Franz Ferdinand Returns To North America

After more than three years since its last performance in North America, Franz Ferdinand is finally heading back across the pond for almost a full month of shows.

Bart Heemskerk / Photocero.com – Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand
Lowlands Festival, Biddinghuizen, Netherlands

The Scottish rockers are first playing Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Ala., on May 19. The band is also booked at Governors Ball in New York on June 4 and its final scheduled stop is at Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Del., June 15-18.

The solo performances start May 22 in Nashville and move through most regions, with the last one currently set for Charlottesville, Va., on June 15.

There are also a couple of European gigs booked for Ferdinand later in the year, including plays at the U.K.’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, France’s Cabaret Vert Festival, and the U.K.’s Victorious Festival.

The group collaborated with Sparks in the supergroup FFS, which released an eponymous LP in 2015, and that is the last complete album the group released. The last original push for the former Pollstar HotStar was 2013’s Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, though they have released a live album and a compilation album since then. The band also dropped the single “Demagogue” for the “30 Days, 30 Songs” project, which has been renamed as “1,000 days, 1,000 songs.” The playlist features political music, much of which is anti-Donald Trump, from artists like Death Cab For Cutie, Cold War Kids, Jimmy Eat World, and Andrew Bird.

There does finally seem to be new music in the pipeline for Franz, though it will likely be without original guitarist Nick McCarthy, whose family responsibilities prevented him from committing to the forthcoming album and tour.

“Nick will not be taking part in the recording or touring of the next Franz Ferdinand album,” the band wrote in a statement on its Twitter page. “This is not necessarily a permanent situation and we will let you know if circumstances change in the future.”

Here are the dates:

May 19 – Gulf Shores, Ala., Gulf Shores Public Beach (The Hangout Beach, Music & Arts Fest)
May 22 – Nashville, Tenn., Exit / In
May 23 – Charlotte, N.C., The Underground
May 25 – Raleigh, N.C., Lincoln Theatre
May 26 – Asheville, N.C., The Orange Peel
May 27 – Pittsburgh, Pa., Stage AE
May 28 – Columbus, Ohio, Newport Music Hall
May 30 – Louisville, Ky., Mercury Ballroom
May 31 – Cleveland, Ohio, House Of Blues
June 2 – Toronto, Ontario, The Danforth Music Hall
June 3 – Montreal, Quebec, Metropolis
June 4 – New York, N.Y., Randall’s Island (Governors Ball Music Festival)
June 7 – New Haven, Conn., College Street Music Hall
June 8 – Northampton, Mass., Pearl Street
June 11 – Oceanside, Calif., Junior Seau Oceanside Pier Amphitheatre
June 12 – Los Angeles, Calif., The Regent Theater
June 14 – Baltimore, Md., Rams Head Live!
June 15 – Charlottesville, Va., Jefferson Theater
June 15-18 – Dover, Del., Dover International Speedway (Firefly Music Festival)

Some presales are on now and other start tomorrow. Most general onsales open March 3. Learn more about the group at FranzFerdinand.com.