The Darkness Have “Permission To Land” In Australia

The Darkness have landed and their Australian tour starts right here in Adelaide at Hindley Street Music Hall on Tuesday night. Delivering iconic songs such as I Believe in A Thing Called Love and Love Is Only A Feeling, the band’s album, Permission to Land will be performed live, in its entirety, for fans plus a string of album B-sides and rarities.

Igniting the mainstream rock scene in the early 2000s with their trademark falsetto, spandex, guitar riffs and theatrical live shows, the band’s album topped the UK charts almost overnight, surpassing 5x Platinum and selling over 1.5 million copies in the UK alone. It’s no wonder the album swept The Darkness into a whirlwind of global success, sharing the stages alongside rock icons such as Queen, Guns ’n Roses, Black Sabbath, Def Leppard, and the immortal, KISS. Dan Hawkins answers a few questions about the tour for Hi Fi Way.

Twenty years since the release of the band’s debut album Permission To Land. How has it been going back and revisiting that album?
What was really interesting was how many times we recorded and demoed the songs. We were just chipping away at them all the time! It’s been great and unearthing those original recordings was a real highlight for me! Most of the vocals were done in Justin’s tiny bedsit with a duvet on top of his head!

Given the ups, downs and in between are you stoked to be going even stronger now some twenty years later?
It really doesn’t feel like twenty years, I think we’ve finally hit our stride – we had a lot of nervous energy back in the day – it’s still there but we can harness it now so things sound better live. There is a tangible buzz about the band again – it’s almost like we had to stick around long enough to become accepted as one of the great classic rock bands.

On reflection was your second album a pivotal point splitting up and reuniting five years later?
It had to happen really, or someone was going to die! Things had got really out of hand – rock ‘n roll is great and everything but it’s quite easy to not keep your eyes on the road and go hurtling off a cliff.

What highlights or moments stood out for you when Permission To Land was released?
We had a lunch party that I was kicked out of twice for doing naughty things in the toilet.

Did anything ever prepare you for much your life would change?
We weren’t kids when the band finally took off (I was 27) and I had been living in squalor in London totally committed to thin chance of being a pro musician, living on cornflakes for eleven years so when it finally happened I was ready to “Carpe Diem the shit out of it”.

If you had your time over would you do anything differently?
Nope.

Is Australia your favourite place to tour?
Yes. Hands Down.

How do you find playing Permission To Land in its entirety?
It’s great – it definitely stands up as an album still!

Are there any songs from it that you enjoy playing more now than ever before?
Givin’ Up has always been my favourite and probably always will.

Are there plans for new music this year?
Well, we are writing and recording like bastards to hopefully get a new album out early 2025 – watch this space.

Favourite Australian band?
AC/DC, obviously.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch The Darkness on the following dates, tickets from SBM Presents…

Also performing Let There Be Rock…