10 Franz Ferdinand rock band
The pop music landscape is as pockmarked and battle-torn as the back streets of Baghdad. The carpet bombing of nu metal has abated and slowly but surely. signs of life have begun to emerge from the detritus. Growing inbetween the cracks is a lithe and stringy weed. resilient and determined: Franz Ferdinand. After false starts and fallow times, these young men have finally found their opponunity to blossom.
These four Glaswegian fops — unafraid to tuck in their shirts and call it a fashion statement — folded the rock blueprint up into numerous shapes this year. More than that. they scribbled all over it with new wave white boy grooves. wigged-out faux-Beatles harmonies and clanging guitar chimes. all displayed with errant elegance in live shows from Balado to Belgium.
They rose to infamy through their hosting of parties in their own 'Chateau' and the enthusiastic rotation of their pair of singles: “Darts of Pleasure' and ‘Take Me Out'. Their debut album is imminent. a big time NME tour beckons and they finish off the year touring as guests of Belle & Sebastian. But what have they done this year to deserve our love? They've made great new music for the girls to dance to and the boys to obsess over. Franz Ferdinand have arrived. Come revel in their cantankerous magic. (MR)
9 Toby Paterson
artist
After scooping the Beck's Futures
prize in 2002. Toby Paterson didn't exactly rest on his laurels this year.
26 THE LIST 1 1 Dec 2003-8 Jan 2004
New Facade at the CCA was a stunningly cohesive exhibition. packed with new work. Not only did it draw on Paterson's established architectural influences. but it engaged directly with the space and reconfigured it — obviously, in the case of his permanent lightwell. and more Subtly with Full Scale Maquette for a Sculpture Titled New Facade. which questioned the very gallery it was placed in. Later in the year. a more meditative show at the Modern Institute hinted at new directions. which should come to fruition with Paterson's next high profile show. at the Barbican in 2005. (JM)
8 Henrik Larsson
footballer
It's not many footballers who can recover in double quick time from a broken jaw. score against Liverpool within eight minutes of their comeback and head two goals in a European final. But not everyone is like Henrik Larsson. The finest non-Scot ever to play in this COLintry (you can stick your Ravanellis and Di Canios ). the 2650.000 which Celtic paid for his services in 1997 now looks like grand larceny. His achievements grow with every season; a place in the UEFA Hall of Fame as the finest Swede of the last
9
50 years is the latest.
Allied to his sublime forward play is a rare willingness to work for the team. It was such team spirit that led to his gruesome broken leg in 1999 while making a defensive tackle against Lyon. And after every single post- match interview he Will always talk up the efforts of the team before his own performance. It was with supreme irony that he was recently accused on the field of play of being a big head by an ex-Old Firm player. Larsson replied two minutes later by smashing the ball into the top corner from 25 yards. If anyone has earned the right to be a big head in football, it's Larsson. (BD)
7 Des Clarke
comedian
The prodigious talent of Des Clarke shone like no other comedian in 2003. It marked his transition from local boy made good as breakfast DJ on Beat 100 to near—household name as SMzTV's breath of fresh air in March.
His versatility and natural instinct for entertainment radiated vivacity against one-dimensional co-presenters and reality TV hangers-on. So where Ant. Dec and Cat have trodden before him, expect Des Clarke to make short work of following their famed footsteps. Three things make Clarke special. Firstly, his age. At 22 he's conquered the comedy world with his stuttering ingenuity. and in August he became the youngest comedian to ever play a solo show at Edinburgh's cavernous Queen's Hall. Secondly. his energy is boundless. Oft seen clutching a Red Bull, the Gorbalsborn lad presents his breakfast show from l.ondon two days per week. and was Capital Radio's anchor at the MTV Awards. Lastly. there's his potential. Recent offers from Hollywood could yet make him the next Big Yin. l/xai‘d or Evans. Having recorded voice-overs for an Italian animati(.)n. the groundwork is laid. Des Clarke is on the cusp of stardom. 2004 holds promise indeed. (ME)