(Credits: BBC Video Still)
Fri 27 June 2025 18:13, UK
Franz Ferdinand took to the Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival on June 27th to perform a punchy set that touched on most parts of their impressive career.
Franz Ferdinand are no strangers to the Glastonbury weekend. They played at the festival in 2009, where they headlined the Other Stage. In keeping with the fad of the day, their set was announced via MySpace. They also performed in 2015 as part of the FFS collaboration with Sparks.
This year, the band returned to the Other Stage. Their hour-long set followed on from a stunning Wet Leg performance, and provided all the alt-rock goodness and catchy, juicy riffs expected from the five-piece. A crowd of all ages jabbed their fists in the air in appreciation.
However, perhaps the crowning moment arrived when frontman Alex Kapranos mused upon the various rumours circling about the site. Are Pulp set to play, he wondered? Are Haim on their way to Worthy Farm? It became clear that he was about to introduce a special guest.
Prior to their performance, Lewis Capaldi had made his secret set return to the main stage, and Kapranos teased that they would imminently be joined by a Glaswegian called Capaldi, before joking, “The original Capaldi”, and introducing the former Doctor Who star, Peter Capaldi, for their signature song, ‘Take Me Out’.
Recently, the band re-released a new version of their single ‘Build It Up’, taken from their most recent album The Human Fear, which features Johnny Marr. The former Smiths guitarist joined the Glasgow outfit for a fresh cut of the song, which was released from their seventh studio record back in January this year.
Far Out recently praised the longevity of their hit ‘Take Me Out’, deeming ‘Take Me Out’ a “the sort of song that was always destined to stand the test of time due to how urgent it has always sounded, and the rest of their self-titled debut album can happily make the same claim.”
Ever the supporters, Franz Ferdinand were one of 170 musicians to recently sign an open letter to address the Scottish government’s funding cuts after Creative Scotland closed its coveted arts programme over concerns about financial support.
Later this evening, indie-pop legends The 1975 will headline the Pyramid Stage, performing their only show of 2025. Loyle Carner will headline The Other Stage. Across the weekend, the likes of Charli XCX, Neil Young, CMAT and Pinkpantheress will perform, alongside hundreds of other names and some mysterious secret sets.
Watch Franz Ferdinand perform ‘Take Me Out’ below.
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