Franz Ferdinand have announced that their drummer Paul Thomson has made the decision to leave the band. This news came as quite a surprise to both fans of the indie rock group and his now former band mates.
On a statement shared to the bands social media recently on October 21, the Scottish band wrote: “Hello world. Paul is leaving the band. It was a bit of a shocker for us when we found out, so it probably will be for some of you too.”
Thomson originally joined Franz Ferdinand when they first formed back in 2002, and has been friends with his former bandmates for over 25 years. The statement then continued “We’re glad we shared those adventures and experiences together and look forward to hearing what he gets up to next”. The band of course had to find a replacement and they chose Audrey Tait, who made her debut appearance with the band at a Balmain fashion show in France last month (September 29). You can see footage of that gig below.
Franz Ferdinand said of the drummers replacement and new band member “After having played with Paul for so long, it’s obvious that not just anyone could sit behind the kit in FF, so we’re happy to say that one of the other best drummers in the world is joining us,”
“It feels totally natural playing with her and she’s a great laugh. It has been electrifying being in the studio together and we can’t wait to play live for you all. Here’s a photo of Paul literally handing his sticks over to her in a windowless rehearsal room.”
Thomson, meanwhile, wrote that the close two-decade run in Franz Ferdinand has “been like a dream, I want to thank each of you that bought a record, came to a concert and shared all these experiences with me, I will never forget it.”
He then finished “Franz Ferdinand was, is, and always will be family and a huge part of me. My words and smile are so easy now.”
Franz Ferdinand released their fifth and latest album, Always Ascending, in 2018. Their most recent release and the final recording that will include the drummer was the single “Black Tuesday” that came out in 2019.
