performing with Franz Ferdinand in 2019 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley [1] |
Also known as | Prince House Rabbit [2] |
Born | Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England | 20 March 1972
Origin | Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments | |
Years active | 1992–present |
Labels | Domino |
Member of | Franz Ferdinand |
Formerly of |
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Website | www |
Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley (born 20 March 1972) is a Scottish musician. He is best known as the lead singer and lead guitarist of Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand. [3] He has also been a part of the supergroups FFS and BNQT.
Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley was born on 20 March 1972 in Almondsbury, South Gloucestershire, the son of an English mother and Greek father. [4] As a two-month-old he moved to Sunderland, moving to Scotland when he was 7. [5] He attended the University of Aberdeen to study Theology. After dropping out, he continued studying at the University of Strathclyde, gaining a BA. In 2005, he was awarded Strathclyde's Alumnus of the Year. [6]
Kapranos worked as a chef, barman, music promoter, driver, welder and IT lecturer prior to his success in music. [7] From the early 1990s, he was a fixture of the Glasgow music scene, running live nights at The 13th Note Café, most notably The Kazoo Club.[ citation needed ]
While working at the Glasgow's Anniesland College in late 90's, Alex Kapranos played in some of city's popular bands, including The Blisters (later known as The Karelia), The Amphetameanies and The Yummy Fur. He is also known to have contributed to the noise act Urusei Yatsura and Lung Leg recordings. [3]
After dropping "Huntley" from his name, Kapranos formed Franz Ferdinand in 2001. The band was composed of Kapranos, Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals), Paul Thomson (drums, backing vocals) and Bob Hardy (bass). The band saw chart success after their second single "Take Me Out" was released on 12 January 2004 [8] and reached Number 3 in the UK Charts [9] followed by their debut album Franz Ferdinand (released 9 February 2004), [10] which debuted on the UK album chart at Number 3. [11]
The band went on to win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize [12] and two Brit Awards in 2005 [13] for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act.
In 2015, the Franz Ferdinand collaborated with American band Sparks to form a supergroup named FFS.
Also in 2015 Kapranos joined the supergroup BNQT.
In 2019 British band All We Are released a single "Heart Attack" with Alex Kapranos. [14]
In 2020 Kapranos released an English-French cover of "Summer Wine" with Clara Luciani. [15]
Kapranos produced Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever —the third album by British indie rock group The Cribs in Vancouver, B.C., released on 14 May 2007. He also produced their single-only track "Don't You Wanna Be Relevant?", which was featured with "Our Bovine Public" (from Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever) as a double A-side.
Kapranos makes a cameo appearance in the video for "Our Bovine Public". [16]
His remix of the single "New in Town" by British pop singer Little Boots was featured on various formats of the singles release.
He produced the debut album by British indie rock band Citizens!, Here We Are, which was released by Kitsuné on 28 May 2012. [17]
He produced the second album of Scottish guitarist RM Hubbert, Thirteen Lost & Found. In 2019, he produced the single "Pista (Great Start)" by London-based band Los Bitchos, which he described thus: "Truly international with cumbia beats, Turkish psychedelia, a hint of Swedish pop and a touch of shoegaze shimmer. More than anything, they put you in a really good mood when you listen to them. Celebratory trills and whoops energise the vibrant Dick Dale-esque guitars and brass, making for a blistering escape to a rip-roaring desert session." [18]
In September 2005, Kapranos began "Soundbites", [19] a weekly food column for G2 in The Guardian newspaper, which detailed his culinary adventures as Franz Ferdinand traversed the globe on their world tour. Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand , a book of the column and unreleased material illustrated by Andy Knowles, was released in 2006.
Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand was read by Kapranos on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week for 4–8 December 2006, described as "his account about what he ate while touring the world." [20]
Kapranos narrated the 2008 BBC Scotland documentary Edwyn Collins: Home Again on the recovery of Orange Juice singer Edwyn Collins.
Also in 2008, Kapranos narrated the BBC Radio 1 documentary The Story of Kraftwerk.
In 2016, Kapranos took part in a documentary about Glasgow music, and Chemikal Underground Records, called Lost in France. The film was directed by Niall McCann and brought Kapranos (along with members of The Delgados, Mogwai and others) to Mauron, Brittany, to recreate a gig they played when Kapranos was in his earlier band, The Karelia. The film features Kapranos playing live with Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai, and other musicians such as Emma Pollock and RM Hubbert, and Holy Mountain, as well as interviews with Kapranos and his old label-mates. Lost in France premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival to wholly positive reviews and was called "Funny, vital and sobering" [21] by Scotland's arts publication, The Skinny .
Kapranos was interviewed for Edgar Wright's 2021 documentary film The Sparks Brothers , centered around the band Sparks, with whom Franz Ferdinand formed supergroup FFS. [22]
From 7 August to 11 September 2022, Kapranos presented a six part Sunday night radio programme titled "The Alex Kapranos Show" on Absolute Radio. [23]
In his spare time, Kapranos enjoys crafting abstract furniture in his carpentry workshop. [24] [25]
In June 2005, Kapranos was detained for around an hour by officials at Domodedovo Airport in Moscow after being mistakenly identified as belonging on a U.S. "no-fly" list. This occurred due to the surname on his passport, Huntley, also having been previously used as an alias by the former MI6 agent Richard Tomlinson. Tomlinson had been fired, imprisoned, and labelled a security risk after circulating to publishers a draft of a book on MI6. Kapranos was released after officials determined that he did not fit Tomlinson's description. [26] [27]
Growing up in Sunderland, he supported the local football club Sunderland A.F.C. [28]
Kapranos has asthma and is allergic to peanuts. [29]
Kapranos dated singer Eleanor Friedberger for a few years (he dedicated the song "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" to her). [30] Since 2019, he has been in a relationship with French musician Clara Luciani. Luciani announced her pregnancy with the couple's first child in May 2023. [31] They married in Scotland at the end of May 2023. [32] The pair welcomed a son in September 2023. [33]
Year | Title | Album |
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2019 | "Heart Attack" (All We Are & Alex Kapranos) | non-album single |
2020 | "Summer Wine" (Alex Kapranos & Clara Luciani) | non-album single |
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band's original line-up was composed of Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy, Bob Hardy and Paul Thomson. Julian Corrie and Dino Bardot joined the band in 2017 after McCarthy left during the previous year, and Audrey Tait joined the band after Thomson left in 2021. The band is one of the more popular post-punk revival bands, garnering multiple UK top 20 hits. They have been nominated for several Grammy Awards and have received two Brit Awards—winning one for Best British Group—as well as one NME Award.
Russell Craig Mael is an American singer best known as the lead singer for the band Sparks which he formed in 1971 with his elder brother Ron Mael. Mael is known for his wide vocal range, in particular his far-reaching falsetto. He has a flamboyant and hyperactive stage presence which contrasts sharply with Ron Mael's inexpressive demeanour. The band released an album with British rock band Franz Ferdinand, as the supergroup FFS, titled FFS, released in 2015. The Mael brothers are the founders of Lil' Beethoven Records.
Sparks is an American pop and rock duo formed by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals) in Los Angeles. The duo is noted for their quirky approach to songwriting; their music is often accompanied by sophisticated and acerbic lyrics—often about women, and sometimes containing literary or cinematic references—and an idiosyncratic, theatrical stage presence, typified by the contrast between Russell's animated, hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's deadpan scowling. Russell Mael has a distinctive wide-ranging voice, while Ron Mael plays keyboards in an intricate and rhythmic style. Their frequently changing styles and visual presentations have kept the band at the forefront of modern, artful pop music.
Nicholas John McCarthy is an English-German musician. His main focus is on songwriting and song production. He is also a guitarist, singer and keyboard player.
Paul Robert Thomson is a Scottish drummer who played for the Glasgow-based band Franz Ferdinand from their formation in 2002 until October 2021.
The Yummy Fur were a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow, formed in 1992, and disbanded 1999. The band consisted of lead singer and guitarist John McKeown and a regularly changing line-up of other musicians. McKeown has since gone on to form the band 1990s. Their name was taken from the comic book Yummy Fur by Chester Brown.
You Could Have It So Much Better is the second studio album by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was first released on 28 September 2005 in Japan, and later on 3 October in the UK, through the Domino Recording Company. Recorded in both New York City and their own studio in Glasgow with producer Rich Costey, the album spawned four UK top 30 singles: "Do You Want To", "The Fallen", "Walk Away" and "Eleanor Put Your Boots On."
"The Fallen" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the third single from their second studio album, You Could Have It So Much Better (2005), on 20 February 2006 in Australia and on 3 April 2006 in the United Kingdom as a double A-side with new song "L. Wells". The single peaked at number four on the Scottish Singles Chart and number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.
Stuart Leslie Braithwaite is a Scottish musician, singer and songwriter. He is the guitarist of post-rock band Mogwai, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums. He is also a member of the British alternative rock supergroups Minor Victories and Silver Moth. He has used the name Plasmatron in the credits of Mogwai's debut album Mogwai Young Team, as a social media handle, and as the name of his signature guitar pedal.
The Karelia were a short-lived Scottish rock and roll band formed in 1996 by vocalist Alex Kapranos, before he founded the group Franz Ferdinand.
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is the third studio album by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, released on 26 January 2009 through the Domino Recording Company. In contrast to their speedily-recorded second studio album, You Could Have It So Much Better (2005), the band chose to take some time off before recording a new album. Writing sessions began in early 2007 and recording took place in 2008 at the town hall of Govan, Scotland, and producer Dan Carey's studio in South London.
"No You Girls" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the second single from their third album, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009), on 6 April 2009. The song received worldwide attention after being chosen for use in an iPod advertisement. It charted in several countries, including the UK, where it peaked at number 22, and the U.S., where it peaked at number 106.
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action is the fourth studio album by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released through the Domino Recording Company on 26 August 2013 in the United Kingdom and on 27 August in the United States. It was the band's first studio album since Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, which was released four years earlier. It is also the band's final album to feature guitarist Nick McCarthy.
FFS was a supergroup formed by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand and American art rock band Sparks. Their formation was announced on 9 March 2015, but the two bands had been recording since at least the mid-2000s. The group's eponymous debut studio album was recorded in late 2014 and released through the Domino Recording Company in the UK on 8 June and in the US on 9 June 2015.
FFS is the only studio album by Scottish-American supergroup FFS, consisting of members from the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand and the American band Sparks. It was released on 8 June 2015 through Domino. The album was recorded during a 15-day period in late 2014 at RAK Studios in London and was produced by Grammy Award-winning record producer John Congleton. Although the album itself was recorded in 2014, the two bands first met each other in mid-2000s. Upon release, the album received positive reviews from music critics.
"Johnny Delusional" is a song by musical supergroup FFS, consisting of members from the bands Franz Ferdinand and Sparks. The song was released as the lead single from the group's eponymous debut studio album on 13 April 2015. The official music video for the song was uploaded to YouTube on 19 May 2015. The song peaked at number 90 on the Belgian Flanders Tip singles chart.
Always Ascending is the fifth studio album by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released on 9 February 2018 through the Domino Recording Company. It is the band's first non-collaborative album in over four years, following Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (2013). It is also their first album to feature new member Julian Corrie, who joined shortly after the departure of Nick McCarthy, and their last to feature drummer Paul Thomson. The album received generally positive reviews from critics. It peaked at number three in Scotland and number six in the UK. Four singles were released from the album: "Always Ascending", "Feel the Love Go", "Lazy Boy" and an alternative version of "Glimpse of Love". Several tracks from the album are featured during scenes or the closing credits of various episodes of the television show Loudermilk.
"Always Ascending" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album of the same name on 25 October 2017. Two days before the release of the song the band released a clip of the song. It released along with a shorter edited version.
Dino Bardot is a Scottish musician. He is the guitarist for indie rock band Franz Ferdinand and previously played guitar for the indie bands 1990s, Stinky Munchkins, The Yummy Fur, V-Twin, and Wife Vs. Secretary.
Clara Luciani is a French musician.
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