FRANZ FERDINAND are to play a "milestone" concert at PJ Molloy's at the end of the month.

The show will take place on January 31 as part of BBC Radio 6's independent venue week.

The gig was announced on Tuesday after Nicola Sturgeon gave the hospitality industry the green light to lift restrictions on January 24.

Calum Miller, who owns the venue, said: "It was a huge relief when we got that through.

"The gig completely sold out within two minutes, we only announced it at three o'clock yesterday (Tuesday) and tickets went on sale at five o'clock and it just instantly sold out.

"The amount of people who were not able to get tickets is phenomenal, that was to be expected obviously.

"I think it's the biggest band we have ever had in the 11 years I have been working at PJ's, this has got to be the biggest show we have ever done, it's just amazing."

The venue was forced to close early in the new year due to restrictions but are hopeful the gig will turn things back around.

A total of 300 fans will be able to watch live at the sold-out, capacity show, but it will also be played on the radio as part of the scheme, supported by the BBC.

Calum told us: "Steve Lamacq, who hosts the show, he goes to a venue every day around the UK to highlight independent venue week, so it's curated by them, they pick the bands and the venues, and then on the day, from 4-7, the radio show is effectively live from PJ's.

"It's super-cool for the venue, for us to be picked out from all the independent venues all over the UK. It's with the work that we do with the Music Venue Trust, Steve Lamacq is an ambassador with the trust and is a huge supporter of everything that they do.

"It's another milestone to show that we are recognised as an important independent music venue."

He said the opportunity was especially "amazing" considering the band are due to play the Hydro two months later, which holds 1,500 people.

"To get them in PJ's is absolutely crazy."

Calum is also looking forward to the extra recognition the venue will receive due to the show and is hopeful it will lead to more big bands playing there.

He explained: "People in the industry have been speaking to us and apart from it being an amazing experience on the night and to do it with the band, on the back of that the publicity we will get from it hopefully means we will be able to get more and more shows.

"The big players are all down in London, you're always trying to speak to them, highlight PJ's as a venue and try to get bands to come to Dunfermline but it is quite hard as a secondary touring city to get people to come away from Glasgow and Edinburgh and to come to Dunfermline.

"Just by things like this happening, it puts us in the spotlight and gives us an opportunity to go to agents, to give them this content, to say we have done this, and it will hopefully lead to more and more shows."

The Music Venue Trust have supported small venues like PJ's throughout the pandemic, and the venue hosted KT Tunstall last year, in partnership with the trust, and two days after the Franz Ferdinand concert, will present Red Rum Club in another sold-out gig which has been organised through a scheme called Revive Alive, funded by the National Lottery.

The Press has two tickets to give away to the gig. To be in with a chance of winning, simply tell us the name of the lead singer of Franz Ferdinand.

Email your answers to editorial@dunfermlinepress.co.uk, marking 'Franz Ferdinand Competition' in the subject box. Leave your name and a contact number and one winning answer will be drawn at random. Closing date is Wednesday, January 26.