ARTIST · HARD ROCK / GLAM

The Darkness

Arena-rock sincerity with a wink—Queen-sized vocals, Thin Lizzy twin leads, and festival-ready silliness.

Hard rock
Glam metal

Updated 27 October 2026

Biography

The Darkness rebooted classic-rock joy for a new century, proving unironic hooks could still storm the charts.

Justin Hawkins’ upper register became the band’s siren call, riding brother Dan’s riffs and Frankie Poullain’s swaggering bass.

Beyond the breakthrough single, albums hide power ballads and prog-tinted detours programmers sneak between heavier blocks.

Clean streaming separates harmonised leads and room reverb on drums—details that make their live-room aesthetic click.

The Darkness began in Lowestoft with brothers Justin and Dan Hawkins, bassist Frankie Poullain, and drummer Ed Graham. Justin’s operatic falsetto and catsuit-clad stage persona brought back a glam-rock theatricality that many thought the UK had left behind. Permission to Land (2003) spawned I Believe in a Thing Called Love and Growing on Me, and the Christmas single Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End) became a seasonal favorite.

The band won several Brit Awards in 2004 but split in 2006 after the follow-up One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back. They reunited in 2011 and have since released Hot Cakes (2012), Last of Our Kind (2015), Pinewood Smile (2017), Easter Is Cancelled (2019), and Motorheart (2021).

Interesting facts about The Darkness

01 English rock band formed in Lowestoft, Suffolk in 2000.
02 Debut album Permission to Land (2003) included the hit I Believe in a Thing Called Love.
03 Brothers Justin and Dan Hawkins are the creative core on vocals/guitar and guitar respectively.
04 Justin Hawkins is known for his falsetto vocals.
05 The band reunited in 2011 after splitting in 2006.