It’s not been an easy road for the Lowestoft group. Following the commercial success of their 2003 debut album Permission to Land, bass player Frankie Poullain dropped out prior to the recording of their second album One Way Ticket to Hell … And Back. Shortly after it’s release, frontman Justin Hawkins also dropped out having completed his rehabilitation – this combined with poor album sales led to the band being dropped by Atlantic in 2006. A five-year hiatus followed while the band worked on separate projects, before announcing a string of reunion shows in 2011, sparking a new lease of life for the rockers.
Speaking on the new album, Justin Hawkins comments “you know that thing when God’s breath tickles your soul and tells you to create? Yeah, makes me giggle too. But you can’t resist. God might not be the power she once was, but say what you like about her, she knows damn well that what the world needs right now, is rock sweet rock. And who are we, mere mortals of extraordinary ability, to argue with the divine?”
While the band may have been commanded by a godlike force, have they delivered the sweet rock that the world needs so badly? I can gleefully report that they have done just that. After a set of strong single releases - including 'The Longest Kiss' and 'Rock and Roll Party Cowboy' - the album is complete with jaunty piano keys, brash confidence in the lyricism, and catchy riffs reminiscent of the bygone glamour of eighties glam rock. The elements of Queen that permeate the album are undeniable, helped in no small part by drummer Rufus Tiger Taylor, son of the legendary Roger Taylor.
The balance between growth and integrity is one of the more impressive things about this album – while it has stuck to the classic Darkness style that we know and love, it has a fresh and exciting feel. Each track elevates the energy of the last, before ending on an almost operatic final track 'Weekend in Rome', complete with strings and soaring vocals from Hawkins. For fans that may have fallen out of love with the band over the last four years, this is certain to be the rekindling you’re after.