Bonnaroo 2023 Artist Spotlight: Franz Ferdinand

Like we’ve been doing for many years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorite acts from Bonnaroo‘s 2023 lineup. After roaring back to life last summer, after two years off due to Covid and weather, this year marks Bonnaroo’s 20th installment (and 22nd anniversary), boasting not only another great and varied lineup, but also more changes and improvements then we’ve seen in years, with more flexibility in ticketing and camping, a reimagined “Outeroo” campground area, new activations, and further new ways to Roo. Back once again in its usual June 15-18 timeframe, we’re counting down the days until another great weekend on the farm.

As we dig through the entire schedule, we’ll highlight a spread of performers spanning across genres and stages, big and small, new and old, to bring you some of the most interesting, lesser-known, and most highly-recommended among this year’s crop of artists. And as our time at ‘Roo approaches, we’ll also be bringing you some special features and full list-style daily lineup guides, to help you plan your weekend ahead of the fest. While these previews won’t span every artist, and might omit some more obvious must-see acts, we hope they’ll serve as a way to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s gargantuan lineup, and to make the most of your busy weekend at the fest!

Grab your tickets right here if you haven’t already, and read on for our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight!

LEARN

An integral part of the post-punk revival that massively dominated and influenced rock in the early ’00s and spanning throughout the 2010s, Glasgow’s Franz Ferdinand sprung to international acclaim with their breakout hit “Take Me Out” nearly 20 years ago, not long after first forming, having previously played together in various projects in the ’90s, and shortly before their critically-lauded, award winning, eponymous debut. The group went on to release a string of additional great LPs, exploring elements of dance rock, indie, and art rock, continuing on as a massive fixture in the scene, even as post-punk and garage rock’s boom began to wane. The start of their 2010s was a little bit slow, especially stateside, but Franz Ferdinand made a triumphant return with their 2013 fourth album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, touring the U.S. that year for the first time in ages, including their first Nashville outing ever. The group have made their way back to Music City a few times since, last in support of excellent fifth LP Always Ascending, back in 2018, and even released a collaboration album with Sparks a few years before, as supergroup FFS. But, like a lot of artists, Covid brought their momentum to a halt, and after a lineup shuffle which saw drummer Audrey Tait join the band, they dropped two new singles “Curious” and “Billy Goodbye” as part of a greatest hits album last year. Franz Ferdinand have always been more adventurous than many of their peers who emerged around the same time, and it’s their ability to adapt and reinvent that’s kept them so relevant and perseverant more than 20 years in. They last played Bonnaroo way back in 2007, and, as we mentioned, the indie rockers haven’t played Nashville proper in five years, making this a rare, exciting chance to catch one of the preeminent indie acts of the 2000s in action!

WATCH | “Curious” (Official Video)