Nick McCarthy is a classically trained pianist and double bass player who plays guitar for the modern rock quartet, Franz Ferdinand. The band started gaining notoriety in 2001 by hosting arty underground shows in an abandoned warehouse in Glasgow dubbed "The Chateau."

They released the EP Darts of Pleasure in the fall of 2003 and spent the rest of the year touring with Hot Hot Heat and Interpol.

The debut album Franz Ferdinand (Domino/Epic Records) was released in early 2004, and "Take Me Out" quickly became a hit. The video earned an MTV Music Video Award. They began to pop up on Letterman and SNL and earned the coveted opening spot on the 2005 Grammy Awards. To date, the album has sold more than 500,000 copies.

Their 2nd album, You Could Have It So Much Better, was released in Fall 2005.