Franz Ferdinand
Art / Design / Identity / Performance
A long-running creative partnership with the Scottish art rock band Franz Ferdinand, rooted in the shared energy of early 2000s Glasgow. In 2003, GABBA.TV was part of a small collective that transformed a derelict city-centre warehouse known as The Chateau into a studio, gallery and performance space. It became a hub for young artists and musicians connected to the Glasgow School of Art, a raw, experimental scene that helped shape the city’s creative identity. On the top floor, an ambitious four-piece band rehearsed, performed at every event, and soon became the phenomenon that is Franz Ferdinand.
From those beginnings, GABBA.TV designed and performed the visuals for the band’s early tours, from small pub venues across the UK to large-scale shows including Heaven Nightclub and the Fright Night Special with Kompakt Records at the O2 Academy Brixton. By 2009, the collaboration expanded into a full on audiovisual partnership, with GABBA.TV producing super-wide visuals for Franz Ferdinand’s world tour, spanning Mexico, Japan, Russia, Colombia and the United States. The partnership culminated in a defining headline performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, where GABBA.TV’s live visuals helped capture the band’s art-driven energy on one of music’s most iconic stages.
From dark rooms to world stages, what’s stayed the same is the pulse. That raw Glasgow spirit. The fusion of art, sound, and image that first shook the walls of The Chateau, still alive, still loud.