Dreams on Toast and 20 Years of Permission to Land: The Darkness Shine at Rough Trade, Liverpool

Incredibly, it’s been over 20 years since The Darkness’ Permission to Land took the country by storm.

It’s easy to forget how monumental that album was. For around 18 months, everything they touched turned to gold: multiple hit singles like Growing on Me, Love Is Only a Feeling, Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End), and, of course, I Believe in a Thing Called Love. They owned the 2004 BRIT Awards, featured on The South Bank Show, and played multiple nights in the biggest arenas in the country. You know you’ve made it big when you’re feuding with Noel Gallagher.

The sheer level of success that album enjoyed turned out to be a fluke. The wheels came off soon after, with band members ducking out, sales of follow-up One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back plummeting, and attendance for the subsequent tour way down on the previous one. By the end of 2006, The Darkness were no more.

That shouldn’t reflect on their material, though—more on how bizarre it was that Permission to Land was so big in the first place. Some people took them too seriously, others not seriously enough, and a select few in the middle got it.

How did this power-chord-strumming, catsuit-wearing, glam-rock throwback—complete with AC/DC riffage, Queen harmonies, and lyrics straight out of a Carry On script—sell a bazillion records in the early 2000s, a time dominated by really bland indie landfill?

I tend to follow Occam’s Razor: the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. And the simplest explanation here? The Darkness were so big because they’re fucking good.

Tonight, they delivered a brisk 30-minute set at Rough Trade Liverpool, a short performance celebrating their upcoming eighth album, Dreams on Toast. Most of these songs haven’t been heard before, but it’s a testament to The Darkness’ enduring power that this doesn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. They don’t throw in any of the old hits or even dust off the Christmas song for the festive season. Instead, they hold the audience’s attention with a set of songs that aren’t even out yet.

Justin Hawkins was always a great frontman, but he’s arguably better now than during the band’s heyday. He looks like a man in his prime—healthier than I’ve ever been—with wit and charm that radiate. Early in the set, immediately after opener Rock & Roll Party Cowboy, he notices some children standing near the speaker without ear protection. Hawkins ushers them to the stage wings for safety. It’s a sweet moment, kept from turning saccharine by his quick-fire jokes. He keeps the crowd entertained as drummer Rufus Tiger Taylor (son of Queen’s Roger Taylor, which feels like fate) fixes a technical issue.

His pièce de résistance, though, comes during Walking Through Fire, when he convinces the entire audience to perform synchronised choreography. Getting a full room of people to obey your every whim is a rare kind of power, and we’re lucky Hawkins doesn’t use it for evil.

The set closes with the two singles released from the upcoming album: The Longest Kiss and the Cheap Trick-esque power pop of I Hate Myself.

Between the anniversary of Permission to Land, the 20-year nostalgia cycle, the recent documentary (Welcome to The Darkness), and the success of Hawkins’ YouTube channel, The Darkness seem poised for a commercial comeback. On stage, Justin announced that, based on pre-orders, if the album were released this week, it would debut at number one (though he admitted the information came from the record company, “who are always full of shit”).

Will they ever reach the heights of Permission to Land again? Probably not. That was a once-in-a-lifetime success. And truth be told, the material they played tonight wasn’t markedly stronger than their recent albums. But, in case you haven’t been paying attention, The Darkness have been one of the most consistent rock bands of the 21st century. It might be tempting to lump them in with parody acts like Steel Panther, but their songs are too good for that. They’re not parodic—they’re self-aware. At no point do you believe they’re oblivious to their own ridiculousness.

Maybe that’s another reason we’re ready for a Darkness resurgence. Everything feels so bleak these days. We need something to make us sing, dance, and smile.

What The Darkness are reaching now is more than a commercial resurgence. They’re becoming truly beloved.