Franny Griffiths

Franny Griffiths (1 July 1966, Liverpool, England) is a pianist producer and remixer, who is best known for being a member of the band, Space. He also plays guitar, melodica and piano.[1] His main influences are Kraftwerk, hip-hop, Can, various electro bands and Crass. Despite being a self-confessed dance music fan, he also admits to liking heavy rock bands such as Marilyn Manson.

Franny Griffiths
Franny Griffiths performing with Space at Leestock, 2013
Background information
Birth nameFrancis Griffiths
Born (1966-07-01) 1 July 1966
Liverpool, England
GenresAlternative rock, Britpop, electronica, indie rock, pop rock, punk rock, techno
Occupation(s)Keyboardist
InstrumentsKeyboards, piano, melodica
Years active1994–present
LabelsAntipop Records
Associated actsSpace, Dust, Subway Showdown
Websitespacetheband.com

The strange noises produced by Griffiths' piano(contrary to rumours, he does not use a Theremin) are one of the trademarks of Space's sound. Unlike his other bandmates, Griffiths has never performed lead vocals on a Space track, with one exception – "I Am Unlike A Lifeform You've Ever Met", a B-side on the "Avenging Angels" single. However, on the first two Space albums, Spiders and Tin Planet, as well as the B-sides of various singles, he has contributed instrumental tracks, as well as remixes under the moniker Franny Aspirin.

Biography

Griffiths met Space singer Tommy Scott as a teenager, and the two were both members of The Australians and Hello Sunset. Griffiths also used to be in a band called BB And Me. In the late 1980s, he left England for Spain, where he worked as a bouncer in Malgrat de Mar, Barcelona, and often went clubbing in Ibiza. On his return to Liverpool, he was handed an empty cigarette packet with Scott's telephone number written on it, and the request that he help the nascent Space record a demo. Naturally curious, Griffiths dialled the number. he became the fourth member of Space in 1994.[2]

Along with Scott, Griffiths is one of the two original members in the most recent Space line-up.

As with his bandmates, the stress of touring America in 1997 minus guitarist Jamie Murphy – with whom Griffiths seems to have a love/hate relationship – took its toll on the keyboardist. He came down with a particularly nasty case of stomach ulcers,[3] as well as succumbing to tonsillitis on Space's second US tour with Murphy. On one of the American tours in 1997, Griffiths and his bandmates visited Mike Myers' house after 'Female of the Species' featured in Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery.[4]

After Space split in 2005, Griffiths made R'n'B music under the name Subway Showdown.[5] He also played alongside Murphy in Dust,[6] before Space's reunion in 2011. Outside Space, he has remixed other bands.

Equipment

Griffiths has used the following synths when touring and recording with Space:

Personal life

Griffiths lives with his partner Karen – who has performed backing vocals on some of Space's songs, including a remix of "Neighbourhood"[7] – and their two sons, Christian and Ellis.

He supports Liverpool F.C. As a survivor of the Hillsborough Disaster,[8] he is also a long-time supporter of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign.

gollark: Are you talking about the Latin species names or what?
gollark: Âh, weird cultural stuff.
gollark: How do you end up with a stupidly large civilization but barely any life extension stuff?
gollark: I'm wondering how many 32 bit Unix systems will be around in 2038. Probably a lot. Inevitably a few will be in some sort of critical system.
gollark: Also, everyone knows that time begins in 1970, not 1999.

References
  1. "Interviews – Fans – June 2002 Franny". Space the Band. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  2. "Interviews – Press – 1997 Rocknet Franny". Space the Band. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  3. "The body of keyboardist Franny Griffiths was riddled with ulcers." Q magazine, March 1998.
  4. Franny Griffiths: "(Mike Myers) had a drumkit and all these guitars.(...)We were just jamming away on all this gear. It was cool, like." NME, December 1997.
  5. "Franny Griffiths SubwayShowdown | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.com. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. Archived 12 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Karen Marsh credited with additional vocals on the remix 'Welcome to the Neighbourhood (Remix by Franny Aspirin)' on "Neighbourhood" Disc 2 (CXGUT5).
  8. Tommy Scott: "Hillsborough. I just remember the day. Franny, our keyboard player, was there. He had to go home on the train and he didn't know if his mates were alive or dead." Vox Magazine, April 1998.
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