
Franz Ferdinand return with greatest hits album ‘Hits To The Head’, brand new track "Billy Goodbye"
2nd November 2021
Franz Ferdinand have announced details of Hits To The Head, a 20-track greatest hits collection showcasing the world-conquering success of the band’s career to date.
Released on Friday March 11th 2022, Hits To The Head also features two brand-new tracks "Billy Goodbye" and "Curious," produced by Alex Kapranos, Julian Corrie and Stuart Price (Dua Lipa, Madonna, Pet Shop Boys).
Armed with an astute sense of what constitutes the ‘classic pop song’ (famously proclaiming that they write music ‘to make girls dance to’) the music of Franz Ferdinand continues to resonate globally and over the course of nearly two decades they’ve become, commercially and critically, one of the biggest UK bands in the world, selling over 10 million albums, 1.2 billion streams to date, 14 platinum albums, winning Brit, Ivor Novello + Mercury Prize awards, Grammy nominations and selling 6 million tickets for their incendiary live show worldwide.
Talking about the process of picking tracks for the album, lead singer Alex Kapranos said:
"It's the same as writing a set-list for a festival: you want to play the songs you know people want to hear. The hits. Bring the hits to the head. The heart. The feet. That means obvious singles, but also songs you know have a special meaning for both band and audience like Outsiders. We also added two new songs, recorded last year: Billy Goodbye and Curious, both co-produced at the last stage with Stuart Price. I have friends who believe you’re somehow not a “real” fan if you own a best of rather than a discography. I disagree. I think of my parents’ record collection as a kid. I loved their compilation LPs. I am so grateful that they had Changes or Rolled Gold. Those LPs were my entrance point. My introduction.
Franz Ferdinand signed to Domino in May 2003 and released their first single, "Darts Of Pleasure" shortly after. Second single, "Take Me Out" exploded onto the international stage, putting the band firmly on the global map and was a precursor to their eponymous debut album which went on to sell nearly four million copies worldwide.
Artistically always forging forward, their following albums, You Could Have It So Much Better (2005), Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009), Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (2013) and Always Ascending (2018) all offered a new take on the Franz template and saw them work with some of the most pioneering producers around including Dan Carey, Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, Todd Terje and Philippe Zdar. Having headlined festivals including Reading & Leeds, Rock En Seine, Primavera and All Points East, Franz Ferdinand will be announcing details of major live shows in the near future.
Alongside the announcement of Hits To The Head, the band have also announced a run of UK and European dates next spring.
Having in the past headlined festivals including Reading & Leeds, Rock En Seine, Primavera and All Points East, the full list of dates, which includes a return to London’s historic Alexandra Palace, is as follows:
15.03.22 - Sant Jordi Club - Barcelona
16.03.22 - WiZink Center - Madrid
17.03.22 - Campo Pequeno - Lisbon
19.03.22 - Bilbao Arena - Bilbao
22.03.22 - Zenith - Munich
23.03.22 - GT Geox – Padova
24.03.22 - Mediolanum Forum - Milan
26.03.22 - 6MIC - Aix en Provence
28.03.22 - Brest Arena - Brest
29.03.22 - Le Liberté - Rennes
30.03.22 - Arkea Arena - Bordeaux
01.04.22 - Alexandra Palace - London
04.04.22 - Victoria Warehouse - Manchester
05.04.22 - OVO Hydro - Glasgow
07.04.22 - Palladium - Cologne
08.04.22 - Verti Music Hall - Berlin
09.04.22 - VEGA - Copenhagen
11.04.22 - Cirkus - Stockholm
12.04.22 - Sentrum Scene - Oslo
14.04.22 - Rockhal - Luxembourg
15.04.22 - AFAS Live - Amsterdam
19.04.22 - Forest National - Brussels
20.04.22 - Zénith Paris – Paris – La Villette
23.04.22 - Halle 662 - Zurich
25.04.22 - Dom Sportova - Zagreb
27.04.22 - Arena Open Air - Vienna
28.04.22 - Forum Karlin - Prague
30.04.22 - Expo XXI Hall 4 - Warsaw
01.05.22 - Haus Auensee - Leipzig
03.05.22 - Schlachthof - Wiesbaden
04.05.22 - Zénith - Dijon
06.05.22 - Zénith Arena - Lille
07.05.22 - Zénith – Rouen
06.07.22 – A2 Club – St Petersburg
08.07.22 – Adrenaline Stadium - Moscow
Tickets for the shows go on pre-sale at 10am on Wednesday 10th November and general sale at 10am on Friday 12th November via www.franzferdinand.com
Fans who pre-order the album will also be given first access to pre-sale tickets. The album can be pre-ordered HERE
Available Formats
Buy NowFranz Ferdinand Hits To The Head
Album | 11th March 2022
Hits To The Head a 20-track greatest hits collection showcasing the world-conquering success of Franz Ferdinand’s career to date.
Alongside 18 classics the album features two brand-new tracks “Billy Goodbye” & “Curious” co-produced by Alex Kapranos, Julian Corrie and Stuart Price.
Hits To The Head a 20-track greatest hits collection showcasing the world-conquering success of Franz Ferdinand’s career to date.
Alongside 18 classics the album features two brand-new tracks “Billy Goodbye” & “Curious” co-produced by Alex Kapranos, Julian Corrie and Stuart Price.