Frankie Poullain
Encyclopedia
Francis Gilles Poullain-Patterson (born 15 April 1967), better known as Frankie Poullain, is the bass
player for rock band
The Darkness. He was born in Edinburgh
, Scotland
. He attended The Royal High School from 1984 to 1987.
Poullain was the only original Darkness member not from the Lowestoft
area. Before joining the Darkness, he worked as a tour guide
in the Venezuela
n mountains.
Poullain left the band on 23 May 2005, citing "musical differences" as the reason. He was replaced by Richie Edwards
, a former guitar technician
for the band. His departure caused quite a stir with the press, most notably in the NME
magazine where he was reportedly regarded as their favourite member of the band.
The Darkness announced their comeback in March 2011 with the original line-up. A tour and an album is expected by the end of the year. The band sub-headlined Download Festival at Donington Park, England in June 2011, playing under Def Leppard.
Frankie's autobiography 'Dancing in the Darkness' (John Blake Publishing), charting the ups and downs of life with the band, was released in November 2008.
IV bass guitar
(nicknamed "the brown bastard"), recognizable for its reverse body design. When playing live he allows natural distortion to take place for effect. He also uses a Fender Precision Bass
, Ampeg VT, Mesa Boogie, 50 watt handwired Marshall guitar combo and a Sans Amp bass driver.
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
player for rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
The Darkness. He was born in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He attended The Royal High School from 1984 to 1987.
Poullain was the only original Darkness member not from the Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
area. Before joining the Darkness, he worked as a tour guide
Tour guide
A tour guide provides assistance, information and cultural, historical and contemporary heritage interpretation to people on organized tours, individual clients, educational establishments, at religious and historical sites, museums, and at venues of other significant interest...
in the Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n mountains.
Poullain left the band on 23 May 2005, citing "musical differences" as the reason. He was replaced by Richie Edwards
Richie Edwards
Richie Edwards was born on 25 September 1974, in Lichfield, England. 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...
, a former guitar technician
Guitar technician
A guitar technician is a member of a music ensemble's road crew who maintains and sets up the musical equipment for one or more guitarists during a concert tour...
for the band. His departure caused quite a stir with the press, most notably in the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine where he was reportedly regarded as their favourite member of the band.
The Darkness announced their comeback in March 2011 with the original line-up. A tour and an album is expected by the end of the year. The band sub-headlined Download Festival at Donington Park, England in June 2011, playing under Def Leppard.
Frankie's autobiography 'Dancing in the Darkness' (John Blake Publishing), charting the ups and downs of life with the band, was released in November 2008.
Equipment
He plays a Gibson ThunderbirdGibson Thunderbird
The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson.-Background and introduction:The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introduction of the Precision Bass twelve years earlier.The Thunderbird was...
IV bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(nicknamed "the brown bastard"), recognizable for its reverse body design. When playing live he allows natural distortion to take place for effect. He also uses a Fender Precision Bass
Fender Precision Bass
The Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
, Ampeg VT, Mesa Boogie, 50 watt handwired Marshall guitar combo and a Sans Amp bass driver.
See also
- The Darkness
- Justin HawkinsJustin HawkinsJustin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
- Dan HawkinsDan Hawkins (musician)Daniel Francis Hawkins is an English rock guitarist, noted for his strong revival of 1970s classic rock and 1980s metal....
- Richie EdwardsRichie EdwardsRichie Edwards was born on 25 September 1974, in Lichfield, England. 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...
- Ed GrahamEd GrahamEdwin James "Ed" Graham is an English musician who is best known as the drummer of rock band The Darkness, as well as the subsequent successor band Stone Gods, before officially leaving in 2008 due to a physical inability to perform.Graham is one of four children and as a youth, he attended...
External links
- FlamingWhopper.com, UK based fan website for The Darkness, Stone Gods, Hot Leg & British Whale (Established 2005)
- outofthedarkness.co.uk, Fan based media website for The Darkness, Stone Gods, Hot Leg and British Whale