Francis Gilles Poullain-Patterson (born 15 April 1967), better known as Frankie Poullain, is a Scottish bass player, best known for playing with The Darkness. He was raised in Milnathort, then Edinburgh, Scotland.[1][2]
Early life
His father was Austin Patterson, a classical violinist, who played with The Edinburgh Quartet and BBC Concert Orchestra in the late 1960s and early 1970s. 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 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.’
Biography
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.
Music career
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’.
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.’
Equipment
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.
