One Monday evening in The Lucas Arms, three Darklings of long standing and high audience participation met to discuss The Darkness. Or, rather, I promised beer if they turned up at 7ish and gave me an indepth interview on the ‘Old Days’. What follows is basically a pub chat between three old timers – memories, banter, opinion, anecdotes and a high regard for silliness in the quest to record a large amount of little known Darkness-related bollocks. We did that admirably.

OI: Right then, Dave, your turn first. When and where was the first time?

Dave: The first time I heard about The Darkness was when Justin approached me at 3 o’clock in the morning outside Stay Beautiful Club.

Karl: This story’s already better than mine!

OI: That’s a good place to start!

Dave: Because they were playing upstairs in a pub the night after, so he just handed over a flyer. You meet someone at 3am, and think brilliant, we can do something tomorrow now! I think we ended up helping him hand out the flyers for some reason, because that’s the kind of thing you do at 3 in the morning.

OI: It is!

Dave: So we went to see them play, it was September 2001, and that was at the Barfly in Camden, back in the days when the Barfly literally was just the upstairs room of a pub where bands played sometimes. And they were brilliant! Ridiculous amounts of fun, really.

OI: Was that it, then? When the love affair started?

Dave: Well, it wasn’t so much of an immediate love affair of ‘This is my new favourite band’. It was that kind of thing where you see a band in a pub and think ‘Fuck, that was good, and we’ll go again next week’.

OI: Was that when they were doing the weekly Barfly?

Dave: They weren’t doing anything weekly at that point. Every couple of weeks.

Karl: Was that the thing called ‘Uncle Bob’s Wedding Reception’ or something like that?

Dave: Uncle Bob’s Wedding Reception was when they were doing gigs at the Verge, which was slightly less well known than the Barfly. I can never remember what they’re calling it these days. It literally was just that. I saw them in a pub, thought they were a good band, saw them a couple of weeks later, and again, and it just goes from there really.

OI: and you never thought ‘Actually, this isn’t as good as it promised to be, at the beginning?

Dave: How do you mean?

OI: You know when you go and see a band the first couple of times and then start to get bored of it. Clearly not…

Dave: Certainly going through the Camden pub days, at no point did the joke ever show signs of wearing thin.

OI: Best joke in Camden at the time?

Dave: It’s funny, they must have been doing reasonably well, because they were able to headline a Saturday night in a Camden pub. Its not like they spent an awful lot of time toiling around playing third on, on a Thursday.

Karl: It always seems that some don’t have the talent, though, headlining, just be in the right place at the right time.

Dave: I’m sure there were plenty of bills back then where they were headlining because everyone else wanted to get on, get off and get pissed.

Karl: I guess so, but they evolved out of Empire as well, who had a following as such.

Dave: They were a known pubbing band.

Karl: Yeah, there were people in that band that were known around, in Dan and Frankie’s case. And they had management kind of pre-attached to them in some form, didn’t they.

Dave: And also, as well as Empire, there was Thirteen:13…

Karl: And two members of the Britpop band Catch…

Dave: So obviously there were some connections from that. In fact, I remember a couple of months after I first saw them, I bumped into them at a Thirteen:13 gig. The stated reason at the time was that Dan wanted to check up on his bass amp, cos he did still want it back at some point. I don’t know if he did get it back.

Karl: Were you around for the buffet?

Dave: There was more than one buffet!

Karl: There was one where they cut their fingers.

OI: That was Dan.

Dave: I don’t remember any bloody buffet! I do remember them playing at the Verge in Camden, they had a nice little trestle table up at the back with breadsticks and dip and little bowls of Smarties.

OI: Oh, to go back to those days.. do you think they’ll do that again at the end of the year?

Karl: I don’t think they’ll cook, no.

Dave: They didn’t cook then! It was mainly cold.

Karl: Disgraceful, really…

Dave: To be fair, it’s not bad for £4.50 in…

OI: A gig, and all the finger food

Karl: You can look at

OI: And think ‘I wonder who sneezed on that’

Karl: Is it my turn now?

OI: You’ve already chipped in, but yes.

Karl: Mine was a while after that – about 11 months. I wasn’t in London, I was a country boy.

Dave: You still are a country boy!

Karl: I was in the back of beyond in Lincolnshire. I used to go to the record shop on a Saturday (a non work day), the big old Virgin Megastore in Grimsby… no, I tell a lie, I used to go to WH Smith, look at the magazines, and picked up an issue of Kerrang. It was full of the usual bollocks of around that time. Long goatee beards and cut off jeans – Limp Biskit and Korn and that kinda stuff. There was a little half page picture from the same shoot as the I Believe EP. I remember looking at it and reading about the band – Justin saying his biggest influences were Bon Scott from AC/DC or something like that. It was round the same time as The Datsuns as well, who were getting a lot of hype in the NME. You look at these bands who say they love AC/DC or  wear an Iron Maiden tshirt, and when you come to hear the actual music you won’t hear fuck all of it. I saw all this, didn’t think any more of it. Went to Virgin, bought a couple of albums and as I was queueing up I was standing next to the singles section. Sure enough, right down there in the top 200 was a little EP for about £1.79, so I thought I might as well get that! When I got home I listened to the albums and was about to throw the bag out and remembered the EP. I was a bit different to Dave. As soon as I heard the opening riff on the EP version I’ve got, I just thought ‘Hello, there’s something here. The sound of someone who likes AC/DC and can sound like AC/DC’. I played that EP to death for about a month or so. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere I went to the internet and found the website that Webbie had then – the old guestbook. I wanted to go to a gig but London was a million miles away at that time. I remember the I Believe EP getting airplay on Jo Whiley. Not a lot happened for a while apart from listening to it until November/December time – 2002. Darklings happened before my first gig. You remember the guestbook?

Dave: I remember it. I remember you harvesting me off that guestbook!

Karl: I prefer the term ‘grooming…’ There were a few names around on that guestbook – Graham Burgess, the guy from Bandannaman, Helen, Rada and Mike turned up with a load of photos. Anyway.. it got to the point where.. you can’t really have a conversation on a guestbook. I could see that people wanted to do a bit more talking with each other rather than just going ‘I went to this gig, it was great’. Being a bit of a sad geek stuck out in the countryside without many friends, I was familiar with web forums.

Dave: You still are, to this day!

Karl: I though ‘hang on a minute, there’s a gap in the market here’ so when I had a bit of time off at Christmas I sat round one evening and registered a web board, thinking ‘I don’t want to call it the Darkness Web Board’ because they might get a bit angry that I’ve stolen their name.  So I thought ‘what can I say that’s a bit like The Darkness

All: but isn’t!

Karl: So I made up some random bollocks, and the board was born round about Christmas Eve 2002.

OI: Your present to the world!

Karl: I like to think Christmas morning, but most likely Boxing Day, I woke up, went on to see how my little baby was growing and found some oik had followed me from the guestbook… And there was a ‘Justin’  who had registered. I though someone was taking the piss and that I should have put a block on those names. About 13 people had registered by then. No. 6 was Justin, and No 7 was someone called Justin’s Dad. I was a bit dubious and challenged this man by DM. He said no, it really was him and it really was his dad. Apparently got a bit excited that someone had done something for them fanwise and gone and shown his parents over turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day, which is always my favourite memory.  I like the idea that I penetrated the Hawkins’ Christmas.

OI: It is an image. ‘DAD! MUM! Someone’s built me a forum!’ Oh heck, I can just see an overexcited Justin bouncing around with a laptop!

Karl: I dunno what this old timer thought of this upstart and his ideas?

Dave: I’ve seen worse – it just seemed like a logical step at the time.

Karl: That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me!

Dave: What, you being a logical step?

OI: Karl’s logical?

Dave: It made sense. There was enough of a buzz that people wanted to start talking about it. Not just with their mates around a pub table, but with other people who’d seen the same things that they’d seen.

Karl: Two of the nice things that I remember over the first three months – a good six months before they got signed and three or four before Growing on Me – was that you’d get new people every day. It was a slow process but steady. It was really friendly because everyone kind of knew each other. Another nice thing was – whereas now, your ‘typical’ Darkness fan is heavily locked into  Steel Panther or other rock bands, in those days a lot of the people signing in were from indie backgrounds. There were some from metal backgrounds, but people like Helen and Colin were more indie. There was a real mix of people.

Dave: Without wanting to put them down, they WERE an indie band at the time, playing the indie circuit. The idea of doing something like that didn’t exist on a circuit that was really alive at that time. There wasn’t a Classic Rock circuit that was getting any real exposure at the time so they were playing on an indie circuit.

Karl: I’m guessing from what I was told later that year, there weren’t many bands doing anything like that. Some, but it was a bleak time.

Dave: I think that at that time, that sort of music was looked on as a bikers’ dark alley.

Karl: In terms of rock, you’d gone from grunge to post grunge to your pop punk stuff around that time. In terms of rock and metal bands, old school, it was dire.

Dave: There wasn’t a grass roots rock circuit, not enough for anyone to take any notice of it.

Karl: The previous generation was dying on its arse around that time.

Dave: The nostalgia trip hadn’t kicked in yet.

Karl:  I think Radiohead and Coldplay were the biggest bands at the time, you can imagine why they didn’t really fit in.

Dave: They drove their own wedge into proceedings on that score, really!

OI: I remember when I first started seeing them – from radio to seeing the videos – I never thought of placing them. It never occurred to me to place them anywhere because I didn’t think they were actually anything (in terms of genre). Which was good for attracting those indie Goths.  Indie Goths? Sorry, mixing my genres!

Karl: I guess my next chronological incident was – preamble is that I had spent 12 months getting massively into Def Leppard. In those days if you were signed up, you used to get mailouts from Sue Whitehouse. I was very excited because Leppard were touring. This email dropped in at Christmas to say that The Darkness had been chosen, which was very bizarre as it started off a chain of events where if I like two bands they end up playing on the same bill. Like Gaga – who would have thought that The Darkness would have opened for her?

Dave:  A genius move though!

General agreement

Karl: So that happened, and at the end of January Justin came back on the board for the first time in a while to say ‘This seems like a logical place to put this, we need a load of people to come down to film a video’ which was the GYHOMW video. Now I couldn’t go because I was still a country bumpkin and had my factory job in Lincolnshire, but this slender hipped Brett Anderson/Brian Malko lookalike here (fresh off his Japanese centrefold modelling career) went to that, and Dave can carry on.

Dave: Yeah, they put up they were doing this thing and they wanted people to come. They essentially did it in two stages. They had an evening gig where they wanted a big crowd and everything else like that, and filmed all these lead up scenes to go and set a little story. We had to go to the LA2 under what used to be the Astoria at 10 o’clock on a fucking Saturday morning which was fairly difficult. We spent the whole day filming all these little cutaway scenes an other bollocks like that – I think about 3 got used in the end. It was an LA club scene vibe with people dancing on the tables. For part of one scene someone was supposed to come and whisper something in my ear to draw me away to do something or other, and it turned out to be Helen from the boards, who I’d never met before. So she whispered ‘I’m Helen, you’re Dave, aren’t you, how are you doing?’ right in the middle of the scene. She’s probably the only person I’ve ever met live on camera. That was a fucking long day, and by the end of that day, I tell you we fucking hated GYHOMW. We had listened to it 30-40 times on repeat over the course of the day, and been told to go mental on cue each time. I’ve just about made my peace with it now. It’s a great song.

OI: It’s been ten years!

Karl: You never see the video much any more these days.

Dave: I can’t find it on YouTube, I think there’s been some legal reason they had to delete it or something.

Karl: You probably can’t find it on YouTube, but if you google it, it turns up on French YouTube or something. It’s out there.

Dave: There must have been some legal reason why they couldn’t show it.

Karl: You’re in it.

Dave: I have a horrible feeling I didn’t have very many clothes on at the time.

Karl: (moving on swiftly) At that point I should point out that Dave had been posting on the board and we hadn’t got into picture sharing yet. No one knew what anyone looked like.

Dave: People didn’t share then, they stayed anonymous on the internet at that time.

Karl: Dave did. We knew who he was but I had no idea what he looked like and wouldn’t, for about another 11 months. Hence he became the very nearly mythical Sexy Dave, to many of us.

Dave: Have we got to your first gig yet?

Karl: No!

Dave: See, I never realised you’d been so involved in this without ever seeing the fucking band!

Karl: From that point on, for the next 12 months, there was basically something happening every week or fortnight. We’re talking about the 10 year anniversary here. Basically it feels like 10 years worth of memories happening in about a year.

Dave: So much happened in such a short space of time.

OI: My first year was a bit like that.

Karl: It came up to the Leppard tour, and I went of to see them at Sheffield Arena with my best mate from school. I was at his house a week or two before we were going back to see them. He loves AC/DC, so I thought I’d give him this CD. I warned him that he’d love it but might not like it so much when the singer starts. I didn’t know if he’d like it, but it was the band opening for Def Leppard so I gave it to him. Randomly one night I got a text out of the blue going ‘These are fucking amazing!’ so we both got very excited. I didn’t tell him I’d got this message board.

Dave: He kept it a Dark secret!

Karl: Yup, a Dark secret. Anyway, on that board there was a message saying they were doing a warm up gig at the Peterborough Met Lounge, one of my favourite venues. That was my first gig, round about Valentine’s Day in 2003. Even though they were on the up, they had so many tickets to give away. The Met Lounge was about 80-100 people. I remember Graham Burgess had won about 13 pairs of tickets! He was giving them away to everybody left right and centre. So even though I was going to see them with Def Leppard, I wanted to see them on their own first. I came home, said hello, found out I’d won these tickets, jumped on the train of to Peterborough. The gipsy rock and roll lifestyle began! I got to the Met Lounge hours fucking early, stupidly not wearing a coat.

Dave: As prepared as you ever are!

Karl: The doors were half an hour to an hour late being opened, in February, in Peterborough High Street, freezing fucking cold. There was one other guy I was talking to, his mate had mentioned this band so he’d decided to come and see them. I remember him saying ‘I haven’t listened to a rock band in 15 years’ even though he looked younger than me. He would have been 5! There were two local support bands. The first one was called ‘The Dark’.

Dave: Promoter logic!

Karl: I don’t know what happened to the Dark, they were very heavy.  There was a VIP bit upstairs, Justin wandered down in his catsuit to watch one of the supports. I was standing at the bottom of the stairs looking across, thinking ‘that’s a famous person!’ even back then. Didn’t try and talk to him though. I loved everything they did. By that point we only knew three songs, from the EP and GYHOMW. They only knew about 7! The famous bit about that gig is that it had one of those false ceilings, fantastic gig but at the end Justin jumped up to grab something off the ceiling. He ended up swinging off it, his weight made it give way. He didn’t land on his arse but was back on the ground and the ceiling started to fall in on him. This dry ice cloud of dust from behind the false ceiling smothered them all at the end and it looked very dramatic.

OI: He’s not learned anything since!

Karl: The story I was told was that they were so impressed that they didn’t bother putting in for damage! So that was my first gig and I loved it. I then went to see Def Leppard. Unfortunately in the intervening four days, I had basically caught mild pneumonia or hypothermia. I was shaking and couldn’t breathe, really ill, but no way was I missing Leppard! They were very important to me at that time. I dosed myself up on packets of Beechams (well into hardcore drugs). The only things I remember from the gig was when The Darkness came on, the only people in the crowd who knew any of their songs were me and my mate who were singing merrily along. We didn’t actually know the lyrics because we couldn’t make them out, but we could mouth the right sounds. I think they came out to Arrival, even then. They did Bareback. Everyone loved it, 7-8000 people milling around thinking the support band were gonna be shit – heads rocking, really going for it. People were obviously surprised that there was a decent support band. And then – I guess they would have gone into Best of Me next – opening riff, everyone’s loving it. As soon as Justin opened his mouth with those high pitched vocals coming out, the audience literally halved down the middle. People either loved it or hated it, literally ‘what the fuck is that?’. But I don’t remember much else of that gig because all the cold remedies had kicked in. My brother and Wayne insist it was a fucking brilliant gig, I can’t remember fuck all about it. I was so pissed off that I went and got another train to Manchester Apollo to see them there. One of my favourite gigs I’ve ever been to. The Darkness were brilliant, Leppard were brilliant. Suddenly from seeing no Darkness gigs I’d seen three in a row, something that would continue for much of that year.

Dave: It’s a shame actually because when they did Brixton Academy on that tour I got offered guestlist but ‘I actually can’t take this’.

Karl: I think as well, that would have been before the first Carling Astoria gig, in March, they definitely opened for an old school rock band – Deep Purple or someone like that, because I remember people coming onto the board on the back on that. 70’s rock people, not 80’s rock like me, so you suddenly had more diversity.

The board became more of a website as people posted stuff and we organised different threads.

Dave: It needed a lot of management.

Karl: I was there one night changing the background, noting that only me, SexyDave and Justin were online. Just the three of us.
OI/Dave: The Unholy Trinity!

Karl: It was changing to the GYHOMW sleeve cover and I messaged Justin because he was online, and he messaged back moaning cos there was a giant picture of his face staring back at him.

Dave: Well, if you will visit your own fansite!

Karl: So I changed that, then he made some comment about two blokes in the front rows at Sheffield who seemed to know all the lyrics. I was famous!
After that they did what I think was their first UK headline tour – Brixton Academy, Stoke Sugarmill etc, and I think it was at the end of that tour that they did the Astoria Homecoming. No, not the Homecoming, the.. umm.. Upcoming one.

OI: The ‘Leaving Home’ one?

Dave: The one where they said ‘Yeah, it’s totally sold out’ and it was very busy, but you couldn’t shift the tickets for more than £3 apiece.

Karl: They were supposedly the first unsigned band to have sold it out, which is what they claimed at the time. It was on Wikipedia, it must be true.

Dave: It was definitely going that way but I wouldn’t give you odds.

Karl: I converted my mate into ‘Let’s go and see this band a lot’ so we went to Stoke Sugarmill when they supported a band called Livid.

Dave: I remember Livid, that was about 7 years before they got that record out!

Karl: There was a lot of waiting around in the cold and rain for the doors to open

OI: We’ve done a lot of that together!

Dave: What is it about certain bands where you never seem to turn up at the right time? Always hours before? I used to do that with Placebo a lot.

Karl: We waited for about an hour to get in. The first thing we saw was this guy in a multicoloured coat screaming into the mic ‘Hello, we’re Livid’ and the crowd shouting back ‘YOU’RE fucking Livid, we’ve been outside for an hour!’ For The Darkness, the mics kept failing, and during Best of Me Justin decided to have a little hand puppet to sing into the mic. During the crowd participation bits, he would put the mic forward – not that it worked.  We decided to hang about to see if we could talk to them. We sat on the stage watching Justin, trying to work out who Robert Shaw was because we knew he was going to be there. Suddenly there was some bloke on our right hand side going ‘Do you guys want a beer?’  Sounds generous, let’s see who it.. oh. Frankie! He was basically giving away the rider crate of beer.

OI: I think the first thing Ed ever said to me was ‘Would you like some champagne?’

Karl: The second thing Frankie said to us was ‘I haven’t got a bottle opener’ so there we were with bottles we couldn’t open. Being the sad bastards that we were, we’d already been to the merch stall and bought those little lighters with bottle openers on the back. So suddenly we were the band’s designated bottle openers

Dave: With their own merch!

Karl: So we talked to Frankie, talked to Justin and there was lots of talk about ‘we’ll have to do something more official, maybe integrate the board’ but I think they were only being friendly at the time. It was nice to finally actually talk to them. Dan couldn’t talk to us because Dan was always hounded by ridiculously attractive women, constantly. They weren’t even at the gig, they just appeared when Dan walked into a room. That was March, and it can’t have been long after that, that Growing on Me came out.

Dave: I forget that one.

Karl: It was a couple of months before the album, definitely April time.

(Check google on phones time!)

Karl: Oh no, June! It was announced in April, then, that GOM was the single. I distinctly remember the reaction on the board being ‘What the fuck are they doing releasing that as a single? ‘Best of Me’ should be the single.’ People weren’t particularly.. the majority weren’t happy with that.

Dave:   ‘Best of Me’ was already a B-side, though, yeah?

Karl: There was other stuff – ‘Stuck in a Rut’ – GOM didn’t seem that popular and it seemed really weird.

Dave: It’s strange that because I remember when they first started playing that one, and everyone – by everyone I mean the three people that came to all the shows, me Rob and Simon Price – were standing in a huddle at the back of the pub thinking ‘not sure about this one’.

Karl: It was definitely their most poppy radio friendly one. Even more than IBIATCL, because that was quite raw. Graham Burgess said it should be GOM, and he was clearly right.

Dave: Mr Burgess has a lot of pop sensibilties!

Karl: From that point on the build up and support slots had won them a lot of fans. I think they supported Disturbed which was weird, at a big gig in London. They supported everyone in those first few months! All credit to them, they just went everywhere.  Didn’t care what stick they got, if they won a couple of fans. They were winning them, not losing them. I always thought ‘good on ‘em’. I wouldn’t go to see Disturbed, but Im glad they went to that audience, getting airplay where they can.

Dave: Again, it’s back to the fact that there wasn’t a ready-made place where they should be.

OI: So they were everywhere.

Dave: They might as well play with Disturbed, as much as they might well play with the Libertines at the Barfly, which they did a couple of times.

Karl: That was the XFM Xmas show! I had the bootleg of that, it was 2002. Was it The Libertines, or Pete?

Dave: No, it was The Libertines headlining, supported by The Darkness. Sponsored by Jameson’s whisky. I’ve got that bootleg too.

Karl: Can you do me another copy? I’ve only got it on minidisc! As you say, there wasn’t a readymade scene for them, but they had a groundswell of support in certain places. Simon Price, for instance, was well on them by then. I was told they got a lot of airplay from Stay Beautiful.

Dave: They used to DJ at Stay Beautiful (Simon’s club night). Lots of the people doing the early shows and videos were Stay Beautiful people.

Karl: There was nothing in places like Classic Rock Magazine though.

Dave: Classic Rock didn’t touch new bands then, because there wasn’t a classic rock scene.

Karl: You’d open it and there’d be a 20 page Hawkwind special. For me, everything exploded when they got video and GOM turned up. I remember that being the first time that there was hardcore fan activity. People ringing up to get a video played at a certain time. If there was a daily top ten show, making sure that they got their votes in all on the same day. It did the trick, it got them on, and we were aiming to get them on at peak times. We cared about shit like that. I was excited to see the video the first time and realising it was us that did that. It was so busy – everything that happened between April and August, I’d be very jumbled up on.  Every other week something happened. Did you go to the album launch?

Dave: Where was it?

Karl: Basically, it was over there (points over his left shoulder).

Dave: What, at La Scala?

Karl: Well, we walked round the back of St Pancras over some waste ground somewhere over the back there. Where they had the album launch  – I assume it was a venue of some description as it obviously had a proper bar and different rooms, and a marquee erected outside and stuff. From my memory, it was in a mini field, not in a building in a row of buildings.

Dave: If I did go to that one I don’t recall. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. Ah! Yes! I was visiting my gran that week so I missed all that!

Karl: There was the XFM breakfast show on one day. We drove down at stupid o’clock, trying to find the Swiss Centre near Leicester Square. AS we turned up, as big white van turned up next to us and four recognisable men fell out. Dan immedicately put a fag in his mouth and muttered something about it being too early to rock. He was just so instinctively cool in those days. Justin was chanting the line ‘We’re the band that brings you rock before breakfast’. Later that day there was an instore at the big HMV on Oxford Street. Someonewas saying that there were three times the number of people they normally got for instores. A lot of people got turned away. Rada and Mike turned up and couldn’t get in, so we got Justin and the otheres on the phones to talk to them – they’d just got married. After the signing we went to the pub, had a few, left, and bumped into them going to the pub we’d just been in. I felt someone grab my arse and swung round angrily to find it was the man who wears a catsuit…

Dave: He used to do that you as well? He did have a habit of doing that though. He would introduce himself to you by either squeezing your bum or putting his hand between your legs and giving it a yank!

Karl: We spent the rest of the evening boring the band senseless, which they were very nice about.

Dave: Probably doesn’t hurt too bad when people are adoring you!

Karl: There was a girl called Kitten who was a drummer. She had got all the drums down pat except for one bit at the start of ‘Holding My Own’ where she couldn’t get the timing right. She gleaned from Ed that the reason for that was because it wasn’t right on the record. We always wondered if that’s why they didn’t play it live for so long! She told the story much better…

There was the time at Download where we got to meet them and had a bit picture taken – four of them, 6-7 of us – only to find out later that Justin’s mum had that picure on her kitchen matelpiece or wall of something. That was weird!

Dave: It was chaos after that.

Karl: Did you have any more questions?

Dave: That was all off the back of the first one!

(We had been talking for an hour and a half by then.)

OI: I told you I didn’t need any questions!

Dave goes to get a round in. OI has vodka and coke on the rocks with no ice. Dave comes back to confess he has no money, and to borrow some from Karl to buy his round. Ha!

Karl: I remember the board getting so big that there were arguments happening that didn’t include me! And stupidly, there were vigilante attacks between mine and the official one.

OI: I never understood that. Or why people would bother.

Karl: I went on the official board too, I was friends with Webbie! But you’d get things like people asking where the term ‘Darklings’ came from, and some authority answering with a load of bollocks that they’d made up and second hand rumours. People would start putting words into your mouth that weren’t yours. On the official board people would say ‘Oh, they get funny about people using that term’ – bollocks! It’s my board, and that ain’t right!

OI: I didn’t even know about the Darklings, because I came straight into the official board.

Karl: That was it, the one you knew first was probably determined by when you got into the band. The majority of people up to ‘Growing on Me’ went that way to Darklings, and after, to the official board. Which had it’s own heritage by then.

Dave (to OI): Are there any questions in your book?

OI: No! But what I’ve asked other people is about favourite tracks, has that changed over the years, and how PTL has changed your life? Has it been been a constant background to your life, or really done something to turn it upside down?

Karl: It has absolutely changed things. I have a social life! I’ve completely corrupted some of my friends. Ian even commented at meetups ‘these people really like Karl!’

OI: A shock!

Karl: It confused me for a long time! That band changed my life completely. I made a point of telling Justin that a lot… there was a drunken, deep and profound moment at the album launch party. It changed things in a way that nothing probably will ever again. As a kid you grow up with a band that turns you on to something musically – more than one. Blur were probably my first passion as a teenager. Leppard were the first I obsessively collected B-sides and knew trivia for. The Darkness were the ones I actually got to meet.

Dave: There are important bands, and important bands you’re involved with.

Karl: Even if none of that had happened, they’d still be one of my favourite bands of all time because I loved what they did musically and changed the landscape of what was going on. It’s weird sometimes to think that if Justin was walking on the other side of the road, he would know who you were and and cross over to speak to you. That’s an honour that kinda blows my mind.

Dave: It’s a strange thing, and I do think it’s a thing that won’t happen again as a phenomena. The Darkness were probably the last band that started out playing pubs and went to playing arenas after that.

Karl: ‘Taking the pubs to the stadiums and stadiums to the pubs’ or something.

Dave: Yeah! They must be the last band to start in a pub and become a household name. Lots of bands started small and got big, but they’re the last band I’m aware of that did that without being an industry creation.

Karl: They did it through gigging and through word of mouth. Everyone who has done it since has done it through MySpace, Facebook or YouTube. The web has broken them.

Dave: They’ve not had to do the hours.

OI: Or the sleeping on floors, etc.

Karl: They achieved the level of fame and stardom that ended up with them on the front page of The Sun more than once in a week. There are no rock bands that have gne through the process and ended up there, now.

Karl: The next band that got even near the hype – more, because the NME were involved – were the Arctic Monkeys. They were worshipped by industry people. Everyone was telling you tha they were the best thing.

Dave: With them it was the ‘novelty’ of ‘here’s a band that started small’!

OI: Funny, we’ve done that…

Dave: They were sold on that for so long.

Karl: There’s a tradition in this country for indie guitar music. Rock music isn’t worshipped in the same way as it is in America, wher you get 24/7 rock stations.

Dave: Do you remember the time they went to America for the frst time to do SxSW, and blew the entire budget on a stupid car?

OI: Wasn’t it a donkey?

Dave: No, a Cadillac!

OI: Oh, no, the donkey was for New York Fashion Week!

Karl: Rock and metal was never as big, here. Even Leppard, Whitesnake, Sabbath. In America it was huge. Here, you had the Rock Show for a coupel of hours a week. It was like a little club. It wasn’t played for the rest of the day. It wasn’t until 2004-5 ish –  when Guitar Hero came out – that there was a seismic shift. I was in a Game Station and there were two 11 year olds who ere having an argument about a song. One of them hummed this tune, and it was Hocus Pocus by Focus! I knew something had musically had changed! I think all of that owes a debt to The Darkness. There was this whole thing about whether they were a joke band. They were an indie in-joke, was the thing for the first six months, because they came up that way. There are still hardcore rock fans who think they’re a joke, because they have fun with rock music.

OI: I said before that I couldn’t place them, and I’m not a rock girl. None of the comments about riffs or influences from thius band or that meant anything to me. It was all over my head, and I just accepted them for what they were. I dodn’t care about the rock heritage, it’s not my thing, though I’ve learned a bit over time.

Karl: I always thought that if you aw them live you would see far more rock than the image promoted necessarily had. The image for some people made them think ‘It’s Spinal Tap, and we’ve had that, so why do we need The Darkness?’

Dave: Because Spinal Tap stopped touring?

Kar;: Out of everything they’ve ever done, put on ‘Love on the Rocks’ live version – ‘We’ve only got one song left, but don’t worry, it’s 12 minutes long’ – that’s my fave live song. Crowd participation, crowd walk. It’s just so powerful. Anyone who can see that live and say they’re a novelty band- WHAT? It’s rock opera. There’s more in that song than most bands ever put out.

Agreement!

OI: Where were we? The favourite track thing. I’ve said that I don’t have a favourite track because I like them all for different things and there’s a vast difference between hearing on them on CD and seeing them live. Live, they are different, and they shift. They’re not the same song, almost. There are different things attached to live and CD – where you were, who with, what happened on stage, how you felt at the time. There’s a different reaction to them, live.

Karl: Good point. After the album came out, on the October tour, they were still doing small places, but £10 tickets were going for £50-60.

OI: The UEA gig, they were going for £175. I couldn’t get to that one.

Karl: It was in Sheffield that during LOTR that the crowd randomly decided to do the clap from ‘We Will Rock You’ and break into the chorus. I’d love to have a bootleg of that! It was the first time I’d heard it.

OI: They don’t do it any more.

Karl: They need a live album. They’ve got three albums of material, for nostalgia and memories. You hear musical progressions. I think they do stuff nowadays faster on some tracks.

OI: That first comeback gig was the fastest I’ve ever heard – manic.

Dave: I don’t have a favourite song to be honest, when you invest so much of yourself in a band, over so much time, the idea of a favourite song is ridiculous. Favourite month, maybe?

OI: The people I’ve spoken to have all said that if they had to choose, it would be ‘this, because I attach this to it’. Not because it’s a musically better song, it’s an emotional response.

Karl: What I like is just the sheer diversity, even around the PTL era. IF you include the B-sides, you have a greatest hits off one album. Every type of song, though I don’t think it was written this way.

OI: There’s ‘Best of Me’, ‘Physical Sex’, LOTR – are these the same band, you could ask.

Karl: When you randomly listen to B-sides there are rock songs next to completely different genres. I loved Christmas Time at the Astoria when they brought on the children’s choir. That was a beautiful moment. If they’d never nade a comeback, I would have smiled for the rest of my life every Christmas because of that.

Dave: It was a genius step to write a NEW Christmas song, a proper one. We are so fed up of recycling the 70’s ones.

OI: Dave, you;ve not answered this one – talk about how they’ve changed your life.

Karl: They introduced you to a lot of strange people?

Dave: When I first started seeing them is was 16. I ended up drinking with them on my 17^th birthday. They were buying me cider on Steve Lamacq’s theory that if you only drank cider you would never get fat. For that reason they bought me a lot of it, The whole time they were having their meteoric rise and all the rest of it, I was in my teens and early twenties. That’s going to be an important and changeable time anyway. The stupid thing is, at the time I thought it was perfectly normal and what everyone did was follow a band who would end up on the front page of The Sun. This is a totally normal thing to do when you’re 18.

OI: Is it a totally normal thing to do when you’re 35?

Dave: This is the alarming thing. This is the thing that happens to other people!

Karl: Yes, I know people who’ve gone to their first gig to see The Darkness and met them, and been incredibly excited. I still am! But then I remember that nearly everyone I know has met them and got pissed with them, and I’m incredibly lucky.

Dave: It’s only when I look back on it that I realise that it’s not a normal turn of events.

Karl: In terms of venue size, I’m for selfish reasons bloody glad we’re going back to small ones in the winter.
OI: I can’r wait for that. That’s kind of where they’re at their best.

Dave: You look back to then and think about all the ridiculous things that you’ve done that you never would have got anywhere near, without that band.

OI: I certainly wouldn’t have put my skirt on upside down in the back of a French taxi…

Karl: We’ve all done that.

Dave: I distinctly remember what was possibly The Darkness’ most Spinal Tap moment where they got lost on the way to their own aftershow, in the same building. It was the first time they did Hammersmith, we ended up with half the band and people they recognised from outside, wlaking up and down, backwards and forwards, across the stage three times at the Spollo. Trying to find the party. Everyone had a bottle of champagne in their hand going ‘YEAAHHHHH!’.

Karl: Wasn’t that perfectly normal at the time?

Dave: It’s been quite striking to realise that life isn’t that exciting normally.

Karl: Everyone goes to see bands they really like and get passionate about and want to get big – and they split up 2 weeks later. But The Darkness were the band that you told everyone about, and it DID happen. Even them splitting up and getting back together was part of the essential experience.

Dave: How could be a classic rock opera without it?

OI: It’s like being in a rock theme park  -we’ll go on this ride now!

Karl: I knew in my heart that when they broke up in 2006 that they’d get back together, however long it took.

OI: I didn’t think about it – probably on purpose, really. Didn’t want to get my hopes up. And not worth thinking about toomuch because at the time it just wasn’t happening. Playing a waiting game, and seeing what happened in the meantime.

Karl: One of the weirdest things about them getting back together was seeing people you hadn’t seen for years and them calling ‘Switch’ at you! (userid of long standing)!

There was the most random discussion about daybeds here. Bizarre.

Karl: Anyway, back to the band. I felt that it all started to go wrong when they signed to Atlantic. If you look at the singles – GOM, etc – and what came after except the Christmas song, it never felt right.

OI: No, they don’t suit it. They’re too independent.

Karl: Like in Frankie’s book when he talks about the video for LIOAF, and what they did at the Brit Awards – that was the maverick streak.

OI They need to do things their own way. There’s a danger of actually sticking someone in charge of them.

Karl: The only thing a big label could bring them was marketing. The real strength is the music. If they’d put out a shit album, the hardcore fans would have left, but that hasn’t happened. We’ve stayed around, right from the beginning.

Dave: I don’t know how we ended up not going to the same gigs for so long. Between us, we have a coherent history.

After that, we agreed that we had had amazing, lucky times, going to places that wouldn’t have been possible, otherwise. We are all grateful for the experiences we’ve had, friends we’ve made and the things we’ve achieved. All thanks to one band. Naturally, our agreement was more long winded than that, but we clinked our glasses at the end of three great hours.

The ‘NOT FOR TAPE’ bits were very funny, too. 😀

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Ian Johnsen of the Must Destroy label was, and is, a major figure in the life of The Darkness. A man busier than you can possibly imagine, he managed to find a few minutes to answer one or two questions:

OI: At what point did you become aware of The Darkness?

Ian: March 2001. a show at the Barfly.

OI: How did you get involved in working with them?

Ian: They approached us when they heard that Alan and I had started a label. I believe it was at a Datsuns show at the Garage when first moves were made… maybe around eight months after that initial Barfly sighting. Although, we had previously put them on at a night we were doing at Notting Hill Arts Club at the time, so there was prior contact before talk of releasing anything.

OI: Was their potential immediately obvious to you?

Ian: They appealed to us. That was what mattered.

OI: What made you want to work with them?

Ian: They were / are a good music band.

OI: What made them want to work with you?

Ian: Kindred spirits? No other options?

OI: Was PTL under way before or after you got involved?

Ian: Not at the time, no. They had the three ‘Love’ songs recorded… ‘…On The Rocks’, ‘…Is Only A Feeling’ and ‘I Believe In A Thing Called…’.

OI:How knowledgeable about the music business were they, back then?

Ian: Probably more than we were.

OI:What impact did the album have on you, both in a business and personal sense?

Ian: Its an album I still listen to and enjoy. Business-wise, the whole experience opened some doors, introduced us to some people that would influence our lives greatly, and allowed us to do what we did as a job.

OI: What are your favourite tracks, and why?

Ian: ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’ – instantly recognisable as a killer pop song from the opening line. ‘Planning Permission’ (is a B-side allowed?) – lyrically perfect.

OI: Has that changed over the years?

Ian: Not really.

OI: From inside the music business, what impact can you say The Darkness had in 2003, and have you seen any lasting effects?

Ian: They made a mockery of the media’s notions of ‘cool’ and made bands that take themselves too seriously look a bit stupid. Lasting effects? Well, in media-land, not really… perceived ‘cool’ is back on top as the most important thing, regardless of whether the artist has anything approaching even one decent song in them or not. Luckily, there’s not much of a media left that anyone takes any notice of.

OI: Was there alternative artwork for the cover? What was that like?

Ian: No.. there was never time for an alternate cover! It was super last minute as it is… Bruce hardly slept during the time he was finishing it off.

OI: What is it that gives both the band and PTL their special something?

Ian: An incredible sense of melody. A lack of fear of the word ‘pop’. A sense of humour. Not giving a fuck what anyone says about them, good or bad.

Thanks to Ian for his time.

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A chat with our man in Norway:

OI: Do you remember your first encounter with The Darkness clearly, or is it a blur?

Benny: I clearly remember sitting in the back seat of our car listening to PTL right after my dad bought it, but before that, I remember seeing the IBIATCL music video on TV a couple of times. I was very young at the moment, so I kind of mixed up The Darkness and Queen because of Justin’s voice.

 OI: Did you have to stop and look again at that video?

 Benny: 
It was showing on some kind of video jukebox on TV, so I basically had that on in the background while doing other stuff, but I was absolutely stunned by the long haired man’s high voice, so I had to watch the video. I liked how that video was totally different than anything else, and how goofy it was with the huge obviously fake alien creature. It was rather amusing!



OI: I think it was a lot of people’s first experience! I know I went looking round the music channels to see it again.




 Was that song causing a stir there, like here?

Benny: Yeah, absolutely! It was a huge hit and was showing quite often on that video jukebox and was probably played a lot on the radio too. I didn’t listen to radio at the time, but I assume it was. If you ask the average Joe on the street in 2013 if he has heard of The Darkness, you’ll most likely get “Oh, they were the band that did I Believe In A Thing Called Love, weren’t they?” as an answer.

 OI: Always nice to know! Here, the other videos, for GYHOMW and GOM were showing a lot too. Did they surface there too?

Benny: 
I don’t remember those being shown in Norway, but Love Is Only a Feeling was on TV for a while. I think IBIATCL was the song and video that was most     popular and got the most attention here around the release of PTL









.

OI: You said your dad bought it – was it on non-stop the moment he got it out of the shop?

Benny: 
He put it in the CD player in the car as soon as we were out of the shop, but my mom wasn’t too happy about that. I remember telling my dad to turn up the volume while Black Shuck was playing, and my mom just sighed and complained.


OI: 
Whilst the two of you were headbanging madly? What struck you about it right from that drive home?

Benny: 
Oh, definitely! I grew up listening to my dad’s old Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Elvis and The Who records, so to listen to that hard rocking masterpiece at   the age of 8 really rocked my foundations! I think that was the main thing that struck me – just the fact that I had never heard anything that hard before. Swearing was also new to me, so when listening to GYHOMW, my dad made up new words for me to sing: “Get your hands off my woman, feather plucker!”



OI: Responsible parenting. 




And that was that. A lifetime (well, to 18 so far) love affair with the band. Did their image mean a lot to you, back then? Or does spandex not register with an 8 year old?

Benny: 
I really liked looking through the pictures in the booklet, and I especially liked the little kids dressed up as the band, so the image certainly caught my attention. I think Frankie’s moustache and Justin’s cat suits caught most of my attention, though

 OI: Not much new there then! 
Do you have a favourite track? Has that changed as you’ve got older?

Benny: My favorite tracks on that album has always leaned towards the first half of the album, since I always started listening from the beginning and didn’t always finish the whole album. I loved LIOAF, GOM and Black Shuck a lot when I was younger, but now I have realized that GYHOMW is one of the most awesome songs ever to be made. So, GYHOMW and GOM are the ones I listen to the most as of today.
 Not that I DON’T like LIOAF, GOM or Black Shuck anymore – I love the whole album.


OI: The lyrics are engraved on your brain, right?

Benny: Of course! I know the lyrics, but sometimes I just sing along like I used to when I was little, making up random words that don’t exist, but sound like the     real words, haha! However, when the chorus kicks in, lord have mercy on me, because I will belt out those bad words like there’s no tomorrow!

OI: That’s the point when the cat runs away in this house! 
Compared to other music there at the time, were there any rivals, or did TD destroy all the opposition?

Benny: 
I remember the Moldovan pop group ‘O-zone’ being quite popular around 2002-2004, but more in a sarcastic way, even though everybody had ‘Dragostea din tei’ as their ringtone on their cell. Rock music never caught on like pop music did, but personally, I can’t remember any other popular rock groups at the time having such a hit in Norway like The Darkness did.

OI: Is that still the case? Has Norway caught on to rock music yet, or were TD the only rock brilliance likely to happen there?

Benny:  
I think The Darkness were the wakeup call everybody needed, because you can find different styles of rock music being popular in all kinds of groups of people. Coldplay and Mumford & Sons are very popular amongst the general public. Not that they are as hard rocking as The Darkness, but it’s far away from O-zone or Britney Spears!

 
OI: Umm… well, they’re all in the same trash can for me, I guess!

 Benny: 
Haha!

OI: Can you say, then, that The Darkness truly changed things for you?

Benny: 
(I’m not a part of the general public, though)
They not only changed things for me, but the STARTED things for me. They were the first real hard rock band    that I listened to besides old bands like Alice Cooper, The Who, Cheap Trick etc. It was like The Darkness was MY band, and not something my dad had exposed me to through my childhood. If it wasn’t for The Darkness, I have no idea what kind of person I would be today.

Benny: The Darkness was my gateway to the music I listen to today.



OI: And all because of one small collection of most excellent tunes.




 Do you have an Anniversary message for the band?

Benny: You could say that Permission To Land was my generations answer to Appetite for Destruction.
Happy Anniversary, boys. Nothing made me happier than seeing you come together again in 2011 so we could celebrate as the original The Darkness on the special day. Thank you for changing my life and giving me so many good memories that I will have with me for the rest of my life. Permission To Land is hands down one of the five greatest albums ever to be released, and the b-sides are no less than perfect. I am proud to be a Darkling!

OI: That covers everything! Thanks, Ben. I hope you see them many more times.

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Marcelle is an Australian fan whom I had never spoken to before this – I seem to have found a twin!

OI:
Do you remember the moment you first came across The Darkness?


Marcelle: YES!! I was watching Channel V (our pay tv music channel) & Andrew G (the VJ) was RAVING about this band. They played IBIATCL video & I was smitten! It was in 2003.

OI:
One look and you were lost?

Marcelle: The look, I loved the tongue in cheek attitude & I LOVED the sound. Really awesome guitars etc. The voice was ‘unusual’ but catchy/brilliant

OI:
What was Andrew G saying?

Marcelle:
 He pretty much was saying exactly what I just mentioned about them: Real rock n Roll, FRESH/NEW, entertaining, he was raving about the PTL album & that the whole thing was brilliant.

OI:
How long did it take for you to get your copy after that?

Marcelle: Not long (maybe a week or so). Then I was addicted to them. AMAZING!


OI: That first run through – what were your immediate impressions, after having hear IBIATCL?

Marcelle:
 I was blown away by the sound. Very Acca Dacca with Black Shuck as the opener & his voice was hysterical/mesmerising. Hard to get the words, but when I read them thrugh I was laughing. Very clever. GYHOMW threw me with the language, but I love how he does it so ‘tongue in cheek/almost respectfully’ like he knows his mum is listening!! haha. It’s so hard to come by an album where every song rocks. LIOAF makes me cry still to this day. It was/is sublime. Beautiful guitars. And the BOOM straight into Givin’ Up. CLASSIC!!! Immediate impressions?? BRILLIANT. BEST ALBUM. IN MY TOP 3

OI:
 At that time, what was your favourite?

Marcelle:
 Ok Been listening ALL day (thank you).. umm, geesh ..BS, GOM, LIOAF, GU, FN, HMO, but they all rock. These ones move my soul




Then & now.

OI:
 So there’s been no shift over time?

Marcelle:
Not really. Since meeting my NEW hubby (who’s more ‘heavy’ than me), I appreciate LOTRWNI & SIAR more. Not that they are ‘heavy’ themselves, but I appreciate them more. I think I am more melodic/basic rock based. They do it brilliantly.

OI:

What would you say the long term impact of PTL has been on you?

Marcelle:
WOW!! Big question.

Marcelle: I found rock again (it was lost for so long). It helped me through a really tough time (separating from my first hubby), it continues (to this day- all 3 albums) to make me smile/dance/just love life (happy music-my music). Don’t know what else to say. This album PTL arrived when I was 36. My life was supposed to be ‘sorted/on track’ but it wasn’t. They helped me get back to my ‘inner child with hope’. Seeing them live was INCREDIBLE!!

OI:

What about the music industry side over there? What impact did they have?

Marcelle:
 Good question.




In 2003/04 they were on tv (pay tv) all over the place. Big Day Out 2004, but the only songs that got played on ‘mainstream’ were LIOAF, GOM, IBIATCL. A radio station over here called Triple JJJ was a big instigator. ABC based, independant/new/different artist based.




2nd album got video play (OWTTHAB, IIJM), but that was all. Very tough/US reigned over here, BUT they got their toes in!! Grass roots/decent shows mean A LOT!!!
They won many over with live shows.
Not many…EVERYONE

OI:

 That’s generally the case, I think. TV and video is good, but it just doesn’t cut it next to live shows.
Was the music scene there in need of a good kick up the arse?

Marcelle: YES!!! Our industry became VERY arena based. Pub bands (which I remember growing up with) just weren’t firing much. They all want the big picture. I saw TD in 2006 (Richie days). I am not kidding. I took a VERY heavy metal friend, I have seen MANY bands/concerts/arenas/pub gigs. TD were THE BEST GIG EVER!! (Even with JH not being well). F’ing amazing. I tell people (including all of my kids) you need to see this band LIVE. Absolutely the MAGIC factor. Tightest band EVER!! Music scene STILL needs a good KICK UP THE ARSE!!! Kids have forgotten what real music is!

OI: Is there any evidence that TD changed anything in that respect?

Marcelle: 
Mmmm not sure. I just know that anyone who has ever seen them over here is a convert. The live scene here is TOUGH. Saying that, they are brilliant in that they still get out there and do it HAPPILY. Rock n Roll in a small venue is few and far between. WE ARE HUNGRY!!

OI: Do you have a final message for the lads?

Marcelle: Oh really?? Gee, don’t know what to say except that I’m just so thrilled to see them back together, happy, HEALTHY & rocking even better than before – if possible – and all in time for the 10 year anniversary of the release of PTL. The day I bought that album is the day I knew Rock was alive & well. THANK YOU THE DARKNESS \m/

And with that, we all went for a lie down, because the edited out bits were MUCH fun 😀

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The lovely people running this South American site were a joy to talk to!

Analia

When did you first find out about The Darkness?


Well, it was in late 2004 I think, here MUCH MUSIC and MTV did not stop showing the video “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”, they showed more than 10 or 15 times a day at least that’s what I remember. What I remember is that I never came to see the whole thing, but one day I did, and it was something like ‘Holy Shit!’ I loved it, it was great, it was true Rock!

What did you think of them?


First, what I thought was that the video is somewhat strange, the aesthetics of the video was like the old videos but more humorous, the colors used, the clothes, everything was like in old times. The voice of Justin impacted on me, a voice that was very clean … Wow … still do not think I can explain it, just petrified me, I feel it in my ear right to the brain, is a great feeling.  The Darkness were a breath of fresh air. The new rock bands do not use instruments as they do, there are impressive guitar solos, the drums can be seen without this taking away the importance of the bass, it seems rather simple when you say it but it is difficult to achieve this harmony. They did it and their first album, it’s important to note.
 Here in Argentina came not much information about them, some interviews from time to time, but from what I saw at that time, I knew I really enjoyed what they were doing. I loved that touch of humor that they placed on everything. Justin was very flamboyant Imagine, I was a teenager when I fell in the spell of The Darkness, but I think even with my current age would do it again…in fact I’m sure would fall on their charm over and over again.

When did you get the album?

It was after a few months of listening to the first video of The Darkness … was after christmas 2004, here was hard to find, but a friend gave it to me.  I know he had to do much to get it.

What were your favorite tracks? Why? Are your favorites the same ones now?

This is a difficult to answer. For when I had the album in my hands I had already heard a million times “I Believe In A Thing Called Love,” which still remains one of my favorites, but my favorite was “Growing on Me”. I liked the power of the song, the lyrics, and the feeling that Justin conveyed to sing, I think every time I hear that song I feel a emotion that does not make me feel any other song in the world, even today is still my favorite. Although in those days “Givin ‘up” was my soundtrack for each night out, we can say that at that time I lived too much rock, too much, haha, were crazy times, and The Darkness was always with me. 
”Love is Only a Feeling” was the romantic song for excellence, of that I have no doubt I listened to that song with a broken heart many times. 
”Get Your Hands Off My Woman” that was another of my favorites, is part of my subconscious rebel and wild, it does not explain why the lyrics of this song, the instruments sounding as if they would collapse the world says it all, doesn’t need much explanation. 

Favourites the same ones now?
 Yes, they are my favorites still.

What reaction did you have to each track?

Black Shuck: When I first heard, was strange but in a good way, I liked but did not understand well that was what I liked, then I realized it was a set of things, the lyrics and the instruments, I think could not have been a better combination, that lyrics with another rhythm could not exist, is completely wild, I like. 
Stuck in a Rut: this is good, the lyrics mostly everyone feels this way, everyone would have to love this song …
”Oh, kiss my ass, kiss my ass goodbye 
Propelled by a carriage of aluminum am I
 No more to rot In this stye 
Turn my back on this shit-hole in the blink of an eye ♪ ♫ ♪ “
and listen to Justin screaming …
”And the road is long and the lights are bright
 Just ‘cos you’ve lived here all your life does not make it alright 
And the Golden Mile is paved with shite”.
 That’s great, everything in this song says: all is a shit, I’m outta here, who does not like this song?
 Friday Night: it’s a happy song, also the video, I liked it all, when I listen now today I still feel that I am teenager like at that time, was a song I listened in the morning to start a happy day, even the still do. 
Love on the Rocks: When I listened to this song for the first time, I was a little depressed, I was having a hard time with my boyfriend at the time … were years and the relationship was dead, but seemed that no one noticed. So I really liked this song, expressing all that I felt were my feelings in a song, every note, every syllable, every, everything in it perfectly expresses the story of a dead relationship, giving the last breath of life…
and finally, “Holding my Own”, which was felt when I listen? I think the whole song speaks for itself, the melody, the lyrics, as I had told you, was a bit depressed, so a perfect fit in those days. It’s a sad song about rescuing the little pride that one is left in situations like that.
 Is very beautiful and harmonious, very sweet, with feelings.

Did The Darkness and PTL change your life? How?


Definitely did, because I have more than 28 years, so I was too young back then to have lived the good rock bands but too old to be satisfied with crap bands of that time. It gave me hope that good music was even alive. The Darkness is the eternal promise of Rock.

What was the music scene like in your country before The Darkness?
 Honestly … I was not very pleased with anything, there was a lot of music away, had some good bands, but do not remember their names, so I think I did not pay much attention, because if it were that would remember their names. They were of course the usual old national bands, all very good, but do not count because they are not born that time, all already existed long before.

Has it changed over the years?


No, I’m sorry to say that we do not improve or change anything. Although we only have our good old national rock bands like Vox Dei, Norberto Pappo Napolitano, Rata Blanca, Soda Stero, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Charly Garcia, Andres Calamaro, Hermetica, those are some of the best. 
I think the music scene is in decline here, I do not know what we will do when our national rock idols are no longer with us, I prefer not to think about it.

What would you do without The Darkness?

 
Oh God, I’d rather not think about it! It would be something devastating, like when they parted, it was horrible, hope to have good new rock was dead and I was at his funeral crying. That’s how I felt that time was bad for me, they were the voice of my feelings and that voice was not there, I hope not to ever happen again. Over the years one gives great affection to The Darkness, because they are very kind, are always attentive to their fans, always answer our questions and concerns, the days that they were here in our country were so helpful, we saw to them on several occasions and always received us with a smile. They are the best rock band of the latter times and the best rock band in dealing with fans, I can only conclude this saying I love The Darkness, to each of them for what they were, what they are and what they will be.

Matías


When did you first find out about The Darkness?


Probably with ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ video in 2003. My brother and I loved the style and the music, so he 
bought the album and we listened to it a lot!

What did you think of them?


I thought it was a very welcome change for rock n roll. Their style was crazy, their videos were funny as hell and the 
album rocked. It was a time with no new bands that really rocked, and The Darkness saved us all!

When did you get the album?


When ‘I believe in a thing called love’ was airing heavily on channels like MTV and Much Music, like I said, my brother 
and I were instantly hooked so he bought the album.

What were your favourite tracks? Why? Are your favourites the same ones now?

By the time the album came out, I was 9. I didn’t understand English, so it would be very funny for me to hear words 
that I could understand, so “Friday Night” was one of the songs I listened to a lot, since it was singing about “Ping-
Pong” and “Badminton”, it was so funny! Same thing goes to “Givin’ Up”, I just couldn’t understand why such a 
happy sounding song would be saying the word “Fuck” all over the chorus! 
Now I’m 19, and have been a musician since 8. Over the time I started to pay more attention to musical 
arrangements, specially the guitar parts. So songs like “Stuck In A Rut”, “Love On The Rocks With No Ice”, “Get Your 
Hands Off My Woman” and many more quickly became my favorites.

What reaction did you have to each track?

Black Shuck: It’s the perfect introduction for The Darkness. Hard Rock n Roll, amazing voice, roaring guitars, no bull-
shit.
 Get Your Hands Off My Woman: I love how Justin sings the song, the lyrics are great and the guitars blast through 
the speaker. Plus, it’s hilarious how Justin does that thing at the end while playing the song live, making the people 
sing!
 Growing On Me: I loved the video with the little kids as Mini The Darkness, it was so cute! The song its an instant 
classic, period. 
I Believe In A Thing Called Love: This was the best track for the band, it made them famous, and they deserve it. We 
fans will never get tired of listening to it, it’s pure greatness! You can’t just not sing the chorus!
 Love is Only A Feeling: I usually hate ballads, but this one rocks. I love all the additional instruments they played, like 
mandolins and acoustic guitars, it was a nice detail. Plus, how can you go wrong with a guitar solo played in the 
mountains? That’s Rock & Roll! 
Givin Up: All I can say is, WOW, that guitar solo is face-melting. Love singing along to it every time! 
Stuck In A Rut: I like how it’s connected with the ending of Givin Up, its very natural and I love it, I have them 
connected as 1 track on my mp3 player, and they play it live that way also! The song is a hard rocker, Dan has that 
guitar on fire, one of my faves!
 Friday Night: Another one we all love. The lyrics are hilarious, the video is so funny too! I want to be able to see the 
band live so I can just scream-along with this one, love it!
 Love On The Rocks With No Ice: Again, just WOW. Huge rock n roll anthem material, I freakin love rockin out to this 
tune, and live it’s mindblowing as a longer version. To say it in just 1 word? ROCK-N-ROLL. 
Holding My Own: The thing you gotta love about The Darkness, are the lyrics, I mean, come on! Who writes songs 
like these and gets away with a great rockin tune if not The Darkness? Proof that this band is the best in the world.

Did The Darkness and PTL change your life?

The Darkness certainly holds a special chapter in my musical book, my brother loves Queen and I love AC/DC, and to 
us, The Darkness is the perfect mix between them. It’s one of my favorite bands and I’m so happy it exists and keeps 
on rockin till today and hopefully for a long time! 
PTL was what started all for me (like most fans) and will forever remain as one of the best rock albums ever made.

What would you do without them?


Probably I would still listen to other music I like, but honestly, The Darkness are unique and when they first broke up 
it was awful. My brother and I were devastated, as it was such a big loss for rock n roll. And it was so amazing to 
hear about their return, their new album and tour and I also heard they promised a new album for 2014!! So it’s an 
excellent thing for rock n roll that they’re out here today.
 When The Darkness played their only show so far in Argentina, it was supporting Lady Gaga, and they only played 8 
songs. Since the tickets were expensive, because of Lady Gaga, I could only afford the cheap tickets, so far away 
from the stage. It was sure as hell worth it anyway, but I wanted the band to know, that there were a lot of The 
Darkness fans that bought a ticket just for them and left after their gig ended, and since you were in the stage so far 
away, you might not know this! So here’s for a hope you come back with a show of your own some time! Rock On!

Maxi Dries


When did you first find out about The Darkness?

In 2003, because IBIATCL video was on MTV…I become tttally mad.

What did you think of them?


They rock! I mean, they actually sound like a band of seventies, my favourite kind of sound. They rock like in the old days. We miss that in these times.

When did you get the album?


2003, of course Permission to Land.

What were your favourite tracks? Why? Are your favourites the same ones now?


Friday Night, Love is Only a Feeling, IBIATCL. Outstanding tracks, is the perfect sound of that time in my life. They mean so much for me. Girlfriend, Hazel Eyes and Is is Just Me, from ‘Ticket’…I remember my interpretation of the álbum at the time, while I was breaking up with my girlfriend.

What reaction did you have to each track?

Always electrifying, those put me on fire!

Did The Darkness and PTL change your life? How?


They show me a new path to follow in music. I was waiting for them to reunite, I was in heaven when heard the news. Gooood!

What was the music scene like in your country before The Darkness?


Quite boring.

Has it changed over the years?


I hear new bands with clear influence of TD, that’s good news for the musical scene here.

What would you do without them?

A cover band, to play that music! Haha.

Analia

We can only say thanks to The Darkness, thanks for your great music, thanks for being the soundtrack of our lives, thanks for being in every moment of our lives, thanks also for being so kind to us fans. 
Always we trust that The Darkness create your own way to continue giving life to rock, we love them, they have our full support in everything they do … and of course we want them back in Argentina … Latin America also wants to party the anniversary of Permission to Land!

Thanks for their enthusiasm and passion!

For more contributors, click here

Georgia was someone I met on a forum and MySpace years ago. Still only 17, she’s been a huge fan forever.

OI: Georgia, you’re one of the youngest original Darklings I know. How old were you in 2003?

Georgia: 
I was 7.

OI: How exactly did a 7 year old and The Darkness connect?

Georgia: 
I could feel the connection as soon as I heard I Believe in a Thing Called Love on tv.


OI: 
And watched the video, right?
What was your brain doing, that first time?

Georgia: 
Yeah great video! I loved it and wanted to hear more from them on.


OI: 
Did you pester someone to buy the album for you?

Georgia: 
Yeah my mam who is also a fan of the band so it didn’t take much.

OI: 
I approve! Was it the voice, the clothes, the antics, the hair… or all of them?

Georgia: 
Definitely all of them!



OI: At that age, what did you think of the swearing?

Georgia: I didn’t think anything of it really, probably made me like them even more haha!

OI: 
Rebel! What was your favourite track then?

Georgia: 
Hard to chose one of them, I found myself listening to Get Your Hands Off My Woman and Growing on Me the most.

OI: Has that changed over the years?

Georgia: 
I find myself just listening to the whole album over and over









.

OI: 
Has it taken over your life?

Georgia: 
I think it has haha

OI:  Ditto…
What do you think has been its real effect on you and your life? Seriously?

Georgia: 
It’s helped me through a lot of stuff, just instantly puts me in a better mood when I’m listening to them.


OI: 
An emotional response? Has it formed your musical tastes, do you think? Or are they a rock one-off in your CD pile?

Georgia: Yeah they’ve definitely helped to form it, I heard about Steel Panther and Foxy Shazam because of them









.

OI: 
Do you think that you’d not have discovered rock without them? Or would your family have saved you?

Georgia: I heard rock music before I heard the darkness, Dad is a huge fan of it too.

OI: Good. Now, you’re only 17 now. You’ve spent years with your age group, bombarded with the sort of music the likes of Simon Cowell thinks you should like. How difficult is it to not be in that crowd of 1D followers?

Georgia: I don’t find it difficult at all really. I’m just not into that sort of music, none of my friends now are into it thankfully

OI: Have you ever had more than friendly banter for liking TD?

Georgia: Yeah, quite a lot, but they don’t understand real music

OI: No, indeed they don’t, clearly!

Thank you, Georgia.

For more contributors, click here

In a pub tucked away in a back street of London, a record producer and a fan sat in a beer garden and talked. These are the bits that got recorded.

OI: Pedro Ferreira is responsible for an awful lot of ‘Permission to Land’. It’s all your fault, isn’t it? Well, the bits that 4 lads didn’t do…

Pedro: Indeed!

OI: So how, when and why did you get involved?

Pedro: It was more than 10 years ago, that’s for sure! I started working for a publishing company called Rondor Music, working in the studios. My first session was with (at the time) Empire, the band before. That’s the first time I met them. Dan was working at Rondor and Justin was published by them. I did quite a lot of work with Justin recording adverts.

OI: Going back to the jingle days?

Pedro: Yeah. We’d spend all night in the studio smoking loads of cigarettes – we both smoked at the time. We recorded the Tango one, and Ikea.

OI: They’re very famous with Darklings.

Pedro: So that’s when I met them. 1997-98, around then. We became quite good friends, because I was working at the same place as Dan and Justin was popping in all the time. Then they sacked the singer, Paul. I knew Justin could sing, because I’d heard him and always thought he was really good. For ages we tried to persuade him to be the singer. He didn’t want to, he refused. In 2000, Justin decided he was going to be the singer – got persuaded. This was a process – everyone talks about the New Year’s Eve thing. That’s when he finally agreed, but me and Dan, we were on him for a while. They couldn’t find another singer for Empire, and Justin would have been the perfect singer. After that we did quite a few sessions at Rondor. They were quite indie then. That evolved into The Darkness.

OI: You did a lot of crewing for them, didn’t you? That’s when I first met you. You were pushing a flight case and we were demanding the return of a stolen feather boa…

Pedro: It all just happened. We were all at Rondor, who got closed down – bought out by Universal, who closed the studios down and we all kinda got the sack. I ended up buying gear from them and set up my own studio. That was where we recorded IBIATCL and LIOAF. I was going to see them play at the Barfly and the sound was always shit! It was like ‘Fucking hell, I’LL do the fucking sound! ‘ Next thing I know, I’m doing the sound. Then they said ‘WE have to go up North’, so I said I’d go with them. Then Sue asked me to tour manage them. So all these things just sort of happened. I was only meant to be in the studio and next thing I know I’m doing sound at Knebworth, and still tour managing.

OI: So when it came round to doing this album that we’re on about, was it a foregone conclusion that things would carry on an you’d do it?

Pedro: We were just having fun!

OI: Did they formally ask you to do it?

Pedro: Yes! 2001 was when I set up my studio. It was a particularly bad year for music. I thought it would be really busy, and it wasn’t at all. It gave me a lot of time for them. That’s why I ended up spending the whole of 2001 developing their sound, the whole year. Recording IBIATCL, LIOAF and LOTR – another version that we ended up not using on the record. We re-recorded it because it was really slow. All that time we spent in my studio, I didn’t have any clients. Perfect for them! It was good, because it gave me time to do their tours, sound, walkabouts, everything – it was fun.

OI: You were steeped in Darkness.

Pedro: Yeah, we had a lot of good times.

OI: When you finally came to actually record PTL, did everyone come in with a really clear idea of what they wanted? Or did it evolve a little more?

Pedro: Basically the whole thing was a process, at least for me, anyway. That year, we developed their sound, that’s all we did. They were a bit indie to start with. My background is rock music and Justin and I would have a lot of chats and laughs about AC/DC and rock. If you like, that year was pre-production, recording the record versions of IBIATCL and LIOAF. Once we’d done all that, it was time and we decided ‘Let’s go and record an album’. I’m sure you know about the IKEA advert and how it gave us enough money to go to the studio and all that. I’d been to the Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire before and really liked it, so I got in touch with them and they gave us a good price. We went over for a couple of weeks – less than that. We did do 3 weeks proper pre-production before that which was good fun. Justin got the nipple piercing – I’ve never seen someone in so much pain ever in my life. During that 3 weeks in Hackney, Jo Whiley played IBIATCL. It was the first time we’d heard it on the radio, especially Radio 1. We all left the rehearsal room because the was not radio – it was underground so the radio wouldn’t work, no wireless back then! Someone called us to say that they were going to play it in about 10 minutes. We ran out of the studio and found an internet café with radio – ‘We’re on Radio 1, we’re on Radio 1!’ They played it and we were like kids. It was brilliant – good memories. That was our 3 weeks.

OI: So when you went to Lincolnshire, you were very ready.

Pedro: Yeah, I’m very particular about all that. I wouldn’t go to spend money on a studio without making sure everyone knew exactly what they were doing. Specially when you have a limited amount of money, you don’t want to waste it faffing about figuring out what to play next.

OI: Was there any disagreement on how to do things?

Pedro: No, not really. There are always the usual ‘creative arguments’, always going to be. We were pretty much on the same wavelength. It was mostly in pre-production. The recording went quite smoothly -everyone knew what they were doing and they did it, you know? We had a great time at the Chapel. Then we came back to London and finished off the vocals. I mixed it at the Roundhouse and the boys came down about twice during the whole process. I would send them the mixes, so they were fully aware of what I was doing. It was good to know that they had full trust in me.

OI: How much did you have to change to get the live sound in the studio? That album is known for being quite raw.

Pedro: I was quite focused on capturing the performance more than polish it up too much. In my opinion that’s where The Darkness is. Go and see them live and there’s this energy that they transmit, which is the brilliant thing. I really wanted to capture that. I made sure I recorded them live and technically I did things that at the time that were quite new. I recorded it to tape, then put it onto protos ,to get the best performance out of that without cut and paste. I don’t like to do that. It was very much trying to get ‘The Darkness’ on record.

OI: Them on stage without the little things that go wrong, and people like me going ‘AAGGHHHH!’?

Pedro: That’s the fun part!

OI: A live album would be great – people would really like that.

Pedro. I think so. They are amazing live. And I think we captured that. We spent a lot of time developing the sound but I really wanted to get that performance out of them. You can really feel that in ‘Permission to Land’.

OI: Yes. What everyone loves about PTL is that it’s as good as you can possibly get to a stage performance without being there.. You can stand at home and jump up and down, if you have it loud enough.

Pedro: That’s the best compliment! Job done!

OI: You cannot stand and listen to ‘Stuck in a Rut’ without joining in and scaring the cat. With singing and dancing!

Pedro: I listened to ‘Black Shuck’ the other day, one of my favourite tracks. It still makes me smile, and I’ve heard it probably a million times. Between all the preproduction, recording and live gigs I’ve done, I can safely say I’ve heard it a million times! I don’t think I was able to listen to PTL for a while after it I mastered it. I was listening to it live every day anyway! I just couldn’t put it on. But that’s the good thing about it – I listened the other day and thought ‘Wow – it’s cool!’. Specially when I remember Dan and Frankie doing the backing vocals, that was quite good fun.

OI: Always great when you remember ‘Hey, I did that!’ Money constraints aside, was there anything that you wanted to do that wasn’t possible? Ideas you had that you thought’ I just can’t make this work’?

Pedro. I’m sure there were a few though I can’t remember any. We did all that we set out to do. There was a clear picture in my head of all we had to do. I remember our first dinner in Lincolnshire and I was obviously very quite and focused on what I had to do – trying to figure it all out. Dan asked me ‘Are you alright? Are you not happy to be here?’ I was very happy to be here! But suddenly the sheer weight of everything we had to do in such a small amount of time – WOAH! But, we worked really hard, I didn’t sleep much, I don’t think. We had a fantastic time, and it all got done. On budget.

OI: Nothing you’d have done differently id you’d had more money?

Pedro: The last mix I did, Dan was there at the Roundhouse Studio and I think we finished about 6 o’clock in the morning, it was daylight. We were waiting in the lobby for a cab and I remember sitting there, both of us knackered, looking at Dan. I could think of about a million things I could have done or would have liked to have done if we’d had the time and the money. We didn’t, but I was really happy. It’s always the same, there’s always something you’d like to fix, get a better performance, a better mix, but it all turned out alright. Not bad – not bad!

OI: Did you use any technical whizzy tricks? (technical term)

Pedro: Nothing, just a whip.

OI: A WHIP? Who needed it the most? Along with Justin’s legendary singing in the nude… I know a lot of people whose entire decade would be justified by that!

Pedro: I just turned round and there he was, and I was ‘aaghhhh! Come on…!’ I don’t need to see that! Any time of day! We laughed a LOT about that. Apart from that technicality, everything was plain sailing! It was a bone of contention at one point, the live recording. Frankie wanted time to get his parts right on his own, but I really insisted on doing it live. It was recorded to tape, that’s as far as technicalities go.

OI: Simple is good?

Pedro: Yup. Simple is good. There’s a bit more to it than that, but essentially, yes. Apart from Justin being naked a few times, that’s about it!

OI: Apart from that, everyone had a good time?

Pedro: Chuckles yes, we had a fantastic time.

OI: Did everyone not just go ‘What the fuck is he doing?’ … but… I guess that happened quite a lot…

There was a trip to the bar and chocolate consumed, at this point. Much needed.

OI: Back on track – This album – what kind of personal and business implications has it had for you?

Pedro: It still is the best selling album that I’ve ever done. It’s still quite big even 10 years later. I have kids coming to me and telling me that they started playing guitar because of PTL and they want me to produce them and that kind of stuff. Makes me feel old! One of them is Voodoo Vegas, huge Darkness/Tokyo Dragons fans. So, I will always be the PTL producer and people will always know me for that.

OI: ‘You did that album, I want you because of that album.’ Cool. Worse things to be remembered for!

Pedro: Exactly! Definitely, even my peers, everyone appreciates the production on it, everyone comments on it, even if they don’t like the band they like the production.

OI: What I find about The Darkness is that everybody who doesn’t like them is able to pick up on something they do well. I’ve never found anyone who’s said They’re shit, they take awful photos, don’t like the catsuits or Justin’s voice, they can’t play.’ No one ever says they can’t play! So there’s always something to admire.

Pedro: Oh yes, they can play! So.. yeah, the last ten years of my life has been changed by it. On a personal level, -I met my girlfriend back then, she managed to put up with me and all the madness that was going on. Defintiely on a business level, it’s never been the same.

OI: You were saying about listening to the album again after quite a while?

Pedro: I’ve always been very proud of it. I think it was an achievement, for the reason’s I gave. The fact that it did so well, out of everyone’s expectations. We always believed that it was great and it could do well – we were prepared to give it our best shot because of that. But even when Atlantic signed them, the prediction was to sell about 60,000 copies, and the fact that they sold 5 million just goes to show. For a year after that it was all about The Darkness. Everything revolved about them. I don’t blame them for anything they did, though in hindsight they might have done things differently. I would have done. It was all too full on.

OI: Do you have an emotional attachment, like the fans do?

Pedro: I worked on it for years! I can’t do a record without being attached to it, it’s impossible to do. It’s very close to my heart, for sure. We worked so hard on it, All that time in the studio and that Dan and I spent getting a sound that was different but at the same time appealing. We put a lot of ourselves into it.

OI: Heart and soul – and most of your youth?

Pedro: Hmm.mm.. Yeah!

OI: What’s your favourite track? Do you have one?

Pedro: I thought it was always ‘Love on the Rocks’. I really liked it, even the first version we did, which was slower. I really liked the heaviness and the riff. But.. ‘Black Shuck’! It’s an absolute genius, I think.

OI: It makes me laugh, every time.

Pedro: Amazing, yeah, so I’ll say ‘Black Shuck’.

OI: And that’s not changed? Some people have said that as they’ve got older, other songs have meant more because of things that have happened.

Pedro: No, not really. I know that record inside out, but I can honestly say it’s still ‘Black Shuck’. Does opening bit You can’t beat that!

OI: It’s what you’ve been waiting for, on stage, to hear that and for the place to go wild.

Pedro: What would yours be?

OI: I’ve thought about this, and I honestly don’t have one. Every single track has got something. Sometimes it depends on mood – jumping up and down needs ‘Stuck in a Rut’, ballady mood needs LIOAF. They’ve all got the same favourite level. There are only 3 albums in my whole life I can name that can do that, it’s quite a feat. I like different ones live from in the car. The attachment to where you were and what you were doing last time you heard it live, how good a gig it was, what happened before and after…. Some songs are better for driving to because you can scream along. Some are better for housework! If you need a laugh, ‘Black Shuck’. If you’re thoroughly pissed off, ‘Giving Up’ is about right. Love on the Rocks… you HAVE to do that live ot it’s… you just don’t get the full experience. Rock Epic. You can feel it coming through the floor, not just the speakers.

Pedro: I think it’s up there, and riff wise, in my opinion, it’s as good as ‘Smoke on the Water.

OI: It is instantly recognisable. Exactly whose idea was it to carry Justin for miles, with a guitar, during LOTR? Whose stupid idea was that? Though it wasn’t a stupid idea, it was really good, but…

Pedro: It did become quite stupid, yeah.

OI: He lost a shoe, not long ago.

Pedro: I lost about 2 inches!

OI: The last time I saw it properly, Dan was carrying him.

Pedro: He’s tall enough! It did become quite violent, the walkabout. I’m a strong guy, and I felt like I was going into battle at parts. I remember stamping on bodies and thinking ‘Oh fuck, I’m standing on someone!’ I didn’t have any choice. The crowds were surrounding us, I was just going with the crowd. We had people like bodyguards surrounding us, which wasn’t as much fun. It did get violent, we all agreed it had to stop. We did it at the Astoria without security, the first one, and the Homecoming. Having security wasn’t the same.

OI: I think now it’s become a much loved part of it, everyone’s waiting for it to happen. Not as violent as it used to be. He did have words with one girl on the last tour, I heard.

Pedro: We were in Osaka, the first Japanese gig we did on a mini tour, after the Big Day Out. We decided to do the walkabout, we didn’t know what to expect.

OI: Aren’t Japanese crowds fairly lethal?

Pedro: It was the funniest thing ever. I had to go and pick up Justin from a door at the side of the stage and they didn’t know what was happening. They were looking at the stage. All of a sudden they clocked us at the side. I kid you not, I had about 500 Japanese running towards me. It was dangerous, quite literally they were hanging from is. I’m trying to walk, and the guy who was doing International for Atlantic came and helped me. It was quite full on. It was then I think that we decided to use security. Was quite bruised up after that one.

OI: I remember a few gigs without it. But as soon as there was a comeback, it was reinstated. Good. Everybody wanted it. Perhaps Justin quite likes coming back black and blue? Now he’s diving off balconies and crowdsurfing, he’s getting his danger fix!

The last question, then that I was asked to ask you – what do you really think of the catsuits?

Pedro: He SHOULD still be wearing them! People always asked why he didn’t wear them going around in normal daylight.

OI: Chilly! And his trousers are tight enough, anyway.

Pedro: It’s all about the show, and the show is that. Bands go on stage looking normal, at least he was making an effort! It was different, and it was great. It always puzzles me, people didn’t need to ask these questions in the 70’s or early 80’s – imagine going to Kiss and going ‘Why are you wearing makeup and platform shoes?’

OI: Everyone was wearing it? There’s only one person doing it now.

Pedro: it’s all about the show. The Darkness understood that well. I think that’s what set them apart, you know? Not just that, obviously – musically they were miles apart. The whole show thing was important to them, especially Justin, and I think that’s amazing. I don’t think they should change that all. There’s a fine line – I used to try and show them the line and them decide that the would like to do – but there is a fine line between being cool and being absolutely fucking ridiculous.

OI: SOME have said that there isn’t such a line for The Darkness. And some don’t care about a line, they like it.

Pedro: I disagree with that. It’s all about being outrageous but without…

OI: There’s a thing about being outrageous to shock, and being outrageous tongue in cheek.

Pedro: Yeah, basically. I couldn’t have put it better myself.

OI: Thank you! We’ve never had ‘outrageous to shock’ from The Darkness, because that’s not entertainment.

Pedro: No, that’s not Darkness. It was lyrics, music, what Justin was wearing. It was good fun when I didn’t know what catsuit he was going to wear next. The big leather trousers… they were amazing.

OI: What’s nice now is that a lot of the old ones are coming out – Justin tweeted about getting some out for the November tour.

Pedro: And the flames tattoo… also amazing.

OI: That was very probably one of the best image things Justin could have done. It won him a lot of fans that had never heard a note!

Pedro: I think Justin was quite aware of this!

And with that time ran out. Mixing to do and trains to catch. We did still manage discuss my inability to throw rock horns and what the connotations of my goth horns were. They’ll never look the same again!

Many thanks to Pedro for taking a break from work and being very entertaining, brilliant company.

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