Robert Hardy (bassist)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bob Hardy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Byron Hardy |
| Born |  August 16, 1980 Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England |
| Genre(s) | Indie Rock Indie Pop Art Rock |
| Instrument(s) | Bass Guitar |
| Years active | Early 2000s–Present |
| Label(s) | Domino Records |
| Associated acts | Franz Ferdinand |
| Website | http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Rickenbacker 4001 Hagström Fender Jazz Bass |
|
Robert Hardy (born Robert Byron Hardy, 16 August 1980, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England) is the bassist for the Glasgow band, Franz Ferdinand.
Hardy grew up in Bradford and gained a place in Bradford College's BTec foundation course of art and design in 1998. He finally earned a place in the Glasgow School of Art in order to study painting, he completed his first year in 2000. Keen to sample all that Glasgow had to offer he visited the 13th Note where he met Alex Kapranos, the now frontman of Franz Ferdinand. The band have previously also claimed that they met while working as dessert chefs at a restaurant.[1]
Bob was an artist interested in music while Alex was a musician interested in art, this helped the two become firm friends. Through Bob's friends from the Art School, Alex developed an interest in the work of the Dadaists and the Russian Constructivists. After Bob had met Nick, whose girlfriend was also at the art school, the two began to date members of Bob's year. Many of the earlier shows of the band would come about thanks to the band's art world contacts.[2] [3]
Kapranos had been given a bass guitar by his friend Mick Cooke, a member of the cult Glaswegian popsters, Belle & Sebastian on the condition that he "did something useful with it". Some time around the end of 2001, Bob Hardy was sitting in Alex's kitchen in Glasgow. Alex had just been given the bass. So he asked "Do you want to learn to play the bass then, Bob?", to which he replied, "No, I'm an artist, not a musician." Alex responded, saying, "It's the same thing", which eventually led to Hardy giving in.[4]
Hardy plays 1974 and 1978 Rickenbacker 4001s / Hagström / Fender Jazz. Hardy used to use an SWR Goliath bass cabinet but now uses an Ampeg SVT Pro head and Ampeg 8x10 cabs. Hardy uses Ernie Ball strings - roundwounds, medium gauge. His plectrum is a custom .60mm nylon/teflon amalgam.
Bob has been described as having a good sense of humour by Alex Kapranos.
Bob's said in the franzferdinand.net interview that the Beatles were the first band he became obsessed with.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ An A-Z of Franz Ferdinand (2007, Helen Chase)
- ^ Pages 80-81 from "Franz Ferdinand and the Pop Renaissance" - ISBN 1 905287 00 3
- ^ An A-Z of Franz Ferdinand (2007, Helen Chase)
- ^ http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk/biog.php
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