Interview: The Darkness to showcase their new album in Cambridge next month

Dan Hawkins, lead guitarist with the glam rock quartet, speaks to the Cambridge Independent, ahead of the band's gig at the Corn Exchange on December 6.

Coming at a time when many of us thought that no-holds-barred ‘good time’ rock from men with shoulder-length hair was a thing of the past, The Darkness, with their outrageous riffs and colourful attire, thankfully recalled that glorious ‘hair metal’ period of the late 1980s and took the music world by storm when their mammoth first album, Permission to Land, dropped back in 2003.

The sheer fun of rocking tunes such as I Believe in a Thing Called Love and Growing on Me – with its unforgettable video – were widely played, meaning that for a brief moment we were able to dispense with all the shoegazing and enjoy some good old classic rock.

Now, all these years later, the band – currently comprising Justin Hawkins (vocals/guitar), Dan Hawkins (guitar, backing vocals), Frankie Poullain (bass, backing vocals) and Rufus Tiger Taylor (son of Queen’s Roger Taylor) on drums – have delivered a new album, controversially titled Easter Is Cancelled, which includes moments of pure musical genius.

Cambridge fans will be able to hear the album in full – along with a ‘greatest hits’ set – when the group come to the Corn Exchange in December.

Dan Hawkins, 42, a former session musician for Natalie Imbruglia, says: “Critically, the new album has been received really well...

"To be honest, I wasn’t that nervous about it – I really felt like we’d done something pretty special and you’d have to be deaf to think it sounded terrible, I think. So it’s going pretty well.”

Brothers in bands can often lead – sometimes very publicly – to major falling-outs, Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis and UB40’s Campbell brothers, Ali, Robin and Duncan, immediately spring to mind.

What is Dan’s relationship like with his larger-than-life elder sibling - known for his flamboyant dress sense and earth-shattering falsetto?

“It’s really good,” he says. “I’d say the brother influence on this band is actually a positive one because that bond’s there.

“It’s a shame when you hear about brothers in bands and they end up hating each other, because the bond of being family and brothers, in my mind, is much stronger than any job or band or ego.

“It’s far more important to us that we get on. So in a way, I think that benefits us because we’re always aware of overstepping the mark and aware of each other’s happiness.

"I know the sort of thing my brother doesn’t like to do, so I don’t push it – and vice-versa.”

Dan, who says he feels blessed that The Darkness – possibly Lowestoft’s most famous export – continue to be popular all over the world, adds: “I’ll give you an example: my brother’s been sober for about 13 years now, I think, but it’s safe to say that I like a drink.

"But even though he doesn’t care anymore and it doesn’t matter, I still don’t rub his nose in it – he’s not going to see me drunk at any point. It’s just respect, really.”

After their first initial flurry of stardom – Dan admits that the band probably enjoyed themselves “too much” back then – The Darkness broke up in 2006, reforming in 2011 with the original lineup (Dan, Justin, Frankie and original drummer, Ed Graham).

Ed was then replaced by Emily Dolan Davies (in 2014), before Rufus took over the drum stool in 2015.

Dan appears to be having a lot of fun being in a band these days. “I’m enjoying it much more now,” he says.

“There was still quite a lot of expectation when the band got back together and actually, to be fair, a lot of people don’t even realise that we split up or got back together.

"But we put a lot of pressure on ourselves on the comeback album [2012’s Hot Cakes] and we were still really getting to know each other again after a couple of years of not seeing each other and becoming different people, I suppose.”

Some recent photos show Justin wearing clothes very different from his trademark catsuits, but Dan assures me that his brother still wears them – which is good to know before any Cambridge Darkness fans tear up their tickets in disgust.

“Don’t you worry about that,” says Dan. “That’s never going to stop.

"At one point, we were asked by management to tone it down, that maybe we shouldn’t do that.

"It was like, ‘What are you talking about? That’s what we do!’

"If anything, we need more. I think we’re all quite proud of the fact that we don’t look our age – we work pretty hard at it; we’re all running and exercising in the gym, trying to live fairly healthily.

"To not show off your prize assets would just be a waste, wouldn’t it? So of course the catsuits will be there.”

But Dan’s never been persuaded to wear one? “No, I’m too gangly for that stuff,” he laughs.

“I never really wanted to be in the limelight, never wanted to be down the front. I wanted to be at the back, just knocking out the riffs.”

The Darkness will be at the Corn Exchange on Friday, December 6.

Tickets: £32.50.

Box office: cornex.co.uk.