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Frankie Poullain | |
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![]() Frankie Poullain performing with The Darkness at the Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, 11 December 2023 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Francis Gilles Poullain-Patterson |
Born | 15 April 1967 |
Genres | Rock, Hard Rock, Glam Metal, Heavy Metal and Soft Rock. |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Bass, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, classical guitar and cowbell. |
Years active | 2000 – present |
Francis Gilles Poullain-Patterson (born 15 April 1967), better known as Frankie Poullain, is a bass player for the rock band, The Darkness. He was raised in Milnathort, then Edinburgh, Scotland. [1] [2]
His father was Austin Patterson, a classical violinist, who played with The Edinburgh Quartet and BBC Concert Orchestra in the late 60’s and early 70’s. He uses his French mother’s Poullain surname as she brought him up from the age of 7, when his father left him to live in the Caribbean.
He attended the Royal High School, leaving in 1985. [1]
He is the step-brother of comedian, Phil Kay. [2]
He undertook a succession of menial jobs and played in local west country bands, before moving to London in order to become a serious musician.
After garnering attention but ultimately no record deal with his band Empire, he travelled to Venezuela, eventually becoming a tour guide and coming close to death when attacked by a nest of brown bees in the Orinoco Delta jungle. Shortly after this incident Justin Hawkins asked him to return to London and play bass in the newly named The Darkness, in which he himself would sing after being the keyboardist in the previous incarnation as ‘Empire.’
Poullain began a BA Honours in English Literature at Bath University in 1986 but left in his second year, becoming disillusioned with the teaching and intent on becoming a writer or musician in his own right.
Poullain's tongue in cheek self-help book Dancing in the Darkness was released in November 2008.
In 1996, Poullain founded the band Empire which the Hawkins brothers Justin Hawkins and Dan Hawkins joined in 1997, and which later became The Darkness.
With The Darkness he has won 3 Brits as well as MTV, Kerrang and Classic Rock awards. The band were nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2003. He won an Ivor Novello award, along with his fellow band members in 2004, for ‘Songwriters Of The Year’.
Poullain left the band on 23 May 2005 citing "musical differences". He was replaced by Richie Edwards, a former guitar technician for the band.
In 2011 The Darkness announced that they were to reunite with all four original members. Poullain described this as being "just like old times".
Poullain is a co-writer on some of the band’s most popular songs such as ‘Love Is Only A Feeling’, ‘Heart Explodes’, ‘One Way Ticket’ and ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Deserves To Die’. He composed the music for the first ever Darkness song, ‘I Love You 5 Times’ in 1996, which was later recorded at Abbey Road studios and released as the B side to the band’s Christmas single ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)’ in 2003
In 2016, Poullain sang lead vocals on ‘Conquerors’, the last song on the album ‘Last of our Kind. The song was featured in the 2023 Simon Emmett documentary about the band ‘Welcome To The Darkness.’
Poullain’s bass of choice is the Gibson Thunderbird which is used almost exclusively on the band’s various albums. He plays through a Hiwatt 200 bass head and an 8x10 speaker. He also uses an Aguilar Tone Hammer to define his sound.
He plays cowbell on various songs but most famously on the band’s single ‘One Way Ticket’ which features an extended live intro showcasing his skills.
The Darkness is a British rock band that formed in Lowestoft, England in 2000. The band consists of Justin Hawkins, his brother Dan Hawkins, Frankie Poullain and Rufus Tiger Taylor.
Justin David Hawkins is an English musician, Internet personality, singer and songwriter best known as the founder, lead singer, and lead guitarist of The Darkness. He is also the lead singer and guitarist for the band Hot Leg, formed in 2008 and now on hiatus. In 2021, Hawkins launched a YouTube channel entitled Justin Hawkins Rides Again, where he does comedic analysis on songs or artists in addition to covering news in the musical community.
Permission to Land is the debut studio album by the British glam rock band The Darkness, released on 7 July 2003 in the UK and 16 September 2003 in the US. The album topped the UK Albums Chart and reached number thirty-six on the American Billboard 200 chart. Five singles were released from Permission to Land: "Get Your Hands off My Woman", "Growing on Me", "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", "Christmas Time ", and "Love Is Only a Feeling". "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" was the most successful, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart.
Edwin James Graham is an English musician who is best known as the original drummer of the rock band The Darkness, as well as the subsequent successor band Stone Gods fronted by guitarist and singer Richie Edwards.
Daniel Francis Hawkins is an English guitarist, best known as a guitarist and backing singer of the rock band the Darkness. The band, founded and fronted by his older brother Justin Hawkins, achieved notable mainstream success between 2002 and 2006. He also formerly played lead guitar for Stone Gods.
Band Aid 20 was the 2004 incarnation of the charity supergroup Band Aid. The group, which included Daniel Bedingfield, Dido, Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Bono of U2, and Paul McCartney, re-recorded the 1984 song "Do They Know It's Christmas?", written by Band Aid organisers Bob Geldof and Midge Ure.
Richie Edwards is an English musician. He is the former bassist of the British hard rock band The Darkness and the guitarist/vocalist of their successor band Stone Gods. He was confirmed as a member on 13 June 2005 replacing Frankie Poullain on bass. When The Darkness disbanded following Justin Hawkins' departure, Edwards switched to lead vocals with Toby McFarlaine taking over on bass. With original Darkness members Ed Graham and Dan Hawkins completing the new line-up, they recorded under the new name of The Stone Gods.
"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is a song by English rock band the Darkness, released as the third single from their debut studio album, Permission to Land. When released as a single in September 2003, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. The song also charted worldwide, becoming a top-10 hit in Ireland, New Zealand, and Sweden, as well as on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"Growing on Me" is a song by British rock band the Darkness from their 2003 debut album, Permission to Land. It was released as the second single on 16 June 2003, peaking at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. It also charted at number 42 and 46 in Ireland and Australia, respectively.
One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back is the second studio album by the British rock band The Darkness. It was released on 28 November 2005 through Atlantic Records, reaching number 11 on the UK Album Chart and eventually attaining platinum status in the UK. Three singles were released from the album. The lead single, "One Way Ticket", reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart, as did the second single "Is It Just Me?"
"Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" is a single released by British hard rock band the Darkness. The single was released on 15 December 2003, to fall in with the UK Christmas number one race, ultimately finishing runner-up. The track was later included on a "Christmas edition" of their debut studio album, Permission to Land, issued in some areas of Europe on 22 December 2003.
Hot Leg were an English rock band led by The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins. The band consisted of Hawkins, Pete Rinaldi, Samuel SJ Stokes and Darby Todd. Their debut album Red Light Fever was recorded in London in early 2008, and was released on 9 February 2009 by Barbecue Rock Records.
I Believe in a Thing Called Love is the debut extended play (EP) by English rock band The Darkness. Released on 12 August 2002 by Must Destroy, the EP features three tracks which would later appear on the band's debut full-length album Permission to Land in 2003, including UK top-ten singles "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" and "Love Is Only a Feeling".
Hot Cakes is the third studio album by British rock band the Darkness, released on 20 August 2012 on Canary Dwarf Records. Produced by Nick Brine and band members Justin and Dan Hawkins, the album is the band's first since their 2011 reunion, and the first to feature founding bassist Frankie Poullain since the release of Permission to Land in 2003. It is also the last album to feature all 4 original members, after Ed Graham's departure in 2014. Despite not being released until 20 August, the album was made available to stream on the Rolling Stone website on 14 August.
"Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" is a song by the English rock band The Darkness.
"Blind Man" is a song by the English rock band The Darkness.
Last of Our Kind is the fourth studio album by British hard rock band The Darkness. Produced by the band's guitarist Dan Hawkins at his studio The Hawks Nest in Norfolk, it was first released on 27 May 2015 in Japan, and later in other territories, by Canary Dwarf Records. The album is the first and only by the band to feature drummer Emily Dolan Davies, who replaced Ed Graham in 2014 before leaving less than a year later. The album also features Frankie Poullain on lead vocals for the first time on the final track Conquerors. The album was promoted via PledgeMusic, with the band offering signed copies of the album on both CD and vinyl, as well as signed guitars, handwritten lyric sheets and setlists from the band's archive.
Pinewood Smile is the fifth studio album released by British hard rock band The Darkness. Produced by Adrian Bushby, the album was released on 6 October 2017 and is the first album by the band to be released by Cooking Vinyl. It is also their full first album to feature Rufus Tiger Taylor on drums, after Emily Dolan Davies left the band in 2015.
Live at Hammersmith is a live album by the British hard rock band The Darkness. The album was released on 15 June 2018 and is the first live album the band has released.
Easter Is Cancelled is the sixth studio album by the British hard rock band the Darkness. It was released on 4 October 2019 through Canary Dwarf and Cooking Vinyl.