The Darkness was a multi-
BRIT AwardThe Brit Awards, often simply called The Brits and stylized as The BRIT Awards, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British" or "Britannia", but has subsequently become a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
-winning
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
band. Their traditional
hard rockHard rock or heavy rock is a sub-genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and psychedelic rock and is considerably harder than conventional rock music...
style of music was influenced by bands like
QueenQueen were an English rock band. Formed in London in 1970 following the demise of the band Smile, Queen consisted of vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor. The band became popular with audiences via their hit songs, live performances,...
,
Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands, helping to pioneer the genre...
,
AC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Although the band are commonly classified as hard rock and are considered pioneers of heavy metal, they have always classified their music as "rock and roll".AC/DC underwent several line-up...
,
Mötley CrüeMötley Crüe is a American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The band was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
,
Guns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band, led by frontman and co-founder Axl Rose, has gone through numerous line-up changes and controversies since its formation...
,
AerosmithAerosmith is an American hard rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and seen by some as America's greatest rock and roll band. Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues,, and has...
,
SparksSparks is an American rock and pop music band formed in Los Angeles in 1970 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
,
Van HalenVan Halen is a hard rock band formed in , USA in 1974. They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978. As of 2007, Van Halen has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and have had the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, T.Rex, .38 Special,
Def LeppardDef Leppard are an English rock band from Sheffield, who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Largely on the strength of their albums Pyromania and Hysteria, Def Leppard became one of the top-selling rock bands throughout the 1980s, selling over 65 million albums...
,
WhitesnakeWhitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1977 by David Coverdale . The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple but by the mid eighties Whitesnake had moved away from the early blues-rock influenced heavy metal to a more commercial hard rock style.They were recently...
,
BostonBoston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
and
Thin LizzyThin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. The band were led throughout their recording career by bassist, songwriter and singer Phil Lynott, and are best known for their songs "Whiskey in the Jar", "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back in Town", all major...
. They were best known for the
falsettoThe term falsetto refers to the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal cords, in whole or in part...
of their lead singer
Justin HawkinsJustin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the former lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
, whose departure in 2006 resulted in the dissolution of the band.
Originally started in 1991 from Kirkley High School,
LowestoftLowestoft is a town on The Sunrise Coast in the county of Suffolk, England, lying between the eastern edge of Suffolk Broads on Oulton Broad and Lake Lothing which heads towards North Sea within the parliamentary constituency and District of Waveney...
in
SuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, brothers
Justin HawkinsJustin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the former lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
(
vocalsThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. Lead vocalists may also play one or more instruments...
and
guitarRhythm guitar is the use of a guitar to provide rhythmic chordal accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a musical ensemble. In ensembles or "bands" playing within the acoustic, country, blues, rock or metal genres , a guitarist playing the rhythm part of a composition supports the...
) and
Dan HawkinsDaniel Francis Hawkins is an English rock guitarist, noted for his strong revival of 70s classic rock and 80s metal....
(
guitarA lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays...
and
vocalsA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
) found themselves in London where they met up with childhood friends,
Frankie PoullainFrancis Gilles Poullain-Patterson , better known as Frankie Poullain, was the bass player for rock band The Darkness. He was born in Milnathort, Scotland. He attended The Royal High School from 1992 to 1998....
(
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
and vocals) and
Ed GrahamEd Graham was the drummer in the English rock band The Darkness as well as the subsequent successor band Stone Gods, before officially leaving in 2008 due to a physical inability to perform....
(
drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
and percussion), and thus The Darkness was formed.
The Darkness was a multi-
BRIT AwardThe Brit Awards, often simply called The Brits and stylized as The BRIT Awards, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British" or "Britannia", but has subsequently become a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
-winning
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
band. Their traditional
hard rockHard rock or heavy rock is a sub-genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and psychedelic rock and is considerably harder than conventional rock music...
style of music was influenced by bands like
QueenQueen were an English rock band. Formed in London in 1970 following the demise of the band Smile, Queen consisted of vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor. The band became popular with audiences via their hit songs, live performances,...
,
Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands, helping to pioneer the genre...
,
AC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Although the band are commonly classified as hard rock and are considered pioneers of heavy metal, they have always classified their music as "rock and roll".AC/DC underwent several line-up...
,
Mötley CrüeMötley Crüe is a American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The band was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
,
Guns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band, led by frontman and co-founder Axl Rose, has gone through numerous line-up changes and controversies since its formation...
,
AerosmithAerosmith is an American hard rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and seen by some as America's greatest rock and roll band. Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues,, and has...
,
SparksSparks is an American rock and pop music band formed in Los Angeles in 1970 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
,
Van HalenVan Halen is a hard rock band formed in , USA in 1974. They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978. As of 2007, Van Halen has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and have had the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, T.Rex, .38 Special,
Def LeppardDef Leppard are an English rock band from Sheffield, who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Largely on the strength of their albums Pyromania and Hysteria, Def Leppard became one of the top-selling rock bands throughout the 1980s, selling over 65 million albums...
,
WhitesnakeWhitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1977 by David Coverdale . The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple but by the mid eighties Whitesnake had moved away from the early blues-rock influenced heavy metal to a more commercial hard rock style.They were recently...
,
BostonBoston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
and
Thin LizzyThin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. The band were led throughout their recording career by bassist, songwriter and singer Phil Lynott, and are best known for their songs "Whiskey in the Jar", "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back in Town", all major...
. They were best known for the
falsettoThe term falsetto refers to the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal cords, in whole or in part...
of their lead singer
Justin HawkinsJustin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the former lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
, whose departure in 2006 resulted in the dissolution of the band.
Originally started in 1991 from Kirkley High School,
LowestoftLowestoft is a town on The Sunrise Coast in the county of Suffolk, England, lying between the eastern edge of Suffolk Broads on Oulton Broad and Lake Lothing which heads towards North Sea within the parliamentary constituency and District of Waveney...
in
SuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, brothers
Justin HawkinsJustin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the former lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
(
vocalsThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. Lead vocalists may also play one or more instruments...
and
guitarRhythm guitar is the use of a guitar to provide rhythmic chordal accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a musical ensemble. In ensembles or "bands" playing within the acoustic, country, blues, rock or metal genres , a guitarist playing the rhythm part of a composition supports the...
) and
Dan HawkinsDaniel Francis Hawkins is an English rock guitarist, noted for his strong revival of 70s classic rock and 80s metal....
(
guitarA lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays...
and
vocalsA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
) found themselves in London where they met up with childhood friends,
Frankie PoullainFrancis Gilles Poullain-Patterson , better known as Frankie Poullain, was the bass player for rock band The Darkness. He was born in Milnathort, Scotland. He attended The Royal High School from 1992 to 1998....
(
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
and vocals) and
Ed GrahamEd Graham was the drummer in the English rock band The Darkness as well as the subsequent successor band Stone Gods, before officially leaving in 2008 due to a physical inability to perform....
(
drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
and percussion), and thus The Darkness was formed. Dan initially saw his brother's potential of being a frontman after Justin did an impressive recreation of
Queen'sQueen were an English rock band. Formed in London in 1970 following the demise of the band Smile, Queen consisted of vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor. The band became popular with audiences via their hit songs, live performances,...
"
Bohemian Rhapsody"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is in the style of a stream-of-consciousness nightmare that has unusual song structure, more akin to a classical rhapsody than popular...
" at a New Year's Eve party in 1999, thrown by Justin and Dan's aunt in her pub The Swan at Gillingham just over the
River WaveneyThe Waveney is a river which forms the border between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads.-Course:The source of the river is a ditch on the east side of the B1113 road between the villages of Redgrave, Suffolk and South Lopham, Norfolk...
in
NorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast, including The Wash. The county town is Norwich...
, despite the fact that Justin was only miming to the original song. Playing at first only in pubs and bars, their pyrotechnic guitar solos and over the top performances soon brought them to public knowledge.
Band history
Joe Taylor and Paul Scaife at
The Tip SheetThe Tip Sheet was a weekly magazine and CD insert for UK music industry insiders. Jonathan King founded it and was managing editor until his imprisonment in 2001. His brother, Andy, took over the position, helped by Joe Taylor....
first heard about the band through a post on The Tip Sheet message board, and featured
Love Is Only A Feeling in January 2002. They started Record of the Day, and featured the song again around the time of SXSW in March 2003. They wanted to feature
Friday Night too but they were told the band was saving it for an album.
Permission to Land and commercial success
Their debut album,
Permission to LandPermission to Land is the debut studio album by English hard rock band The Darkness, released in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2003 and in the United States on 5 August 2003. The album topped the UK Albums Chart and reached number thirty-six on the American Billboard 200 chart...
, went straight up to number two in the UK charts upon its release on 7 July 2003, before going to number one and staying there for four weeks, eventually going on to sell 1.5 million copies in the UK.
The Darkness took inspiration for some of their work from the local north Suffolk area, including "
Black ShuckBlack Shuck or Old Shuck is the name given to a ghostly black dog which is said to roam the Norfolk, Essex and Suffolk coastline.- The legend :...
" which mentions the nearby village of
BlythburghBlythburgh is an English village in area known as the Sandlings, part of the Suffolk heritage coast. The milestone in the village shows it is thirty miles from Ipswich, and twenty-four miles south of Great Yarmouth, and is divided by the London trunk road....
.
The success of this album led to heavy touring for the band, including European portions of
MetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk...
's Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003. They then went on to headline the Carling Festival in 2004. The band won three
BRIT AwardsThe Brit Awards, often simply called The Brits and stylized as The BRIT Awards, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British" or "Britannia", but has subsequently become a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
in 2004 in response to the album,
Best Group,
Best Rock Group and
Best Album. They also won two
Kerrang!Kerrang! is a rock music magazine published by Bauer Consumer Media in the United Kingdom. The magazine's name is onomatopoeic and refers to the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar.-History:...
awards in 2004 for
Best Live Act and
Best British Band. The third single from the album, "
I Believe in a Thing Called Love"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is a song by the English rock band The Darkness. The song reached #2 in the UK Singles Charts, beaten by the Black Eyed Peas' "Where Is the Love?".Lead singer Justin Hawkins sings most of the song in a falsetto...
", was a substantial hit in the UK as was their tilt at the Christmas 2003 number 1, "
Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)"Christmas Time " was a single released by The Darkness in the UK during December 2003, to fall in with the famous UK Christmas Number One Race.-Race for Christmas #1:...
", which only just fell short, both singles reaching No.2 in 2003.
The band themselves seemed to show signs that they were disillusioned with their constant media appearances, infamously walking off of an episode of the U.S.-nationally-syndicated radio
talk showA talk show or chat show is a television or radio program where one person or group of people come together to discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host...
LovelineLoveline is a syndicated radio call-in program in the United States, Canada and Mexico, offering medical and relationship advice to listeners, often with the assistance of guests, typically actors and musicians. Its flagship station is KROQ-FM in Los Angeles.As of July, 2008, Loveline is heard...
(to the barely-concealed delight of hosts
Adam CarollaAdam Carolla is an American radio and television host, comedian, and actor. He is the host of The Adam Carolla Podcast, before which he hosted a weekday morning radio program broadcast from Los Angeles and syndicated by CBS Radio until his home station changed formats...
and Dr.
Drew PinskyDavid Drew Pinsky , better known as Dr. Drew, is an American radio and television personality and board-certified internist and addiction medicine specialist. He is the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show, Loveline, which he has hosted since 1984. On television he produces and hosts...
on 19 April 2004). Ultimately, the band responded to the criticism of over-saturation by touring the UK's top arenas on their
Winter-National Tour. One part of the show included Justin climbing upon a life-sized tiger during "Love on the Rocks with No Ice" and being elevated above the audience whilst playing guitar. The majority of the shows on the tour had sold out.
One Way Ticket to Hell... And Back
On 23 May 2005 bassist
Frankie PoullainFrancis Gilles Poullain-Patterson , better known as Frankie Poullain, was the bass player for rock band The Darkness. He was born in Milnathort, Scotland. He attended The Royal High School from 1992 to 1998....
left the band during recording of their second album,
One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back, apparently due to "musical differences". Frankie has disputed this version of events, claiming he was "frozen out" and forced to leave the band. On 13 June 2005, The Darkness announced that
Richie EdwardsRichie Edwards was born on 25 September, 1974, in Lichfield, England. Richie is the former bassist of the British hard rock band The Darkness and the guitarist/vocalist of their successor band Stone Gods. He was confirmed as a member on 13 June, 2005 replacing Frankie Poullain on bass...
, formerly Dan's
guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
technician, had replaced Frankie as bassist.
In October 2005, a month before the album was to be officially released, Justin Hawkins won an
eBayeBay Inc. is an American Internet company that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide. A majority of the sales take place through a set-time auction format, but subsequent methods include...
auction for a copy of
One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back for £350 under the username 'turbogunhawk'. He claimed he did this so that he could track down whoever sold the digitally-marked advance copy of the album and try to prevent it from happening again.
"One Way Ticket", the first single from their second album, was released on 14 November 2005, debuting and peaking at number 8 on the UK Singles chart. The album itself was released on 28 November 2005, to somewhat mixed reviews. The album was produced by rock producer
Roy Thomas BakerRoy Thomas Baker Internationally renowned multi gold, platinum and award winning English music producer, songwriter and arranger whose unique production technique created a number of extremely popular pop and rock records from the 1970s to the present...
, best known for his work with
QueenQueen were an English rock band. Formed in London in 1970 following the demise of the band Smile, Queen consisted of vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor. The band became popular with audiences via their hit songs, live performances,...
. Early sales figures in the UK showed the album had not sold as well its predecessor,
Permission to LandPermission to Land is the debut studio album by English hard rock band The Darkness, released in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2003 and in the United States on 5 August 2003. The album topped the UK Albums Chart and reached number thirty-six on the American Billboard 200 chart...
. The album debuted at number 11, and fell to number 34 in the second week of its release. Although it has since reached platinum status, this contrasts with their debut's five times platinum status.
The second single taken from their second album was "Is It Just Me?", released on 20 February 2006. The single gained a preliminary position of No. 6 all that week, but finally charted at number 8. Justin announced when on stage that their third single to be released from the album was "Girlfriend". Released 22 May, "Girlfriend" charted at number 39, mainly due to the lack of radio play and promotion.
The band followed up their second album with a tour of the UK and Ireland, consisting of 12 dates in the major cities. The tour opened in Dublin's
Point DepotThe Point Theatre was a concert and events venue in Ireland, that ran from 1988 - 2007, enjoyed by in excess of 2 million people. It was located on the North Wall Quay of the River Liffey, amongst the Dublin Docklands...
on 4 February and closed in the Nottingham Arena on 20 February. Few of the venues sold out, their appeal seemingly having become more selective. Their world tour, which followed, arrived in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
after touring Scandinavia and Continental Europe in March.
Justin Hawkins' departure
In August 2006, lead singer Justin Hawkins was admitted to a rehabilitation clinic in concern of his health, which caused the band to cancel several concerts. Around this same time the band confirmed that they were to start working on their third album to be released early 2007. However on 10 October 2006,
The SunThe Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland with the second highest circulation of any daily English-language newspaper in the world and the biggest circulation within the UK, standing at an average of 2,986,000 copies a day between January and June 2008 and...
newspaper reported that Justin Hawkins was leaving the band after completing his course of rehabilitation from alcohol and cocaine problems. The article, and ensuing rumours, stated that the band would continue without him, possibly with Richie Edwards as the front man. In response to the story being reported by the media, the following message was posted on The Darkness' official forum:
"We're sorry that you had to find this out through the newspapers, but we were hoping until the last minute that this - Justin's exit - wasn't going to happen. We - Dan, Ed and Richie - are still in total shock and can't say at this stage what the future holds. We would like to thank all our fans, partners and family for their continuous support. You will hear from us, once we know what we want to do..."
Stone Gods
On 24 December 2006, it was reported by
Yahoo! NewsYahoo! News is an Internet-based news aggregator provided by Yahoo!. It features Top Stories, U.S. National, World, Business, Entertainment, Science, Health, Weather, Most Popular, News Photos, Op/Ed, and Local news....
that bass player Richie Edwards would become the group's new frontman, with
Toby MacFarlaineToby MacFarlaine is an English rock bassist.MacFarlaine is now the bassist for a UK rockband called Stone Gods, with the remaining members of the now defunct UK rock band The Darkness. He regualry writes blogs for the band and has started to make a name for himself through many interviews and...
to join The Darkness and take over on bass. In blog entries on
MySpaceMySpace is a social networking website. Its headquarters are in Beverly Hills, California, USA, where it shares an office building with its immediate owner, Fox Interactive Media, which is owned by News Corporation. MySpace became the most popular social networking site in the United...
, Richie Edwards, Dan Hawkins and Ed Graham said that they had started recording a new album with Toby McFarlaine, and that they had formed a new band together.
On 2 March 2007, The Darkness' official website was changed, showing a photograph of the new, and as yet unnamed band. Links to the members individual Myspace pages were included, confirming the line-up of
Richie EdwardsRichie Edwards was born on 25 September, 1974, in Lichfield, England. Richie is the former bassist of the British hard rock band The Darkness and the guitarist/vocalist of their successor band Stone Gods. He was confirmed as a member on 13 June, 2005 replacing Frankie Poullain on bass...
,
Dan HawkinsDaniel Francis Hawkins is an English rock guitarist, noted for his strong revival of 70s classic rock and 80s metal....
,
Toby MacFarlaineToby MacFarlaine is an English rock bassist.MacFarlaine is now the bassist for a UK rockband called Stone Gods, with the remaining members of the now defunct UK rock band The Darkness. He regualry writes blogs for the band and has started to make a name for himself through many interviews and...
and
Ed GrahamEd Graham was the drummer in the English rock band The Darkness as well as the subsequent successor band Stone Gods, before officially leaving in 2008 due to a physical inability to perform....
. Richie later added a message to the site, categorically confirming that the band would not continue under the name "The Darkness", saying "we are literally days away from announcing our new name".
It was announced on 25 August 2007 that the band had finished recording an album but no release dates or names, of either the band or album, had been decided. Record label and support has yet to be decided.
On 9 November 2007, it was announced on The
University of East AngliaThe University of East Anglia is a public research university in Norwich, England. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities. The University was ranked 20th in the The Times Good University Guide 2008, and joint first for student...
's
student unionStudent union may refer to:* Students' union, or student government in the U.S., a student organization at many colleges and universities dedicated to student governance...
website that the new band would be called
Stone GodsStone Gods are a hard rock / heavy metal band formed by ex-members of defunct UK hard rock band The Darkness. Their debut album, titled Silver Spoons & Broken Bones, was released on 7 July 2008, with the first single "Knight of the Living Dead" being released on June 23 2008.-Formation:When Justin...
. This name was confirmed on the official website on 21 November 2007. The line-up was confirmed as Dan Hawkins (lead guitar), Toby MacFarlaine (bass), Ed Graham (drums) and Robin Goodridge (vocals/guitar).
Reform
Hot Leg played a gig in the Ocean Rooms
BrightonBrighton is a town in the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain...
in May 2009, where Justin was met by his brother Dan. After much nagging and chanting from the crowd. Dan joined him on stage and they played their hit 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love'. However much confrontation was still evident in the band when Dan whispered to Justin during the performance in a humorous manner "you're an absolute cunt". This was confirmed as Justin mentioned to the crowd after the song, and proceeding to say "I think he meant it!".
Tours
- 2002-2003 Tour
- Get Your Hands Off of My Woman Tour
- 2003 Tour
- Attack the Giant Leeches UK & Ireland Tour
- 2003 Tour
- The Elf Hazzard Tour
- 2003-2004 Tour
- Permission to Land European/USA Tour
- European Festival Tour
- 2004 Tour
- 2004 Winter-National Tour
- One Way Ticket World Tour 2005-2006
Albums
| Year |
Album details |
Peak chart positions |
Certifications
(sales threshold) |
| UK The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
|
AUS The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
|
FRAFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
|
CAN The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS Airplay...
|
US The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
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US Heat Top Heatseekers is a weekly albums chart introduced by Billboard in 1993 whose purpose is to highlight sales by new and developing musical recording artists. Albums appearing on Top Heatseekers may also concurrently appear on the Billboard 200....
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| 2003 |
Permission to Land Permission to Land is the debut studio album by English hard rock band The Darkness, released in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2003 and in the United States on 5 August 2003. The album topped the UK Albums Chart and reached number thirty-six on the American Billboard 200 chart...
- Released: July 7, 2003
- Label: Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm & blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
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1 |
17 |
62 |
10 |
36 |
3 |
UK BPI may refer to:In business:*Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, a public high school in Maryland*Banca Popolare Italiana, an Italian bank merged into Banco Popolare*Banco Português de Investimento, a Portuguese bank...
: 4× Multi-Platinum
AUSThe Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
: Gold
US: Gold |
| 2005 |
One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back
Released: November 28, 2005
Label: Atlantic Records |
11 |
25 |
132 |
— |
58 |
— |
UK: Gold |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or not released |
EPs
| Year |
Album details |
UK |
| 2002 |
I Believe in a Thing Called Love
- Released: August 12, 2002
- Label: Must Destroy Music
|
126 |
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Peak chart positions |
Album |
| UK The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
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US Main |
US Mod |
AUS The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
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| 2002 |
"Get Your Hands off My Woman "Get Your Hands off My Woman" is a song by the English rock band, The Darkness. Released in February 2003, the song was the band's first notable single and won a Metal Hammer "Golden God" award for best single, despite being the band's lowest charting single worldwide. Later in 2003, the song...
" |
43 |
— |
— |
— |
Permission to Land |
| 2003 |
"Growing on Me "Growing on Me" is a song by the glam metal band The Darkness from their album Permission to Land. It was released as a single in June 16 2003.-Background and lyrics:...
" |
11 |
40 |
31 |
46 |
| "I Believe in a Thing Called Love "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is a song by the English rock band The Darkness. The song reached #2 in the UK Singles Charts, beaten by the Black Eyed Peas' "Where Is the Love?".Lead singer Justin Hawkins sings most of the song in a falsetto...
" |
2 |
23 |
9 |
40 |
| 2004 |
"Love Is Only a Feeling "Love Is Only a Feeling" is a song by the English rock group The Darkness. It is the fifth single by the band and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart.-Music video:...
" |
5 |
— |
— |
35 |
| 2005 |
"One Way Ticket "One Way Ticket" is the leading single from British rock band The Darkness's second studio album, One Way Ticket to Hell... And Back. It reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart...
" |
8 |
— |
— |
36 |
One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back |
| 2006 |
"Is It Just Me?" |
8 |
— |
— |
39 |
| "Girlfriend "Girlfriend" is a 2006 single from the British rock band The Darkness from their second album One Way Ticket to Hell... And Back. Released on 22 May 2006, it was the third single from the album....
" |
39 |
— |
— |
— |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or not released |
Other charted songs
| Year |
Single |
UK |
Album |
| 2003 |
"Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End) "Christmas Time " was a single released by The Darkness in the UK during December 2003, to fall in with the famous UK Christmas Number One Race.-Race for Christmas #1:...
" |
2 |
Non-album song |
Single certifications
| Single |
UK |
US |
| "Growing on Me" |
Gold |
— |
| "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" |
Platinum |
Gold |
| "Love Is Only a Feeling" |
Gold |
— |
| "One Way Ticket" |
Gold |
— |
| Is It Just Me" |
Gold |
— |
2003
- Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a rock music magazine published by Bauer Consumer Media in the United Kingdom. The magazine's name is onomatopoeic and refers to the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar.-History:...
Best Album (Permission to Land)
- Kerrang! Best Live Act
- Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal magazine in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in Germany, Italy, Austria, Finland, Spain, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, Serbia and Australia by a different publisher. It features mainstream and more unusual bands from the wide spectrum of metal music...
'Golden God' for Best Single (Get Your Hands Off My Woman)
2004
- Kerrang! Best British Band
- Kerrang! Best Live Act
- Metal Hammer 'Golden God' for Best Video ("Love Is Only a Feeling")
- Ivor Novello Award for Songwriters of the Year
- BRIT Award
The Brit Awards, often simply called The Brits and stylized as The BRIT Awards, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British" or "Britannia", but has subsequently become a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
for Best Act
- BRIT Award
The Brit Awards, often simply called The Brits and stylized as The BRIT Awards, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British" or "Britannia", but has subsequently become a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
for Best Rock Act
- BRIT Award
The Brit Awards, often simply called The Brits and stylized as The BRIT Awards, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British" or "Britannia", but has subsequently become a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
for Best Album (Permission to Land)
- MTV Europe Music Award for Best MTV2 UK & Ireland Act
- IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organization that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide...
Platinum Europe Award for sales in Europe in excess of 1,000,000 (triple Platinum) (Permission to Land)
- Elle Style Award
-2008:*Best Actor -*Best Actress - Keira Knightley*Best Male Music Star -*Best Female Music Star -*Best TV Star -*Levi's Hot Look -*Levi's Hot Talent -*Best Model - Agyness Deyn*British Designer of the Year - Jonathan Saunders...
for Most Stylish Band
- Meteor Ireland Award for Best Album (Permission to Land)
- Smash Hits! Pollwinners' Party for Best Rock Award
- RIAA Digital Sales Certifications Gold Award for 100,000 downloads ("I Believe in a Thing Called Love")
- European Border Breakers Award for debut albums of European acts achieving the best sales outside of their country of origin in 2003 (Permission to Land)
2005
- ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is a not-for-profit performance rights organization that protects its members' musical copyrights by monitoring public performances of their music, whether via a broadcast or live performance, and compensating them accordingly...
Award for one of the Most Performed Works in the USA ("I Believe in a Thing Called Love")
External links