#ricky rayner

Well here goes:

I've known FranKo for about four years now. I didn't really start going to see them live till two years ago, but I was always talking to them via twitter. I was closer to Beau at the beginning, always was being called "darling" and "my girl"... and then he left the band. I couldn't tell you how upset I was that he was gone, I was absolutely gutted. I felt like I wouldn't like the new drummer, whoever he may be. Then, Ricky came along. I could not be more wrong about him, he was the cheekiest fella I've ever seen. Of course, I still miss Beau to this day, but Ricky was definitely a great addition to the band. He lives close to me too, so whenever I drive through Chelmsford, I'll let him know I'm around. I love talking to Ricky to be honest.

So after long chats on twitter, I no longer thought Tommy Bastow as "Dave The Laugh" but just Tommy, an individual. The calm, collective and somewhat charming Tommy. He was how I found the band. I had to google to him to wonder what he was doing after the Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging movie, and through Wikipedia, I found he was in a band. Since then, I've been hooked. 

So on twitter, I got this banter going on between Chris & I, Chris is a spurs fan and I'm an Arsenal fan, so there was the obvious poke here and there. This made me more closer to Chris, especially when Beau left. When i first saw FranKo live (at long last!!), Chris knew immediately who I was and attacked me with so much Arsenal hate, I will never forget it. Every night I saw him, it would be the same, and I would give it back. People at concerts called me "Chris' best mate" because they saw us with each other. Chris is still a good friend of mine. Always will be. 

and now we move onto Rich. You can't meet a nicer guy than Rich, such a lovely guy with the greatest sense of humour. He knows exactly how to make me laugh. As soon as I talk to him, I'm at ease with everything. He is just fantastic. I can't think of any more complimenting words for Rich. 

Now, recently, FranKo have announced their split. I've known since December, I could tell by September because all the signs of a band breaking up was obvious, Tommy launched his own website focused on his acting career, Chris started uploading bass covers on youtube, Rich went abroad for a bit, and Ricky disappeared from the face of the Earth. It came to no shock. But I'm absolutely gutted. Gutted that I won't see them again (ignoring the goodbye gig in May.). Gutted that banter won't happen. Gutted that the regular updates from them won't be seen. Gutted that its all over. I've had four fantastic years with these four boys (five really, including Beau). I'm so sad to see them go, but I wish them all the best for the future, in whatever they do. I will always support them. One wish though, That they keep us updated!!

I love you boys, more than any other band I know, and will ever know.