The Darkness

By mixing hair-metal influences, flamboyant pop hooks, and Spinal Tap humor into a winning combination, The Darkness topped the UK charts with their debut in 2003, launching a long career as a rock 'n' roll mainstays. The British band was formed by brothers Justin and Dan Hawkins in Lowestoft, Suffolk, in 2000. The group's debut, Permission to Land, reached Number 1 in the UK upon its release in 2002, while also spawning four Top 40 singles. "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" and the holiday single "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" both went platinum, and the group returned in 2005 with One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back. Despite featuring Top 10 singles "One Way Ticket" and "Is It Just Me?," the album failed to capture the same level of success as its predecessor. With lead singer Justin Hawkins checking into rehab suffering from alcohol and drug addiction, the band split in 2006. The band members reunited in 2011, playing festivals around the UK and prepping for the release of their third album, Hot Cakes, in 2012. Last of Our Kind, The Darkness' fourth album, followed in 2015, as did another Christmas single, "I Am Santa." 2017's Pinewood Smile and 2019's Easter Is Cancelled both charted within the Top 10 in the UK, while 2021's Motorheart peaked at number 16. Meanwhile, "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" enjoyed success as a perennial holiday favorite, hitting number 14 on the American Top 25 LyricFind chart in December 2023. In November of that year, the band released a feature documentary film called Welcome to the Darkness, released on DVD. On March 2025 followed their eighth album Dreams on Toast, which entered the UK Album Chart at number 2, the highest position since Permission to Land.

Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.