Franc Moody Want to Make You Feel Good
The London-based music duo took the stage at Lollapalooza for the first time, bringing their music to life with a full band
Musical duo Franc Moody, made up of Ned Franc and Jon Moody, made their Lollapalooza debut on Thursday, Aug. 3—and they shocked festivalgoers by coming out with a big band.
“People are always shocked when they see us live and it’s not just the two of us,” says Moody in the press lounge before the band’s Lollapalooza set.
The two musicians rock matching magenta hair, full from eating lunch and ready to perform. They’ve played a handful of U.S. festivals before, but Lollapalooza is one they’ve had their eyes on.
Though the duo uses audio tracks and drum loops to record their music in the studio, they always write with the live performances in mind.
“When we first became an artist project, we had envisioned playing live with other musicians, so it wasn’t all on track, or us plugging in a USB stick or whatever,” says Franc. “We really picked and curated the right members, the right personalities, great players. And that’s how we wanted to do it. And it feels good.”
Recording as a duo and then performing with a full band live breathes new life into Franc Moody’s music. Their synth-driven soul rock tunes go beyond the digital recordings with keytars, backup singers and chimes. Though the only thing they don’t have onstage are the array of random objects they use to record some of their music.
They’re in the process of writing and recording a new album, and Franc says they’re trying to play anything and everything in the studio.
“It’s like using perishable goods through traditional instruments,” says Moody. “Then of course keeping it traditional with lots of electric bass and guitars down to the soul sound. But we’re always trying to find a way to infuse other weird sounds, whether it’s a radiator or an oboe.”
The weirdest object they’ve used in a song recording? Pants zippers. Listen to their song Cherry and you’ll hear the zippers moving up and down, chi-chi-chi-chi.
When Franc Moody writes music, they feel it belongs to a certain time in their lives. Their latest EP All The Things We Say / Move Me marks their interest in DJing.
Now, they’re eager to mark a new era of Franc Moody and do it independent of a record label.
“Being independent, you feel like you have to keep new music coming,” Moody says. “And it’s important because we don’t have access to the huge campaigns that can boost you back into your stuff.”
But their music speaks for itself. The band’s synth-dance pop vibes bring to mind the likes of LCD Soundsystem. Franc Moody’s notes of smooth R&B soul can be compared to Funkadelic, too. Their goal: to get people moving and escape the noise of the world for a bit.
“We want people to genuinely immerse themselves in the music, says Moody. “We can just offer that door of escape for three minutes.” Franc adds that “we want people to enjoy it however they please. You might want to in the car to pump you up as you’re in a traffic jam, or while you’re simply eating a burrito.”
Keep up with Franc Moody here.
Kendall Polidori is The Rockhound, Luckbox‘s resident rock music critic. Follow her reviews on Instagram and Twitter. @rockhoundlb
