Franc Moody
Franc Moody is a London-based dance music act which seamlessly fuses gloriously groovy funk instrumentals with scintillating electro synths. Founding members Ned Franc and Jon Moody perform as part of a quartet (formerly sextet) whose live performances over the past few years have attracted rave reviews as some of the best in the business. Their third album, Chewing The Fat, was released last week (7th March ’25) and represented a significant shift in gears, with the customary dance-floor bangers rubbing shoulders with some more reflective, atmospheric numbers. The net result is more evolution that revolution: it feels like Franc Moody have added something new to their repertoire rather than totally changed tack. All of which goes to reinforce the sense that you could take your bae, your dad, or your kid to a Franc Moody gig, and everyone would have a great time – unless you all went together, of course. Suffice to say, we’re huge fans…
After the release of Chewing The Fat, we caught up with Franc Moody to check on their borderline concerning passion for eggs and downright dubious opinions on footy (ed: Gary Neville was way more than “solid”, Ned! GOAT RB contender!). Oh, and their experiences working in Damon Albarn’s studio, their approach to reinvention and staying relevant, thoughts on the industry at large and, of course, their FAULTs.
FAULT: How many eggs feature on your rider request? Is this a Gaston-type situation?
Franc Moody (Jon): 1 x quail egg for Rosetta, 1 ostrich egg for Dan, 1 x mini egg for Ned and 1 x pickled egg for Jon.
Your live performances are legendary, which, I guess, owes a lot to your background in hosting warehouse parties in North London. It must be tough to keep the same energy when you’re playing such different gigs, including massive venues and festivals, and after touring four major studio releases [2 x albums; 2 x EPs] all over the world. Reading between the lines of some of your recent interviews and comments, it sounds like that’s something you’ve struggled with a bit – like you got to a point where you were just going through the motions. Is that fair to say? And, if so, will Chewing the Fat mark a change in your approach going forward?
Jon: We really honour every time we have an opportunity to perform and our band certainly steps up come rain or shine. I think that in itself is a huge reason why we’re still going strong and why we’ll always want to make sure we’re reinventing the wheel and pushing ourselves forward. The stagnation I think you’re referring to came from feeling slightly pigeon holed within the parameters of the sound we’d created in the studio up to the end of the last album. The live vehicle, although motoring, is a servant to that sound in many ways and so we knew we needed to shake things up musically and forge out an exciting new path, both in the studio and on stage. Chewing the Fat is our attempt at that and so far with the few shows we’ve done with the new set, it’s shaping up to bring a fun, raw, direct, and theatrical lease of life!
Chewing the Fat was recorded in Damon Albarn’s studio and makes liberal use of his synths. Were you influenced by any Blur/Gorillaz when writing or recording the album? It’s definitely a lot more ‘rock’ than the funk/disco of your previous releases…
Jon: I know Ned’s a big Blur fan and I’m a huge Gorillaz fan. It’s a wicked studio to be a part of and having access to all those insane synths is a dream! In terms of direct influences to the album, not so much… but access to that synth collection has been a game changer for sure.
Speaking of influences, I read that you took some inspiration from Massive Attack and LCD Soundsystem when considering how to repurpose your live set. Those artists are notable for their incredible longevity: do you think that’s something you’ll want to try to emulate?
Jon: 1000000%. It’s always been at the forefront of our writing process to take a minute and think whether it’s likely you’d still want to listen back to what we’re making in 10/15 years time. Obviously both those bands have been massively culturally significant and have had whopping great big records in their careers, but I hope we can still be playing in years to come, even if it is in our own little lane.
Franc Moody took off fairly quickly after you released your debut EP in 2016 (and 2018’s ‘Dopamine’ became a runaway hit) but you’ve been in and out of various musical groups before that. What have you learned about the industry in that time? And is it a career path/lifestyle you’d recommend to your kids?
Ned: I’ve been in bands and playing music since my teens so it’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember. It’s given me so much. Great friends, adventures and I’ve seen parts of the world I’d never have got to see otherwise. Touring with a band is equal parts life-affirming and knackering and can take you away from your loved ones for long stints. Ultimately, I love it – it’s really all I know in some respects.
I have 3 little kids, a 3 year old and two 9 month old twins so it’s tricky juggling being a father and a musician. If my girls want to get into music I’d only encourage it at whatever level they’d want to pursue it.
You’ve done a lot of remixes but only a handful of collaborations. Is that something you’d like to change? And, if so, who’d you most like to collaborate with, and why?
Ned: Collaborating is definitely something we’ve always been keen to do and have done a fair bit in the past. We’ve done a few numbers here and there, some of which have never seen the light of day.
In fact, at this moment we’re sitting on some exciting releases; one with the legend that is Amber Mark and another with the funklord himself Karl Denson.
Big Ange: back him or sack him?
Ned: Hahaha, as a big Tottenham fan I’m still in the “Ange in” camp. I think he needs time, fewer injuries and another transfer window to get things moving in the right direction. We have a very young squad and I still have faith we’ll turn a corner at some point!
Who is overrated/underrated?
Ned: I’ve worked alongside so many wonderful musicians over the years. There are so many that, for whatever reason, haven’t got that lucky break or found the right audience.
Previous Franc Moody members Amber Simone and Luke Bowman are both brilliant musicians and songwriters. Both need that little break and for the world to see how good they really are in their own respective projects.
I’d also say one of my brother’s two piece electronic band Thool is an underrated juggernaut waiting to be discovered. Have a listen if you get the chance!
As for overrated. I’d probably say myself. I’ve always surrounded myself with great musicians and have been lucky enough to work and be in bands with far greater talents than I. I’m a bit of a solid “Gary Neville” style musician (apologies, Gary), especially where singing is concerned, I do just enough, get the job done and hang on for dear life to the coat tails of the [Cristiano] Ronaldos of this world.
What is your FAULT?
Ned: I think probably choosing this mad vocation as a lifestyle. It’s been tricky at times but it’s given me so much and taken so much patience and support from those around me. That and I broke a chair the other day but claimed it was a dog. Please keep that between us…