Major Major Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 "Give me a 'D'!" "Give me an 'Arkness'!" Yes folks, Lowestoft's finest are back! Following their acrimonious, coke-fuelled split several years ago, the unfeasibly camp Justin Hawkins has reformed the classic line-up, and the band have just unleashed their third masterpiece, in the latest move in their one-man Mission To Save Rock. 'Hot Cakes' is closer to their classic debut 'Permission To Land' than its ambitious & diverse follow-up, 'One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back', and admirers will be relieved to hear that former jingle-writer Hawkins has come through yet again with more bangin' tunes full of outrageous falsetto & recycled AC/DC riffs, all delivered with a knowing wink and an arched eyebrow. When they broke through back in 2003, seasoned rock fans weren't quite sure what to make of them and their irreverent take on the mutually masturbatory rock ritual - rock fans are generally a fairly humourless bunch, who take the whole freakshow far too seriously - but those of us who don't feel threatened by parody & pastiche welcomed these gay (in the original sense of the word) young whippersnappers as a breath of fresh air, at a time when rock had become way too po-faced and introspective. Here then are a couple of delights from the new album: first up, a typical slab of Darkness self-mythology, complete with a heartfelt lyrical nod to LZ-fandom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAQhHSw6KFk And they've finally done a studio version of their awesome reading of Radiohead's 'Street Spirit' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97IcMvkyw-Y More soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazedjeffy Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/darkness-and-jimmy-page-black-beauty-0823-2012.aspx And you have a Gibson Custom Shop “Black Beauty” Les Paul especially made for Jimmy Page – but he returned it because it was too heavy for him? And you got it? Yep. I call that my “Love is More Than a Feeling” guitar. It wasn’t on that first album track, but it’s on both other albums since and live for the song. I had the Bigsby taken off, and a hardtail put on. I had a Fishman Powerbridge pickup put on so I could switch to an acoustic sound. It’s had an interesting life already, that Les Paul. I was waiting for delivery of a different humbucker to fit on it, but my then-guitar tech said he had a ‘bucker that he’d taken out of one of Angus Young’s SGs. He fitted Angus’s old pickup, it sounded awesome, so I left it in. It’s become my Page-enstein Les Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 The last I heard from Darkness was this advertisement aired during this year's Super Bowl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjK_mKfosvw&feature=youtube_gdata_player Frankly, I didn't know if this augured a comeback or a death knell. I guess it meant a comeback after all...although time and the public's response to the new album will tell. With today's ADD generation, does anyone even remember 2003-04? I, for one, wish Justin luck. On a related tip, the Hives are back, too. They're playing my town Sept. 14. Now...whatever happened to Sahara Hotnights, International Noise Conspiracy, and Mooney Suzuki? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles J. White Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 The Darkness had the chance to be the biggest band in the world for a brief time, and they threw it all away by not finding a way to be friends at the height of there fame. Now they have to try and rebuild it and hope to get at number 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenman Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 The biggest problem they had was I'd say that the first album was just so damn good it was very hard to follow, not just better than most albums of the scene it aped but better than most greatest hits albums of that era aswell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knebby Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 The Darkness had the chance to be the biggest band in the world Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles J. White Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 You forgot the part that says "for a brief time" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knebby Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 ^ I don't see what's so funny about your observation, Charles. And anyway, I would argue that they were the biggest, and the best - for a brief time. For example, they're the only band who've ever induced me to go out & buy every available format of a Christmas single. That's certainly the criteria to qualify as "the biggest band in the world" . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Klu Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 i just dug up this corpse to say i saw them live last thursday in LA. they were epic. if you get a chance to catch them on this tour they are still in their prime. The setlist is epic, all the old favs, and helps the new album is pretty frikkin good, and they are playing smallish venues that they are waaayy to good to be playing. http://www.laweekly.com/slideshow/the-darkness-kick-off-their-tour-at-the-fonda-theatre-9310510/45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlennon696 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 Im furthur digging this thread up as i recently got the live at Hammersmith CD and yes, it's fucking tremendous!! Been waiting for an official live Darkness release for years and this features a top notch performance and a great set list. Love this band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldilocks Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 (edited) Rufus Taylor (son of Queen's Roger Taylor) is their drummer and he's good! Edited April 1, 2019 by Goldilocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlennon696 Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvlz2 Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvlz2 Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/the-darkness-watch-lyric-video-for-new-song-heart-explodes/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvlz2 Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/justin-hawkins-the-darkness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvlz2 Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvlz2 Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvlz2 Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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