Formed in Glasgow in 2001, the much-fêted quartet didn't release their first EP until 2003. When the Darts Of Pleasure EP came out, it was as though their lean, romantic, and often danceable form of post-punk fell right from the pages of a Smash Hits from twenty years prior. In their formative years, most of the band were students at the Glasgow School Of Art and spent their time practicing music at a spot called the Chateau, a music/art space along the lines of Andy Warhol's Factory. The group's smart and slightly oily brand of angular pop was soon embraced by press and fans, whose appetites for a post-punk revival were whetted by the success of bands like Interpol and Hot Hot Heat. By 2003, the band had signed to Domino; they released their first full-length in 2004. The LP's unorthodox but unstoppable single “Take Me Out” quickly took off all over the world, and even conquered the U.S.A., a place where neither unconventional indie rock nor U.K. bands had found much mainstream radio play for over a decade. In the summer of 2005, Franz Ferdinand built on that success with It Could Be So Much Better, which actually lived up to its title by bettering their winning debut.
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