Visit Lowestoft and you will see a plethora of sixty year old folks lying on the beach, or slowly shuffling along, where the hardest decision of the day appears to be which flavor ice cream to devour. Therefore a hard rock band hailing from these parts of the world are altogether very surprising. However, that is exactly what happened in 2003 with the formation of The Darkness and their debut album ‘Permission to Land’.
For a debut album the track listing reads like a greatest hits package, every single track is a highlight, there are no fillers on this album. However, there is no electronic experimentalism, garage rock, or pretentious acoustic efforts. All we have is screeching guitars, thumping bass, crashing drums; amps turned up to 11, over-the-top falsetto and a pyrotechnic display visible from space.
Therefore such high camp is quite unforgiving and therefore a lot of rock snobs will be truly offended by this venture. They are, however, missing the point entirely. The sub genre of flamboyant rock, or pomp rock, is so easy to spoof that it is almost a spoof genre in itself, Spinal Tap anyone? However, these guys are doing it with a straight face with plenty of passion and seriousness. It’s about turning this up loud and having fun, not to critically analyze. Just because it doesn’t have any profound meaning it doesn’t make it less of an album. The Darkness, unlike most other rock bands of the late 20th and early 21st century, are not depressed and ooze charisma in the same vain as AC/DC, Queen, Kiss and Thin Lizzy.
Lead singer Justin Hawkins, has vocals that could shatter steel and burst through your speakers with the force of an elephant stampede and use of falsetto that would make even the Bee Gees blush with stage swaggering bravado fully kitted out in spandex from head to toe. His brother, Dan, brings the guitar solo back into fashion and Frankie’s bass and Ed’s drumming complete this rock and roll fest with one killer moustache and leather to match.
The album starts off as it means to carry on; hard rocking and with intent, ‘Black Shuck’, a reference to their home county of Suffolk, rocks and there is nothing more to say. Turn it up and get the air guitars ready! Next is the genius ‘Get Your Hands Off My Woman’ and with lyrics like “octoped you have six arms too many, and you can’t keep them to yourselves” I have never gotten tired of listening to this now classic rock song. ‘Growing on Me’ is a grower, no pun intended, and is now one of my favorite songs from the album, not so much falsetto and a great song overall. ‘Love is Only a Feeling’ is a get-your-lighters-out moment, a monster of a ballad with stunning guitar solos. ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ will literally blow you away, probably their best song with a riff that is as memorable as any of the great rocks classics. ‘Givin Up’ is yet another great sing along effort from the band before leading into yet another genius song ‘Stuck in a Rut’. If you don’t get out your air guitar for this hard rocker then nothing will, awesome! ‘Friday Night’ is a great bit of fun before we are led into the fabulous ‘Love on the Rock with No Ice’ again, one of my favorites from the album. We finish with ‘Holding on my Own’ which is a great way to end of the best rock albums ever made.
Sadly, the band were short lived, shortly after their, less impressive follow up, they disbanded and remain only in our memories. Yet it has inspired others, namely Steel Panther who have carried the torch on into the late 200o’s. Here at number 7 is The Darkness with ‘Permission to Land’
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