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The Darkness

The Darkness's Genre:

Heavy Metal, Hard Rock

Biography

England's the Darkness centered around irrepressible frontman Justin Hawkins (vocals/guitars/keyboards), who, along with his guitar-playing baby brother Dan, bassist Frankie Poullain, and drummer Ed Graham, single-handedly resurrected the rather unfashionable sounds and attitudes of late-'70s hard rock for an unsuspecting generation. Following the demise of an earlier, conspicuously synth pop-based outfit named Empire, the Hawkins brothers sowed the seeds of what would become the Darkness at an impromptu karaoke session on New Year's Eve 1999. Justin's rapturous rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" showed them the way, and the suitably dramatic name of the Darkness was chosen shortly after the arrival of Poullain and Graham.

With outrageous stage antics that included gaudy leotards stolen from Steven Tyler's wardrobe, leaps and splits borrowed from David Lee Roth, and an ear-piercing falsetto copped from Freddie Mercury himself, the multi-talented elder Hawkins led the quartet as the group spent the next two years slogging it out in London's pub circuit. Though they were immediately singled out as a joke by the notoriously vicious British press, the Darkness' high-energy sets, remarkably catchy material, and unapologetic worship of old-school rock & roll bombast gradually earned them a fanatical following based on simple word of mouth.

The tide finally began to shift in their favor in August 2002, when the Darkness released their debut EP I Believe in a Thing Called Love (through the independent label Must Destroy Music), won a major talent contest, and scored all-important opening slots with Deep Purple and Def Leppard. Their momentum carried through into the new year, starting with a knockout performance at Austin's SXSW music convention in January, continuing with the release of their "Keep Your Hands Off My Woman" single in February (peaking at number 36 in the U.K. chart), and climaxing in their subsequent signing of a major-label contract with Atlantic Records in March.

Nothing could stop the Darkness' snowball effect now, and a series of acclaimed festival appearances set the stage for their debut album, Permission to Land, to debut atop the British charts -- the first time a new act had achieved such a feat since Coldplay three years earlier. Aside from the 2003 Christmas single Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End), the Darkness concentrated on touring until 2005, when they returned to the studio with Cars and Foreigner producer Roy Thomas Baker. During the recording of their sophomore album, the band parted ways with Poullain and replaced him with former guitar tech Richie Edwards.

One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back was released late in 2005 but didn't fare as well as its predecessor, which took a toll on Justin Hawkins. Following several months of touring, the frontman entered rehab in August 2006 for alcohol and cocaine abuse. Although he completed the program, Hawkins nevertheless left the Darkness' lineup later that year, leaving the group's fate in the hands of his former bandmates. The remaining musicians regrouped under the name Stone Gods the following year, while Justin busied himself with solo work. In 2011, the Darkness reunited with the original lineup featuring Justin Hawkins and embarked on several European tours. In 2012, the reunited Darkness delivered the full-length album Hot Cakes. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

AOL Radio Stations The Darkness is Featured on (8)

Ida Maria Showcase

This is the Ida Maria Artist Showcase station on Slacker Radio. Tune in to hear music hand-picked by Ida and her guitarist Stefan Törnby as well as commentary about the songs that influenced their music and their lives.

Party Rock

Party Rock on Slacker has your party tunes covered with classics from AC/DC, Metallica, and The Stones. You'll also hear the latest from the Foo Fighters, Korn and System of a Down to keep your party rocking for hours. Have a few drinks, and party hard. We will rock it for you.

The Silent Comedy Showcase

This is The Silent Comedy Artist Showcase station on Slacker. Tune in to hear a station built entirely by the band including music hand-picked by Joshua, Jeremiah, Justin and Chad as well as commentary by each about the songs that influenced their music and life.

Matt Nathanson Showcase

This is the Matt Nathanson Artist Showcase station on Slacker Radio. Tune in to hear a station built entirely by Matt including music that he hand-picked as well as commentary about the songs that influenced his music and his life.

UK Hits

Fancy a spot of British hit music with your tea and biscuits? UK Hits on Slacker brings you the top tunes from across the pond – Whether it's Rock, Pop, Alternative or East London Grime, you'll hear the most popular songs our British brethren are bouncing to right now. Cheerio!

Rock The Halls

Get the edgier side of holiday music with a great mix of holiday favorites from Rock, Alternative and Indie artists. Hear a wide range of holiday tunes from Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, U2, Coldplay, Sarah McLachlan, Death Cab for Cutie, Sufjan Stevens and many more.

'00s Rock

'00s Rock plays your favorite fist pumping post-grunge and nu-metal. Slacker's '00s Rock goes deeper on the decade that gave you Disturbed, Shinedown, Seether, Godsmack, and more. If your ears are ringing, you're listening to '00s Rock.

The Darkness

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Hot Leg, The Golden Gods, Stone Gods, Zan Clan, The Wildhearts, Wrathchild, Rockett Queen, Darkness, Andrew W.K., Adam Bomb and more.

All Stations

The Darkness's Selected Discography (28)

Hot Cakes

(P) 2012 Canary Dwarf, LLC under exclusive license in North America to Wind-up Records201216 Songs

One Way Ticket to Hell...And Back

2005 Warner Music UK Ltd200510 Songs

Artists Related to The Darkness (50)

	Hot Leg	Hot Leg was formed by Darkness vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Justin Hawkins in 2007. The group, which also includes guitarist Pete Rinaldi, bass player Samuel SJ Stokes, and drummer Darby Todd, released the "single only" "Heroes" in early 2008 as a free download, followed by "Trojan Guitar," the first cut from their forthcoming debut later that year in anticipation of their Hands Up Who Loves Hot Leg summer tour.
	The Golden Gods
	Stone Gods	After the departure of lead singer and guitarist Justin Hawkins, the remaining members of British rock band the Darkness immediately regrouped to form the harder-edged heavy metal band Stone Gods.
	Zan Clan
	The Wildhearts	The Wildhearts were the kind of band that the British rock press has wet dreams about: creatively brilliant, completely out-of-control, and utterly doomed from day one.
	Wrathchild	Formed in 1980 in Evesham, Worcestershire, England, as a Black Sabbath -influenced band, it was another two years before Wrathchild emerged at the forefront of the new glam rock scene.
	Rockett Queen	Texas hard rock quartet Rockett Queen formed in 2002 around the talents of vocalist/guitar player Walter Lee, lead guitar player Chris Wild, bass player Stephen Doll, and drummer CC Harte.
	Darkness
	Andrew W.K.	Not just a party animal but a party guerrilla, Andrew W.K. burst onto the scene with a hybrid of metal, pop, and dance that parodied and paid tribute to the cheesiest, sleaziest aspects of all three styles.
	Adam Bomb	This pop metal outfit was heavily influenced by Bon Jovi and Europe. Their sex-symbol vocalist, Adam Brenner (ex-TKO), persuaded guitarist Jimmy Crespo (ex-Flame; Aerosmith), drummer Sandy Slavin (ex-Riot) and bass player Phil Feit to join forces and record Fatal Attraction in 1985.
	Bigelf	Taking a cue from '70s art rock stalwarts like Queen and ELO and the blistering attack of modern heavy metal revivalists like the Darkness and Coheed and Cambria, Los Angeles-based progressive rock outfit Bigelf aren't afraid to use the terms pop and heavy metal in the same sentence.
	Young Heart Attack	Young Heart Attack formed in 2001 around Austin, TX scene vets Chris Hodge (vocals/guitar), ex-Sixteen Deluxe'ers Chris Smith (guitar; heretofore known as Frenchie) and Steven Hall (bass), and former Fastball drummer Joey Shuffield.
	Cats in Boots	This short-lived Japanese-American group was formed when guitarist Takashi ‘Jam’ Ohashi and bass player Yasuhiro ‘Butch’ Hatae, of the successful Tokyo-based band Seiki Matsu, recruited vocalist Joel Ellis, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and drummer Randy Meers, originally from Houston, Texas, from the remains of Los Angeles-based Merry Hoax.
	Heavy Pettin'	Scottish hard rock outfit Heavy Pettin' was formed in Glasgow in mid-1981 when the trio of guitarist Gordon Bonnar, bassist Brian Waugh and drummer Gary Moat--known collectively as Weeper--added vocalist Steve Hayman (a.
	Bad Moon Rising
	The Vaults
	Holy Ghost Revival	West Coast glam rock outfit Holy Ghost Revival were the brainchild of enigmatic frontman Conor Kiley, an unholy cross between Iggy Pop, Axl Rose, and Jim Morrison who has kept a rotating cast of musicians since the group's inception.
	Bad 4 Good
	Haywire	From Prince Edward's Island, Canada, Haywire was formed in 1982 by guitarist Marvin Birt, vocalist Paul MacAusland, keyboard player David Rashed and bassist Ron Switzer.
	Nymphs	The hard-luck story of Inger Lorre and the Nymphs should be administered by law to every hard rock hopeful who makes his or her way to L.
	Epsilons
	Stone Fury	Moving from Hamburg, Germany, to Los Angeles, USA, in 1983, vocalist Lenny Wolf teamed up with Bruce Gowdy (guitar) to form Stone Fury.
	Diamond Nights	New York's Diamond Nights features Morgan Phalen (vocals/guitar), Rob Laakso (guitar/synthesizers), Seth Rumsey (bass), and Tim Traynor (drums).
	Brighton Rock	Heart Attack -- not the medical condition, but the indie rock band -- formed in the early '80s. It performed music that fit somewhere in between alternative pop/rock and heavy metal, completing a number of singles, an EP, four albums, and one music video, all under the name Brighton Rock.
	Rough Cutt	Heavy metal outfit Rough Cutt formed in Los Angeles in late 1981. Originally dubbed Magic, the founding lineup featured frontman Paul Shortino, guitarist Jake E.
	Starwood	Fronted by veteran headbanger Lizzy Borden, Starwood is a 21st century band with a long list of '70s and '80s influences -- some hard rock and pop-metal, some punk, some glam rock.
	Tenacious D	Rightfully hailed as "the greatest band on Earth," the super-sized acoustic metal/comedy duo Tenacious D was an unlikely success story.
	Ten Benson	One of the U.K.'s stranger hard rock outfits, Ten Benson mixes the raw, basic sound of bands like Black Sabbath, Kiss, and AC/DC with lyrics ranging from the obvious (sex, evil) to the peculiar (robots, consumerism, Christmas).
	The Upper Crust	With a gimmick that involves the lyrical aspiration of a wealthy lifestyle to accompany their 18th century attire of powdered wigs, velvet knickers, and pancake makeup, the Upper Crust's intention of aspiring the worst rock & roll idea clicked upon their 1994 formation.
	Ween	Ween was the ultimate cosmic goof of the alternative rock era, a prodigiously talented and deliriously odd duo whose work traveled far beyond the constraints of parody and novelty into the heart of surrealist ecstasy.
	Louis XIV	The core unit of San Diego's Louis XIV had originally played together in the rootsy, alt-rocking Convoy, which issued an album called Black Licorice in 2001.
	Damon Fox
	Spiders & Snakes	Sunset Strip legend Lizzie Grey started London with Nikki Sixx in 1979, but Sixx immediately left to form Mötley Crüe (taking the duo's "Public Enemy No.
	Sturm und Drang	Sturm und Drang is a successful Finnish heavy metal band. The group was formed in 2004 by two friends, André Linman(guitar and vocals) and Henrik Kurkiala(bass and background vocals), after a Judas Priest concert.
	Ari Koivunen	Finnish metal singer Ari Koivunen was born June 7, 1984 in Kouvola. Koivunen grew up influenced by the sounds of groups like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden, playing drums and singing even as a school boy.
	Chickenfoot	Formed in 2008, the hard-rocking "supergroup" Chickenfoot features the talents of vocalist Sammy Hagar (Van Halen, Montrose), bass player Michael Anthony (Van Halen), drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani.
	Black Country Communion	A band featuring four veteran heavy-hitters of British and American hard rock, Black Country Communion are rooted in an alliance between bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) and blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa.
	The Ark	With an image built on '70s glam rock costumes and big gestures, combined with catchy radio-friendly songs, the Ark had a major breakthrough in Sweden in 2000.
	Monster Magnet	Retro-rock visionaries Monster Magnet spent much of the 1990s struggling against the prejudices imposed upon image and sound by alternative rock fashion nazis.
	Fozzy	According to the series of short films broadcast on the Internet, Fozzy is a legendary American metal band who, unable to get out of their record contract, spent 20 years in Japan; when they returned to the U.
	Fang Island	The Brooklyn-based indie rock outfit Fang Island craft impossibly heavy, hymn-like anthems that blend the uplifting and accessible hard rock melodiousness of Andrew W.
	Hanoi Rocks	Finland's major export to the world of heavy metal, Hanoi Rocks, drew much of their sound and inspiration from '70s glam rock and were thought by some to have fused the two styles more successfully than similar acts such as Mötley Crüe.
	Charm City Devils	Taking a cue from bluesy classic rock icons like Aerosmith and AC/DC, Baltimore, Maryland's Charm City Devils craft traditional hard rock anthems in the vein of Buckcherry and Aussie rockers Airbourne.
	Infectious Grooves	This underground supergroup (featuring Mike Muir of Suidical Tendencies and ex-Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins) is a provocative synthesis of funk and metal.
	Firehouse	Firehouse arrived at the tail end of the pop-metal explosion of the late '80s and early '90s, releasing their first album in 1991.
	40 Below Summer	Coming from New Jersey, 40 Below Summer delivers a sole and surpassed aggressiveness on their edgy and heavy rock tunes, at the same time supporting it with an indubitable sense of melody.
	Live Wire
	AC/DC	AC/DC's mammoth power chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock sounds of the '70s. In its own way, it was a reaction against the pompous art rock and lumbering arena rock of the early '70s.
	Kick Axe	Canadian mainstream metal band Kick Axe was formed in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1976 by brothers Victor Langen(bass) and Gary Langen(drums), along with guitarist Larry Gillstrom.
	Jackyl	Boogie rockers Jackyl were instantly lumped into the hair metal category upon their debut in 1992, but their sound was only vaguely reminiscent of the genre.

The Best of Me

3:30

from: The Best Of Me

2004 Warner Music UK Ltd

Bareback

from: Growing on Me

History of the Darkness

from: Permission to Land

2003 Warner Music UK Ltd