Francesqa
Encyclopedia
Francesqa are a British four piece rock
band from Newbury
, England
. Francesqa formed in early 2009, and in its initial incarnation, consisted of just Ashley Wilkie and Ben Hordos. Both of which shared songwriting and performing duties. The remaining members joined from recently broken up local Oxfordshire
bands Monroe (where both Ashley and Ben were members alongisde Joe Hicks and Tom Millar) and Greenacre (where Warren Senior had previously played drums and sang).
In the summer of 2009 the band self released a three track EP that subsequently became available on iTunes and from the band at shows (a fourth track entitled ‘Boy’ became available as a b-side on the iTunes release). The band also played across much of the south of England in the latter half of 2009, often seen with likes of Canterbury and Lights And Sounds. In March 2010 the band embarked on a nationwide tour of the UK supporting Deaf Havana and All Forgotten. April also saw the band on a nationwide tour supporting The Broadcast. Having already entered the studio in December 2009 with producer Peter Miles, Francesqa completed work on their follow-up EP, ‘We Lived’ during the beginning of 2010, (independently releasing the five track record on July 19, 2010).
They also gained further fame after being picked by Tom DeLonge
to play the Kerrang!
Introducing Stage at the 2010 Slam Dunk festival alongside Futures
, Deaf Havana
, Not Advised, Straight Lines, and Kill Casino
. Summer 2010 also saw them play the Kerrang!
Arts Fest in Birmingham
alongside both Elliot Minor
and Young Guns
.
June 2010 saw the band sign to the UK booking agency 'The Agency Group' and the release of their first single and accompanying music video for 'Ghosts'. On August 30, 2010, the band released a Split EP with Philadelphia act Person L
through the UK label, Scylla. The split record contained Francesqa's song 'Years' plus a previously unreleased track titled 'Lonely Home'. The bands second single and accompanying video "Years" premiered exclusively on Kerrang.com on the 6th of September 2010.
Francesqa are currently working on their debut album which will be the follow-up to the EP 'We Lived'.
The band joined Aiden
as main support on their UK tour throughout November 2010. In December 2010, they supported The Pretty Reckless
on their UK tour. February 2011 saw the band embark on their first full UK headline tour. The band also re-released the 'We Lived' EP with 'All I Had' and additional acoustic renditions of their previous work and embarked on their second headliner shortly after the departure of Joe Hicks on May 6th 2011. Any subsequent writing and touring shall now be done as a four-piece.
Francesqa joined Kids In Glass Houses
' October 2011 tour as main support alongside Blitz Kids
and Save Your Breath.
The band are currently working on various demos and writing songs for their upcoming debut album.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Francesqa formed in early 2009, and in its initial incarnation, consisted of just Ashley Wilkie and Ben Hordos. Both of which shared songwriting and performing duties. The remaining members joined from recently broken up local Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
bands Monroe (where both Ashley and Ben were members alongisde Joe Hicks and Tom Millar) and Greenacre (where Warren Senior had previously played drums and sang).
In the summer of 2009 the band self released a three track EP that subsequently became available on iTunes and from the band at shows (a fourth track entitled ‘Boy’ became available as a b-side on the iTunes release). The band also played across much of the south of England in the latter half of 2009, often seen with likes of Canterbury and Lights And Sounds. In March 2010 the band embarked on a nationwide tour of the UK supporting Deaf Havana and All Forgotten. April also saw the band on a nationwide tour supporting The Broadcast. Having already entered the studio in December 2009 with producer Peter Miles, Francesqa completed work on their follow-up EP, ‘We Lived’ during the beginning of 2010, (independently releasing the five track record on July 19, 2010).
They also gained further fame after being picked by Tom DeLonge
Tom DeLonge
Thomas Matthew "Tom" DeLonge, Jr. is an American rock musician. He is the guitarist and one of the two lead vocalists for the American pop punk band Blink-182 as well as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the alternative band Angels & Airwaves...
to play the Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
Introducing Stage at the 2010 Slam Dunk festival alongside Futures
Futures (band)
Futures is a four-piece rock band from Buckinghamshire, England. Futures received critical acclaim and widespread popularity whilst remaining unsigned and in June 2010 the band signed to Mercury Records.-History:...
, Deaf Havana
Deaf Havana
Deaf Havana are an English alternative rock band from King's Lynn, Norfolk in the UK. The band was formed in 2005 at the King's Lynn campus of The College of West Anglia...
, Not Advised, Straight Lines, and Kill Casino
Kill Casino
Kill Casino is an English rock band, featuring Karen Luan on lead vocals and bass, Chris Ryan on guitar and Paul-Luc Gifford on drums.-Formation:...
. Summer 2010 also saw them play the Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
Arts Fest in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
alongside both Elliot Minor
Elliot Minor
Elliot Minor are a classically influenced rock band from York, England. The group consists of Alex Davies , Ed Minton , Dan Hetherton and Ed Hetherton .-History and formation: 2000-2006 :...
and Young Guns
Young Guns (band)
Young Guns are an English alternative rock band from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. On 22 June 2009 they released their debut EP Mirrors, and their debut album All Our Kings Are Dead was released a year later on 12 July 2010, peaking at #43 in the UK Albums Chart, and #3 in both the UK Rock and...
.
June 2010 saw the band sign to the UK booking agency 'The Agency Group' and the release of their first single and accompanying music video for 'Ghosts'. On August 30, 2010, the band released a Split EP with Philadelphia act Person L
Person L
Person L is an American rock band fronted by Kenny Vasoli, of the pop punk band The Starting Line. Vasoli is the band's lead singer and guitarist and formed Person L in winter 2006 as an outlet to explore other musical styles...
through the UK label, Scylla. The split record contained Francesqa's song 'Years' plus a previously unreleased track titled 'Lonely Home'. The bands second single and accompanying video "Years" premiered exclusively on Kerrang.com on the 6th of September 2010.
Francesqa are currently working on their debut album which will be the follow-up to the EP 'We Lived'.
The band joined Aiden
Aiden
Aiden is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington that formed in the spring of 2003. The members are WiL Francis , Nick Wiggins , and Angel Ibarra . wiL originally played bass but took over lead vocals when the original singer left...
as main support on their UK tour throughout November 2010. In December 2010, they supported The Pretty Reckless
The Pretty Reckless
The Pretty Reckless are an American rock band from New York. The current members are Taylor Momsen , Ben Phillips , Mark Damon and Jamie Perkins ....
on their UK tour. February 2011 saw the band embark on their first full UK headline tour. The band also re-released the 'We Lived' EP with 'All I Had' and additional acoustic renditions of their previous work and embarked on their second headliner shortly after the departure of Joe Hicks on May 6th 2011. Any subsequent writing and touring shall now be done as a four-piece.
Francesqa joined Kids In Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff, and are considered a significant part of the Cardiff music scene. The band's name is inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender". The band achieved success on the strength of the singles...
' October 2011 tour as main support alongside Blitz Kids
Blitz Kids
The Blitz Kids were a group of young people who frequented the Blitz nightclub in Covent Garden, London in the very early 1980s, and are credited with launching the New Romantic cultural movement...
and Save Your Breath.
The band are currently working on various demos and writing songs for their upcoming debut album.