The members of Scottish indie-alt rock group Franz Ferdinand [ tickets ] settled on their band's name after watching a horse race. The winning horse was called "The Archduke" after Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination led to World War I.

In an interview with Is This Music? magazine in 2003, lead vocalist Alex Kapranos spoke of the decision. "[Ferdinand] was an incredible figure.... His life, or at least the ending of it, was the catalyst for the complete transformation of the world .... I don't want to over-intellectualize the name thing. Basically a name should just sound good--like music."

Debuting at No. 9 on The Billboard 200 album chart in January, the band's third set, "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand", is helping to propel the group on its current North American tour. With cameras in hand, I attended Franz Ferdinand's packed show last night (4/15) at the Fox Theatre in Oakland, CA; here are some of my photos.