Darkness, the

English hard rock band. They are known for their flamboyant stage presence and showmanship, especially of vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist Justin Hawkins, and are credited with reviving the hard rock of the late 1970s during the early 2000s. Their debut album Permission to Land topped the British charts in 2003.

Other members of the band include Hawkins's brother Dan Hawkins (guitar), Frankie Poullain (bass), and Ed Graham (drums). Permission to Land includes the hit singles ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’, ‘Get Your Hands Off Of My Woman’, and ‘Growing On Me’.

The Hawkins brothers grew up in Lowestoft, Suffolk, and formed a band playing covers, with Dan Hawkins as lead vocalist. When Justin went to Huddersfield University in 1997, Dan moved to London to pursue his music career. He met Scottish bassist Poullain there, and the three formed a pop band called Empire, which soon split. During a karaoke performance of Queen's ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ on New Year's Eve 1999, Justin's outrageous showmanship inspired the band in a new direction, with Justin as the lead singer. The Darkness formed soon after, with the addition of Graham on drums. Though they were originally panned by the British press, they became increasingly popular, playing small venues in London, England, before opening for bands such as Metallica, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, and Def Leppard.