Franz Ferdinand Cover Amyl & The Sniffers For 'Like A Version'

Franz Ferdinand

Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand recently brought hits and new songs to Australia, and while they were here, they spent some time in the triple j studio and performed an Aussie banger for Like A Version.

Taking on Amyl And The Sniffers’ U Should Not Be Doing That, fuzzy guitars aligned with punchy drums as singer Alex Kapranos brought a cheeky spin to Amy Taylor’s hard-hitting, hyper-local lyrics. He didn’t change the words, either; he sang, “I was in LA, shaking my shit/ While you were down in Melbourne saying, ‘Fuck that bitch’” and “I was in Naarm, working on my shit/ While you were down in Tassie saying, ‘Flash those tits.’”

Detailing the brilliant song choice, Kapranos described U Should Not Be Doing That as a “really, really good song” and bassist Bob Hardy called it a “banger.”

“It puts me in a great mood whenever I listen to it,” Kapranos added. “It’s great when you see a band and everything they put out seems to be even better than what they did before. It’s like one of those riffs that should have always existed, like it’s always been there.”

“And Amy’s lyric is so good—it’s so bare and open and funny, yet dark at the same time.”

Explaining that their cover doesn’t feature a saxophone as the original song does, Kapranos said the band instead opted for a “really rough, raw” sound on the synthesiser to give the song a “sleazy vibe.”

Kapranos admitted he would never be able to sing U Should Not Be Doing That the way Amy Taylor did, so he did his best to channel her energy.

While they were in the ABC studio, Franz Ferdinand performed their early 2000s hit, Take Me Out. You can watch the videos below.

Franz Ferdinand toured across Australia in November and December, playing shows in support of their latest album, The Human Fear. For the shows, they were joined by special guests Teenage Dads and Delivery.

Also in November and December, Amyl And The Sniffers opened for AC/DC in stadiums across the country.

Reviewing Amyl And The Sniffers’ set while opening for AC/DC at the MCG, The Music’s Monique La Terra declared, “Fronted by the deliciously feral Amy Taylor, the band, including Bryce Wilson on drums, Declan Mehrtens on guitar, and Gus Romer on bass, ripped through a ferocious set, unleashing crowd favourites like the gnarly Security, Tiny Bikini, and Jerkin like a blast of aggro-punk chaos.

“Looking every bit the 70s roller-disco queen in a blue sporty number, complete with fluffed hair and neon pink blush, Taylor charged the stage with unbridled energy. They closed their set with U Should Not Be Doing That, a song which just days ago earned the band their first Grammy nomination, and the irresistible, fuzz-drenched Hertz.”