Rampaging with Frankie
Saturday, 9 July 2005. It seems longer than just over a month ago the news was announced that Frankie Poullain would no longer be bassist for the Darkness. Word was that he retreated back to his chateau in France and people wondered if they would ever see him again. All this would change on this warm summer night in London. He was going to make his first public appearance as a guest DJ at Kerrang magazine’s Club Rampage.
I arrived at the club at about 10.30, not sure if and when Frankie would be there. I still had doubts I would see him there in person. Even seeing his name on the list of performers and DJ’s couldn’t completely convince me; I needed solid proof. To calm my nerves and doubts, I proceeded to the bar for a drink and settled to watch the Glitterati, who had just begun performing.
After their very impressive set, I walked past the bar and found a quiet spot near the entrance to talk to a friend on the phone, mainly to keep myself busy and sober. Another drink may have clouded my senses that were already leaning towards disbelief. Let the others drink themselves silly, I had to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating!
And it was whilst jabbering away on my mobile that the first encounter occurred—Frankie had arrived! There he was in the flesh once again, lovely fluffy hair, characteristic moustache, dark-haired girl beside him, dark-haired girl in front of him (me!), and a group of about 15 people trailing behind which turned out to be punters who either; 1) had the good fortune of arriving at exactly the same time as Frankie, or 2) were hanging around the entrance until he did. He arrived looking very happy with himself, which was a relief. After he had his bag checked by the security guard, he made a dash upstairs. At his point I didn’t feel right approaching him, so I stayed behind. I knew where he’d be at 1am when he was scheduled to man the decks.
The magic hour of 1am had come, but there was no sign of Frankie at the decks. No one seemed to mind as the alcohol was blurring time and space for everyone there apart from the staff; yes, even I had succumbed to my second Vodka & diet Coke. I had found another quiet corner in the hall left of the bar to rearrange my paraphernalia when simultaneously someone approached me to ask where the toilets were, and Frankie walked through an ‘Exit’ door in said hall. Encounter number 2, but still not time to approach him. I showed the drunk guy where to find the toilets, all the while keeping the eyes in the back of my head open to make sure Frankie headed towards the decks, which he did, still looking pleased and relaxed with himself.
His set began just 15 minutes late, but nobody seemed to mind. He began with a few words and proceeded playing a few bog-standard rock tunes, none of which I was familiar with, but still got the crowd going. It was when he put on “Back in Black,” however, that the crowd really became responsive, and from then on the familiar tunes came thick and fast, as did the reactions. More AC/DC, notably from the Bon Scott era (yes!), GnR, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy, and my personal favourite of the night, “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath, to which I witnessed the unthinkable; someone dancing to that song! The selections got better and better, and the crowd reacted accordingly. Frankie looked very comfortable, posing for the few who took photos, and busily changing discs. His set lasted longer than the hour that was allocated, and he finally left the decks at about 2.30. It was then that I had encounter number 3, which I felt was time to finally speak to him.
As he was leaving, I asked if I could just have a couple moments of his time, and he very congenially obliged. I gave him the card my friend had written to him and told him that there was a huge contingent of admirers that were still very interested in what he was doing. I asked him if he had his own website or address to gain information from, but, sadly, he said no, not yet. I thanked him for his time, and he abruptly bent over and gave me a kiss on the cheek, which I found rather sweet as I hadn’t asked him for it!
After having my fill, I decided to leave the club for the short walk to my hotel, but only after a trip to the ladies. On my way out, thinking that my night was pretty much a success, I saw him again! This time, I decided, I really should top the night off by having my photo with him, especially as I hadn’t taken any during his set and I felt I should really have my personal souvenir. He very kindly agreed, only he began to act very silly with me and literally tried to get his leg over me, which made me burst out in laughter, hence the cropped photo. Laughing hysterically is never my best side. I thanked him for the last time and left the club at last, glancing back as I crossed the road to see him and the brunette get into a cab and speed away.
Verdict of the night? It made a change not to see him playing his bass, but I think he did an excellent job. He looked happy and well, was in good spirits, and the crowd obviously still love him. I don’t know if he has long-term plans for a career as a DJ, but whatever he does, he will still be a crowd-pleaser.
Rampaging with Frankie
Saturday, 9 July 2005. It seems longer than just over a month ago the news was announced that Frankie Poullain would no longer be bassist for the Darkness. Word was that he retreated back to his chateau in France and people wondered if they would ever see him again. All this would change on this warm summer night in London. He was going to make his first public appearance as a guest DJ at Kerrang magazine’s Club Rampage.
I arrived at the club at about 10.30, not sure if and when Frankie would be there. I still had doubts I would see him there in person. Even seeing his name on the list of performers and DJ’s couldn’t completely convince me; I needed solid proof. To calm my nerves and doubts, I proceeded to the bar for a drink and settled to watch the Glitterati, who had just begun performing.
After their very impressive set, I walked past the bar and found a quiet spot near the entrance to talk to a friend on the phone, mainly to keep myself busy and sober. Another drink may have clouded my senses that were already leaning towards disbelief. Let the others drink themselves silly, I had to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating!
And it was whilst jabbering away on my mobile that the first encounter occurred—Frankie had arrived! There he was in the flesh once again, lovely fluffy hair, characteristic moustache, dark-haired girl beside him, dark-haired girl in front of him (me!), and a group of about 15 people trailing behind which turned out to be punters who either; 1) had the good fortune of arriving at exactly the same time as Frankie, or 2) were hanging around the entrance until he did. He arrived looking very happy with himself, which was a relief. After he had his bag checked by the security guard, he made a dash upstairs. At his point I didn’t feel right approaching him, so I stayed behind. I knew where he’d be at 1am when he was scheduled to man the decks.
The magic hour of 1am had come, but there was no sign of Frankie at the decks. No one seemed to mind as the alcohol was blurring time and space for everyone there apart from the staff; yes, even I had succumbed to my second Vodka & diet Coke. I had found another quiet corner in the hall left of the bar to rearrange my paraphernalia when simultaneously someone approached me to ask where the toilets were, and Frankie walked through an ‘Exit’ door in said hall. Encounter number 2, but still not time to approach him. I showed the drunk guy where to find the toilets, all the while keeping the eyes in the back of my head open to make sure Frankie headed towards the decks, which he did, still looking pleased and relaxed with himself.
His set began just 15 minutes late, but nobody seemed to mind. He began with a few words and proceeded playing a few bog-standard rock tunes, none of which I was familiar with, but still got the crowd going. It was when he put on “Back in Black,” however, that the crowd really became responsive, and from then on the familiar tunes came thick and fast, as did the reactions. More AC/DC, notably from the Bon Scott era (yes!), GnR, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy, and my personal favourite of the night, “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath, to which I witnessed the unthinkable; someone dancing to that song! The selections got better and better, and the crowd reacted accordingly. Frankie looked very comfortable, posing for the few who took photos, and busily changing discs. His set lasted longer than the hour that was allocated, and he finally left the decks at about 2.30. It was then that I had encounter number 3, which I felt was time to finally speak to him.
As he was leaving, I asked if I could just have a couple moments of his time, and he very congenially obliged. I gave him the card my friend had written to him and told him that there was a huge contingent of admirers that were still very interested in what he was doing. I asked him if he had his own website or address to gain information from, but, sadly, he said no, not yet. I thanked him for his time, and he abruptly bent over and gave me a kiss on the cheek, which I found rather sweet as I hadn’t asked him for it!
After having my fill, I decided to leave the club for the short walk to my hotel, but only after a trip to the ladies. On my way out, thinking that my night was pretty much a success, I saw him again! This time, I decided, I really should top the night off by having my photo with him, especially as I hadn’t taken any during his set and I felt I should really have my personal souvenir. He very kindly agreed, only he began to act very silly with me and literally tried to get his leg over me, which made me burst out in laughter, hence the cropped photo. Laughing hysterically is never my best side. I thanked him for the last time and left the club at last, glancing back as I crossed the road to see him and the brunette get into a cab and speed away.
Verdict of the night? It made a change not to see him playing his bass, but I think he did an excellent job. He looked happy and well, was in good spirits, and the crowd obviously still love him. I don’t know if he has long-term plans for a career as a DJ, but whatever he does, he will still be a crowd-pleaser.