Photo: Ricky’s Rebel Rabble

Ricky’s Rebel Rabble Discuss ‘Molly’, Musical Inspiration and ‘Going Home in the Rain’

Ricky’s Rebel Rabble have always put meaning and emotion at the heart of their music, and few songs demonstrate that more powerfully than ‘Molly’. Written as a tribute to Ricky’s aunt following her sudden passing, the song carries a deeply personal story of family, loss and the support she gave to Ricky and his son. Since its release, ‘Molly’ has gone on to receive significant attention, becoming a ten-time internet number one and gaining thousands of radio plays around the world.

The story behind the song also involves a talented group of musicians and collaborators, including producer Nick Andrew and co-songwriter and promoter Alice Randall. Their contributions helped Ricky bring his deeply personal song to a wider audience, while the band’s work has also developed a strong charitable focus.

In this interview, Ricky talks openly about the story behind ‘Molly’, the people who helped bring it to life, his lifelong admiration for T. Rex and Marc Bolan, his work with Alice Randall, supporting Scope and the inspiration behind the band’s new single, ‘Going Home in the Rain’.

‘Molly’ was written as a tribute to your aunt, who played such an important role in your life and your son’s life. What was it about her that inspired you to turn your feelings into a song?

My aunt Molly looked after my son, who’s autistic, and me when my parents passed away. She was always there to help and support us.

Writing about someone you have lost can be incredibly emotional. What do you remember about the process of writing ‘Molly’, and did you find songwriting helped you deal with your grief?

I wrote ‘Molly’ on my bed 20 minutes after my aunt Molly passed. It just came to me. I don’t know how I did it, as I was so upset and shocked, and she passed very quickly. She went to hospital the night before with a bad shoulder. The next day she passed. The shock made me write a song, and ‘Molly’ was it.

The song was released in 2019, but its story remains deeply personal. How does it feel to look back on ‘Molly’ several years after its release?

Now, because ‘Molly’ has been a ten-time internet number one and people, very luckily for us, love the song, it has helped me come to terms with our loss. They all say to me, “She’s up there in heaven laughing, saying, ‘I don’t want all this fuss.’” It makes me laugh but helps with mine and my son’s loss.

You brought together some fantastic musicians for the recording, including Nick Andrew, Gary Sanford and Billy Henagan. What did each of them bring to the song, and how did their contributions help shape the finished track?

I played the demo of ‘Molly’ to Nick Andrew, who taught me at college and stayed with me after I left. He loved it. He said it was so emotional and decided to produce the song. So I played lead guitar alongside Gary Sanford of Joe Jackson, Aztec Camera and Kim Wilde. Nick played bass, Doc Spoons played drums, and Bill Henagan, a great Irish country singer, sang it.

Then Alice Randall, who I had a radio interview with, decided to promote it, and my God, did she work night and day! She worked so hard, the song became a ten-time number one on the internet and was played 21,000 times on many radio stations around the world. She is amazing.

Nick Andrew’s production was clearly a major part of why you were so pleased with the recording. What was it like working with him, and was there anything he did during the sessions that particularly stood out to you?

Without Nick Andrew’s experience and knowledge, ‘Molly’ could not have been made. Nick got me in the studio in Watford, and I was struggling to get the guitar parts right. So Nick said, “I’m going to turn your guitar into a violin.” So he plugged my guitar into some box. I played, and a violin sound came out. He said, “Play ‘A Groovy Kind of Love’, the 60s song, see how it sounds.” It sounded really good, and we went back to recording ‘Molly’ and, bang, it was done.

He just relaxed me as I was so nervous. Then ‘Molly’ was done.

Nick is not only a great guitarist and producer, he is a great motivator who I would run through a brick wall for. He really knows his stuff. As I said, without Nick, ‘Molly’ would not have happened.

You’ve cited T. Rex as an influence. What is it about their music that appeals to you, and can listeners hear that influence in the sound of Ricky’s Rebel Rabble?

I was a massive T. Rex fan at school. I’ve got every record they made. I even went to school dressed as Marc and got suspended. Marc was and still is my life’s inspiration. I learned guitar because of him. I wanted to be like him.

There is a real sense of purpose behind the band, with money from your releases donated to Help Musicians and Scope. Why was supporting these particular charities so important to you?

My son has disabilities and autism, and I worked with people with disabilities for six years, running music groups for them. It was so rewarding.

My co-songwriter Alice Randall has cerebral palsy and finds life hard and challenging at times, so we both decided to make a version of ‘Molly’ for their charity, Scope, and we were the first band to support Scope. Alice was the one who set everything up.

You’ve spoken very warmly about Alice Randall and the contribution she has made to the band. How did you first begin working together, and what does she bring to the creative process?

I met Alice on a community radio station in February 2021. She interviewed me on my song ‘Molly’. She liked it so much that she promoted it. Alice sent the song to many radio stations and charts, getting the song on five different charts and a ten-time internet number one. She was also presented with an award for her outstanding work. She did this for four years. She helped us so much.

You’ve described the band as being driven by meaningful and personal songwriting. What do you think makes a song emotionally connect with people, and is that something you consciously think about when writing?

Both of us write emotional songs that come from daily life and heartfelt things.

You’re now looking ahead to your new single ‘Going Home in the Rain’, co-written with Alice Randall. How does this song compare with ‘Molly’, and what can listeners expect from Ricky’s Rebel Rabble next?

‘Going Home in the Rain’ is a song by me and my co-songwriter Alice Randall. We have the same taste in music, and we like to write music that means a lot to us, that is heartfelt. As for ‘Going Home in the Rain’, it’s very Bolan-type strings in the intro, which Alice liked. So yes, I hope our new song does as well as ‘Molly’. Thanks, everyone.

FVMusicBlog October 2026

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