Francesqa

Francesqa are a British pop rock band from Newbury, England, active from 2009 to 2011. The group forms from the remains of two earlier local bands, Greenacre and Monroe. The line-up includes Ashley Wilkie on vocals, Tom Millar on guitars, Ben Hordos on bass and Warren Senior on drums.

The band’s sound is described as drawing on pop punk and alternative rock influences, with comparisons made to Jimmy Eat World, Paramore and UK band Futures. Francesqa self-release a three-track EP in summer 2009, later made available on iTunes and at shows. A fourth track, boy, appears as a bonus track on the iTunes release.

During the second half of 2009, the band tours across much of the south of England, often alongside Canterbury and Lights and Sounds, and also completes a first mini-tour with Bayonets. They record with producer Peter Miles in December 2009 and finish their follow-up EP, We Lived, which they independently release in 2010. The five-track record comes out as a self-release and is followed by more writing and demoing for a planned full-length album.

In 2010, Francesqa headline two sold-out shows in London and Birmingham, support Aiden on a UK tour in November, and support The Pretty Reckless across four dates in December. In 2011, We Lived is reissued with acoustic versions of songs and a DVD documenting the November 2010 headline shows, alongside the recording of their single All I Had. That single receives airtime on BBC Radio 1, and its video attracts significant attention online. The band then plays a first full UK headline tour with The Dangerous Summer as support.

Later in 2011, guitarist Joe Hicks leaves the group, and Francesqa subsequently decide to end the band, releasing several new demos on iTunes.