The Darkness' Frankie Poullain on meeting Brian May and Lady Gaga and nearly dying as a Venezuelan tour guide

Frankie Poullain may be best known for his iconic moustache, but there’s far more to The Darkness’ bassist than his impressive facial hair.

The 50-year-old musician left the glam metal outfit back in 2005, with frontman Justin also departing the band the following year to seek help with drug and alcohol abuse.

But they’ve been reunited and back on the scene since 2011 – and Justin’s been sober for all of it, says Frankie.

The Scottish bass player puts the band’s split down to ‘greed’ and their previous inability to play the songs the way in which they were intended.

“Regarding the issues in the band; I’m sure you’ve heard it all before. It’s all down to basic human nature. People get greedy,” says Frankie.

“To be able to play our songs, they must be played with joy. Of course, if you’re really cynical it just doesn’t work. That’s what happened to the second album.

“Justin and I have had our ups and downs; but that’s what happens when you got into business.

“When family members or a couple start up a business, it can be hard to reconcile the love you previously had for each other.

“We both have strong opinions.

“Pride is a dangerous thing. If you let pride dominate you and make your decisions, that’s a sign of weakness.

“You have to find love and focus on the people you love and concentrate on your passions in life – that’s what makes you happy.

“Justin has been sober for more than 11 years. He’s not one of those people who makes a big deal of it. He still comes out with us. He’s not scarred at all. He doesn’t rely on stimulants.”

The Darkness will come to the Midlands on December 9 when they play the O2 Academy, with support from Nashville act Blackfoot Gyspsies.

Frankie says he loves playing the area due to its friendly residents - and makes a unique connection between heavy metal and Midland factories.

“I love the Midlands. It’s the highlands of heavy metal,” says Frankie.

“They’re definitely the nicest, most down-to-earth people. They’re so friendly.

“They’re less cynical somehow. Maybe it’s just because they’ve had it pretty rough; back in the 70s.

“I think there is a connection between the factories and rock; it’s where it comes from. It’s almost like it’s a progression from the sound of machinery.”

Before forming The Darkness, Frankie worked as a tour guide in the Venezuelan mountains alongside his brother after ‘hitting a wall’ with previous band Empire, with fellow Darkness members frontman Justin Hawkins and his brother Dan.

“We were trying to get a record deal, but we weren’t getting anywhere. They wanted Justin to be the singer, but at the time he didn’t want to,” explains Frankie. “So we took a break in 1999 and I went to work with my brother in Venezuela, where he was setting up a company called Jakear Tours.

“While there, we had a visit from a Danish education officer, who had a group of geography students over there for a six-month programme. My brother told him a tale that I was some kind of professor.

“I was a tour guide with absolutely no sense of direction.

“It was fun, but I did almost die.

“I was trying to cut up some Balsa wood for the students to make sculptures (they had a lot of time to kill, as we were in the jungle).

“Only I put my machete through a bees nest. The bees over there are far worse than they are here, and I got stung about 30 or 40 times. My whole body swelled up.

“I actually had my live saved by the hypochondriac of the group, who had some antihistamines with her. If it hadn’t have been for those, I doubt I would have regained consciousness. It was around 2000 back then; so emails took a long time to come through. Justin emailed me and said he’d decided to be the singer and to come back to London.

“My brother thought I was crazy. We were in the middle of this big operation, in this tropical paradise, swimming in waterfalls . . . And I wanted to go back to London.”

Since getting back together, The Darkness have had some huge successes, including playing alongside Brian May - an idol of Frankie’s – and touring with the likes of Def Leppard and Guns ‘N’ Roses.

“Def Leppard are all Sheffield blokes, so they just don’t give a sh**. They just do their own thing,” says Frankie. “Joey was a bit forthright, but they’re honest, nice people.

“With Guns ‘N’ Roses, it’s like a military operation at that level. They’ve got their own things going on.

“It was phenomenal to tour with them though.

“Lady Gaga? She’s interesting for sure. She’s quite ditsy. But incredibly ambitious. She’s certainly a one-off. Fans see her as an extension of themselves.

“When you get to play with someone like Brian May, you lose your cool a little bit. I couldn’t believe it just looking back at the pictures. It was just so surreal; like I was dreaming. When someone like that talks to you, you feel incredibly humbled. You just don’t know what to say.

“He’s achieved so very much. He’s a master of his instrument and craft. When he talks, you feel like ‘what can I say?’. He’s heard it all before. I’m not worthy.”