Darkness Spreads Across The Land

[Uber]

No, this isn't about Thriller. News for my fellow US mini-mutants, The Darkness is set to launch their first tour of the US. If you haven't heard of The Darkness, they're a rock band out of the UK in the style of an 80s hair band. Very infectious music if you're into that genre. They've become somewhat of an underground sensation here in the US, and are touring some of the smaller clubs in major cities. Perhaps Rich could elaborate on some of the press that these lads have gotten across the pond.

Anyway, here's the info on their US tour...

[neutral]

Strange to hear them refered to as underground, I'm one of the few of my friends who don't think they're over-rated. Anyway, like you said, top-notch 80's big-hair rock band. While they aren't exactly original, they've got technical ability and self-mocking in spades (their Queen-style video is halarious).

They had a Christmas number one over here, and their album was top of the charts a couple months back. I think they made it big initially when they opened for Robbie Williams.

[Magill]

I saw their video (twice, within maybe an hour and a half) on, get this, MTV last night. I said to my boyfried, "Hey, it's that 80's band with the Queen video." Of course, he didn't know what I was talking about.

As for the song, it really didn't do much for me.

[FiveMileSmile]

Right, I'm gonna rant here, and its not going to be pretty. I may even use the word 'vitriol'. Yes, it's that serious.

Now, as well as being a self confessed movie nerd, I'm also a connousier of what you might want to call 'alternative music' - i.e. anything which doesn't feature boy bands, girl bands, and reality Tv show winners. I don't mind pop music, but its not my cup of tea.

Of course, working for a University (which I do) has its perks, one of which is cheap tickets to University gigs, so I've seen a lot of indie/alternative acts, and I'm pretty "down with the kids" as far as keeping up with new music is concerned.

But The Darkness are without a doubt the biggest frauds in music history since Milli Vanilli. I hate them with an passion that almost unholy because they've somehow managed to con everyone on earth into thinking that they're good.

Let me explain.

The Darkness are a gimmick band. In an age where we looked back at poodle haired metal acts of the past with distain, with their falsetto vocals and their skintight lycra jumpsuits, The Darkness willingly embraced the kitch element, essentially playing music that died out 20 years ago. No one took them seriously.

Then a bunch of alternative DJ's in the UK started playing their stuff. The DJ's were all saying "check out this kitch band - they play 80's music seriously - aren't they alternative?". Unfortunately, it seems the entirety of the student nation of England was listening to those shows, because pretty soon you couldn't escape them. They were everywhere, and all the students were like "check out this kitch band - they play 80's music - isn't that funny.".

If it had stopped there, I guess I wouldn't have minded.

But what happened was that, as the Darkness became more popular, they started getting a lot of exposure. And the more you listened to them, the more you realised - these guys aren't doing this for a joke. They're taking their falsetto, poodle rock rubbish seriously, like they somehow re-invented 'classic rock' by playing rehashes of music more than 10 years old.

And then, because The Darkness were popular, and the DJ's wanted to be "down with the kids" as well, the DJ's started buying into The Darkness as a serious band pushing back the boundaries of music. And because the DJ's said it, all the kids accepted it as gospel.

Now, somehow, The Darkness are hailed as visionary alternate musicians. The Brits (our version of the Grammies) even added a new Best British Rock Act this year JUST TO GIVE IT TO THE DARKNESS. Now, if there are any Darkness fans out there reading this, let me take a moment to take out my pin and pop the little bubble of unreality they have generated around you.

The Darkness are not a good band. Their frontman is an ugly 35 year old with bad teeth who's one musical feature is the ability to sing like he has a rubber band wrapped around his testes. Their base player is a reject from the village people, their video's are deliberately 'wow, alternative' so that the kids will dig them, and their musical influences come from a time which is universally regarded as the cellpool of modern music, and last but not least, all their songs, every one of them, sounds exactly the same, and that sound is the sound of a band sucking as hard as it possibly can.

I rest my case.

- Rich

[neutral]

Fair enough, you don't like them, but surely their lack of originality(true) and other people percieving them (wrongly) as somehow revolutionary shouldn't prevent others and myself from enjoying what is still good music (if you like that kind of thing) and funny videos?

I'm in no way connected with the 'youth of today' (despite my recent graduation from them), or any kind of musical expert, but I enjoyed their album and their video made me laugh. Can't really ask for much more than that.

[puggyd]

I enjoy them, generally, but there is a nagging voice in the back of my head saying, "If you want to listen to Queen, listen to Queen".

I have to opportunity to see them in concert this March, but I think I'm going to go to the Death Cab for Cutie/Ben Kweller show instead. Priorities, people...

[PowerBum]

Personally, I've always been a fan of hair metal like Scorpions and big arena bands like Queen, Styx, etc.

Basically, The Darkness is one of the few more 'recent' acts I can get into. I mean, considering the alternatives are rap/metal, pop/punk, and bubblegum pop, I'm rather glad MTV's taken to playing something that is (in my opinion) much less annoying and (while not neccessarily "original") at least a change of pace.

As for the lead singer, it's kind of amazing that someone as "old and ugly" is getting airplay. Maybe it's for laughs, but it's something we haven't seen since the music industry became so concerned with image (in America, anyway).

As for his talent, he CAN sing. He may not have a lot of range, but it works. As far as thier videos go, I don't disagree with the "deliberately alternative" idea. But it's possible that it's just something they dug. Anytime you see a video that makes you say "Wow, that's odd/different/cool." Odds are, that's exactly what everybody involved had in mind.

I don't want to turn this into an arguement, I'm just stating my opinion.

[Robert]

I am sorry I have to chime in with my opinion.

It seems the only people left in the world who are against the Darkness are in fact, the British, who released them into the world. As for the music, 'Growing on me' was fun for it's first play, but then it got repetative and I just wanted to destroy the T.V. and Radio. And as a ";Down with it Kid*" I feel alone in the world in despising the Darkness.
I still hated them when I thought they were just a big elaborate parody group, it however seems that they are for real.

*";Down with it kid" may mean a completely out of touch Kid who hates change in culture.

[PoolMan]

I finally got my first taste of The Darkness since this thread was posted (I've been listening), and I'll simply add this to the discussion:

No thank you.

[FiveMileSmile]

Let me just clarify my position here:

My dislike of The Darkness stems not from their music per se (It's not my cup of tea, I'll admit) but rather their completely pretentious belief that they are some form of musical geniuses/revolutionaries and the publics sheeplike adulation and acceptance of them.

I also think that if their kind of music IS your cup of tea, there are bands from back when this kind of music was popular that did it far better. Queen being the obvious example, but I'm sure there are more.

Really, my dislike of The Darkness stems from my disappointment in the general population for liking them just because they've been told to by DJ's. While I accept that some people do enjoy the falsetto hair metal genre, I'm also fairly sure that 6 months ago, if you played a Darkness track to maybe 80% of their fans and told them it was Queen, or Poison, etc, they'd have told you to turn it off.

Have an opinion people, please.

Oh, and for the sake of full disclosure, I do own The Darkness' album, store bought and original; so they've had their money from me; I now feel I'm getting my £15 worth by standing firm against their PR menace.

- Rich

[DocD83]

Can I rant for a bit? Thanks.

First off, let me say I don't like the Darkness. But this thread does remind me why I don't listen to music very much: no matter your tastes there will always be a huge number of people willing to tell you with great conviction that it sucks, and that you suck by association. I'm constantly being told by people that I like the wrong bands or, if I get the band right, the wrong songs (Coldplay and "Take My Picture" come to mind). This usually from people who think 50 Cent and Andre 3000 are akin to the Second Coming of Christ--I'm usually too polite to tell them that damn "Hey-ya" song causes me physical pain (no one believes me but it does...I almost doubled over the first time I heard it).

End rant.

[PoolMan]

Okay, I've heard precious little of the Darkness, but I do NOT get the comparisons to Queen. Maybe I need to hear more (no thanks!), but while I heard immediate similarities to Poison, etc, I didn't hear any likeness to Freddie et al.

Blasphemy!

[jenfrazer]

Maybe it's the overly revealing jumpsuit and bad teeth.

I agree that while The Darkness might emulate all things Queen, they don't sound a damn thing like them. But that's beside the point. I don't see them getting a second hit in the US. And the only reason they've got this one is that some marketing guy decreed it so. I watch the video that's in HEAVY rotation only because it's so damn weird, not because it's good.

I'd compare them to Squirrel Nut Zippers as a gimmick revival group, except that SNZ were excellent.

As for Outkast, they had hits before, and they'll have hits again. I personally love Andre's stuff, but I can understand others' distaste.

[Robert]

C'mon, the guy looks like an Action figure thats been burned under a magnifying glass by some kid.

[neutral]

Ok, I take it back, watched the Brits last night and they acted like arrogant tossers. Furthermore, they shouldn't really have won any awards, as there were better bands nominated for each. Damn shame.