Franz Ferdinand and Donald Trump share almost nothing in common, apart from their Scottish heritage, and an unexpected interaction on social media.
The alternative rock outfit is currently in Australia for a national tour, kicking Wednesday, Nov. 26 at Red Hill Auditorium in Perth, Western Australia, and visiting Brisbane, Thirroul and Melbourne, before wrapping up in Sydney.
As the “Take Me Out” singers bang the drum for those dates, frontman Alex Kapronos stopped by Triple M for a chat with WA-based breakfast show hosts Robbie & Carly.
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Conversation, naturally, turned to the weather — where the band has come from, and the blazing heat they’ve arrived in — and the political climate.
The band penned the 2016 track “Demagogue” when Trump was still a candidate for the presidential election, which he went on to win, against most political observers’ predictions.
With “Demagogue,” Franz Ferdinand proved once more that Scots don’t mince their words.
“From the wall straight to la cuenta/Those pussy grabbing fingers won’t let go of me now,” the sing early on. And later, “From the mob to chapter eleven/Those tiny vulgar fingers on the nuclear bomb.”
When asked the band had heard from Trump’s camp, Kapronos quipped: “He’s a sensitive chap, isn’t he? When we wrote that song, he was only just going forward as a candidate. We were writing from the perspective of, ‘Oh God, imagine if…’ And here we are… we don’t need to imagine anymore.”
Kapronos “didn’t hear anything back from him personally, although years ago he replied to a tweet of mine, which was bizarre,” he reveals. Also, one of Trump’s daughters “crashed backstage at one of our shows back in 2004,” he recounts. “It was like, ‘Who’s this woman in our dressing room?’”
The band has begun their tour down under at the best possible time. “We left a very rainy, cold, dark Europe to come to a beautiful springtime Australia — and you feel that energy,” Kapronos remarks. “It lifts you up. Even if you’re hungover or jet-lagged, the energy of the crowd is transformative.”
Also, Kapranos notes, the group’s Perth show will something of a family affair. “My sister’s husband is a Perth boy, so we know quite a few folk here. I think we’ve got a guest list of 60! Perth feels like nowhere else on earth: the trees, the plants, the wildlife, it’s so unique.”
Formed in Glasgow in 2002, Franz Ferdinand has landed seven U.K. top 10 albums, including a No. 1 with 2005’s You Could Have It So Much Better, and scooped best British group and best rock act at the BRIT Award in the same year.
Their U.S. chart story includes two hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and five appearances on the Billboard 200, including two top 10s.
Stream the Triple M interview here.
