Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy leaves band

Franz Ferdinand have announced that guitarist Nick McCarthy has parted ways with the band.

McCarthy, who played rhythm guitar and keyboard, has been a member of the band since its formation in 2002. He recorded four studio albums with the band, as well as last year’s collaboration with Sparks.

Earlier today (Friday, July 8), the Scottish band posted a statement that informed fans that McCarthy “will not be taking part in the recording or touring of the next Franz Ferdinand album”.

The reason cited was family commitments: “When we record or tour, it takes a long, full-time commitment lasting a minimum of a year and a half, most of which is spent away from home. Nick has a young family and does not want to be away from them for such a long period.”

Ed Miles/NME

“This is not necessarily a permanent situation and we will let you know if circumstances change in the future.”

“We’d love to be able to say this is a result of personal or musical differences, but it’s not. Those differences are what we formed the band around in the first place.”

McCarthy, meanwhile, said: “I’d really like to thank all the fans for being such an inspiration over the years. What an amazing time it has been. I’m going to concentrate on production and writing some completely different things for a bit and we can all look forward to hearing the new Franz Ferdinand album.”

See the full statement below.