Scots band's first album takes top music prize

Published on Wednesday 8 September 2004 01:56

FRANZ Ferdinand, the achingly fashionable Glasgow foursome, last night confirmed their position as one of Britain’s brightest new talents by taking the Mercury music prize ahead of a strong list of contenders.

The band, one of three Scottish acts on the shortlist, won for their eponymous debut album, which has sold more than two million copies worldwide, and recently peaked at number 32 in the United States chart.

There was further celebration when they were awarded band of the year at the annual GQ Men of the Year awards.

The Mercury award is a major boost to the band who, having ridden a wave of hype over the past 12 months, are now eager to justify themselves as artistes of real talent and well as popular acclaim.

The Nationwide Mercury Prize, now in its 13th year, honours the best album of the year by a British or Irish band and is regarded as the Booker of the music world because it is judged on talent and innovation, rather than popularity. Commercial sales don’t come into it, though the winner can usually expect a surge in publicity, with a positive effect on sales and popularity.

The band’s singer and guitarist, Alex Kapranos, told the audience, including host Jools Holland: "We really didn’t expect to win this. We haven’t got a speech or anything - we’re truly gobsmacked. It’s fantastic and we’re very chuffed, very honoured."

He told the audience his band’s success came at a "fantastic" time for British music.

When asked what he was going to do next, he joked: "I’m going to phone me mam." He added: "To get all this praise from contemporary people we look up to, like Brian Eno, it’s like Jim’ll Fix It.

"The Glasgow music scene has always been fantastic. It just seems nowadays people have caught up with the fact.

"It’s fantastic, the state of UK music. We are certainly surrounded by an unending stream of fantastic bands. We feel honoured to be among them."

When the shortlist was announced earlier this month, the chairman of the judges, Simon Frith, said: "This is an exceptional year, most dramatically illustrated by the emergence of several new and varied bands together with outstanding work by three powerful female singers."

Among the other contenders were the Scottish bands Snow Patrol and Belle and Sebastian and the indie bands The Zutons and Keane, along with the dance act Basement Jaxx, rapper Ty, R&B singer Jamelia, Amy Winehouse, Robert Wyatt and Joss Stone.

Franz Ferdinand’s rise to prominence has been quick, shooting through the ranks with a manifesto to make girls dance using guitar riffs last heard amid the death throes of punk. With a sound that has been compared to bands such as Talking Heads, they hit upon a style that had been out of fashion for a while and so was ripe for another airing. Their biggest single, Take Me Out, has a famed opening riff which has sent dancefloors wild across Britain all year.

Their first UK single hit number three in January, followed by two more top 20 hits. The band were one of the main attractions for huge crowds at Glastonbury, T in the Park and Reading/Leeds.

Scotland’s minister for tourism, culture and sport, Frank McAveety, last night said: "Scotland has a vibrant musical scene and the success of this Glasgow-based band reinforces the recent claim that Glasgow is one of the most exciting music cities in the world.

"I am proud that Scotland has produced a band of such calibre and wish them well in their quest for further international recognition."