The Darkness at The Wiltern

Who would have thought that musicians are still delivering eighties-style glam rock in the 21st century? It’s not totally unheard of. Twenty years ago, the Darkness came out with a bang. Their debut single, “Get Your Hands off My Woman,” peaked at number 4 on the U.K. Rock chart. The hit was quickly followed by “Growing On Me,” a notch higher than its predecessor. By September 2003, the band made their breakthrough in the U.S. with their third single, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.” The song topped the U.K. rock chart and peaked at number 2 on their mainstream chart. Meanwhile, the single entered four Billboard charts, peaking at number 9 on the Alternative Airplay. Aside from the U.K. and the U.S., the song also entered the charts in 11 other countries. This period saw a revival of the classic glam rock style, with lead singer, Justin Hawkin, donning big hair, open silk shirts, and tight bell-bottom pants. Clearly, this retro revival moment was very much welcomed by music fans because Permission to Land sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. and over 700,000 copies in the U.S. Meanwhile, worldwide sales were reported to have reached over three million copies. This unbelievable feat paved the way for other glam- and classic-rock-influenced bands, such as Steel Panther, Airbourne, Wolfmother, and Greta Van Fleet.

This viral moment from The Darkness was not short-lived because the band has moved on to become one of the most prominent glam metal bands in the U.K. Their subsequent releases continued to perform remarkably on the chart. In 2012, almost ten years after their debut album, they released their third effort, Hot Cakes. It took a while for their third album to come out after their sophomore effort, One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back. The band took a five-year break but eventually reunited and wrote new music for a new record. The album spawned the hits “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us” and “Everybody Have a Good Time,” peaked at number 4 in the U.K. and number 2 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums.

The band moved on to release several more albums, including their latest effort, Motorheart, which featured critically acclaimed singles, “Nobody Can See Me Cry,” “Jussy’s Girl,” “It’s Love Jim,” and the title track.

The band’s two-decade career has resulted in numerous accolades, including a Classic Rock Roll of Honor Awards, four Kerrang Awards, three Brit Awards, an Ivor Novello Award, an MTV Europe Music Award, and a Mercury Prize nomination for Album of the Year for Permission to Land. The band has also released six number-1 singles in the U.K.

Catch The Darkness this fall at The Wiltern by securing your tickets now!