In the summer of 2003, The Darkness took an unsuspecting world by storm by releasing their debut album Permission To Land.
It was a huge chart success around the world and led to the UK outfit being showered with Brit awards the following year and, it was responsible for a bunch of singles, including the power ballad Love Is Only A Feeling.
Speaking with Classic Rock magazine issue 261 earlier this year, The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins spoke about how the band created the track which peaked at no.5 in the UK singles chart.
Hawkins said: “I really wanted to do a power ballad. I think when you’re making an album, there should be one at the end of the first half and another at the end of the second half. That’s how Aerosmith albums used to be.”
He added: “It’s a song about the nature of how love works. It’s about how wonderful love makes you feel, but also to have a word with yourself about the reality of it. Love’s brilliant, but watch out: Words to live by."
“In the early noughties, it wasn’t cool to be talking about love in a brazen way in music. A lot of people would allude to love in their lyrics, or have it be a metaphor for sex, but weren’t dealing with it head-on.
“We wanted to do it more from the heart, as opposed to the other organ!”
The Darkness released their new album Easter Is Cancelled earlier this year and will head out on the road in the coming weeks across Europe.
The Darkness 2020 tour dates
Jan 25: Strasbourg Laiterie, France
Jan 26: Paris La Cigale, France
Jan 27: Bordeaux Krakatoa, France
Feb 03: Lyon Ninkasi KAO, France
Feb 04: Zurich XTRA, Switzerland
Feb 08: Munich Technikum, Germany
Feb 10: Vienna Simm City, Austria
Feb 11: Nuremburg Hirsch, Germany
Feb 12: Berlin Kesselhaus, Germany
Feb 14: Copenhagen Amager Bio, Denmark
Feb 15: Stockholm Nalen, Sweden
Feb 17: Oslo Rockefeller, Norway
Feb 18: Gothenburg Pustervik, Sweden
Feb 20: Hamburg Markthalle, Germany
Feb 21: Cologne Essigfabrik, Germany
Feb 22: Sint Niklas De Casino, Belgium
Feb 24: Amsterdam Melkweg Max, Amsterdam
Feb 25: Frankfurt Batschkapp, Germany
