Flamboyant rock and roll inspired by the surreal

One of the most flamboyant French rock and roll bands are performing at the Louie Louie music venue in Estepona tonight (Friday 31 January) as part of the Spanish leg of their current tour. Franck Carducci and The Fantastic Squad are currently in the middle of The Extravaganza Tour, which is taking them to major towns and cities in the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Belgium. The band, described by British rock musician Sting as "a really tough act to follow", perform a theatrical rock show, dazzling audiences, transcending genres, and winning unanimous praise from the press and fans alike.

SUR in English caught up with the band's extravagant frontman prior to their gig on the Costa del Sol to talk about his life, and his career in a band whose show has been hailed "a surrealistic rock circus" and "one of the most exciting stage shows around" by the music press.

Franck Carducci, a self-taught multi-instrumentalist born in Lyon, France, in 1978, descends from a family of musicians and he developed his passion for music at a very early age.

"There were several musicians in my family and instruments were everywhere. I started playing the Hammond organ at the age of four. I never went to music school, I just taught myself by trying to reproduce the sounds I loved at that time," Franck tells SUR in English.

A few years later, he began playing the guitar, joining his first rock band when he was 14 years old. He began to discover groups like Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Genesis, whom he says "embedded progressive rock into my heart and soul".

As his musical awareness progressed, Franck decided to learn to play bass and drums to further his knowledge of instruments involved in a classic rock band. Between the ages of 20 and 30, he played with around 20 different bands and was involved in the recording of 15 albums. Two of these found him paired with French female folk and country singer Yanne Matis, with whom he toured throughout Europe.

"It was a great experience working with Yanne Matis. I was doing some gigs as a bass player for a country music band when I met her. It was the first time I got to go on tour and play abroad," he says.

In 2008, he left Lyon for Amsterdam, where he became active on the local music scene, performing regularly in many of the city's established venues and clubs. Two years later, the bohemian vocalist opened a gig for one of his heroes, former Genesis musician Steve Hackett. It was this legendary guitarist who encouraged Franck to focus on producing his first solo album, Oddity. The recording featured several guest musicians and is a journey through imaginary tales of unlikely characters inspired by English literature and Greek mythology.

"I used to live in Amsterdam and I joined the local scene there. I got to meet one of my childhood heroes, Steve Hackett. We had a long discussion, during which, he said, 'your songs sound good'. He told me I should record an album," the French rocker explains.

Franck was not convinced at first, but Hackett told him to have faith in his music, advice he decided to embrace.

"The next day, I started the recording of my first album, Oddity. Steve was very supportive in the process and he apparently enjoyed the album because he then offered to play on the next one, Torn Apart, in 2015. So I guess, everything I achieved as a solo artist I owe to Steve somehow. I wouldn't be here without his wise words," the talented musician adds.

At the beginning of 2020, just before the pandemic struck, Franck decided to form a band with several musicians from Lyon, and a keyboard player from Paris.

The Fantastic Squad quickly gained a following, not just for their incredible musicianship, but also for their elaborate stage show, which offers gaudy costumes and hats, spectacular lighting, humour, and "whimsical instruments".

The band began performing at established venues and festivals all over France, and in June 2022, they were invited to open for Sting at the Printemps de Perouge festival in front of 15,000 people.

Franck, who described this concert as "a fantastic experience", says, "We opened for Sting, how cool is that? He was very nice to us. At the end of our show, he came up to me and said, 'How am I gonna follow that?'"

Franck and his band continued gaining momentum, embarking on numerous tours all over Europe. They are no strangers to Spain, having played here several times in the last four years, although never in Andalucía.

"We have played in Spain six times before, but never at as many venues as on this tour and never in the south. Spanish audiences are usually the friendliest and noisiest of all. Each time we come here, I'm always amazed at how the audiences react to the music," he says.

The 47-year-old musician has some "wonderful memories" of playing in Spain, including the gig he says was "the most difficult show of our lives", an open-air concert in sub-zero temperatures in Pamplona; along with a show in Torredembarra, Tarragona.

"When we arrived in Tarragona, we were craving to eat a paella, but of course it's difficult when you're on tour, as you don't have much time and you don't know where to go. The band suggested that I asked the crowd for a recommendation, so before I introduced the group, I asked if someone knew of a good place. After the gig, a guy from the crowd came up to me and informed me that his friend had a paella restaurant on the beach, which he opened especially for us. We all ate a wonderful paella that night. It was absolutely amazing," Franck explains.

The band have already played in Albacete and Jaén, and after their gig in Estepona tonight (Friday), they will head to Cadiz and then Seville, where they will delight the crowds with their electrifying performance, which one UK newspaper called "a spectacular, flamboyant show".

"We are all looking forward to the show in Estepona. It will be a lot of love and rock 'n' roll. A lot of strange instruments, theatrics, make-up, costumes and choreographies. Most of all, it will be a lot of fun," he concludes.