The Darkness is winning over skeptics who initially couldn't get past its spandex and showmanship to really listen to its songs.
By BRIAN ORLOFF
Published June 3, 2004
[Publicity photo]
“We’re just basically really determined to show people that we’re a real, proper heavy rock band,” says the Darkness bassist Frankie Poullain, far right.
There's nothing subtle about the Darkness, from the group's Mack truck-sized guitar riffs to lead singer Justin Hawkins' body-hugging cat suits.
Unlike fellow Brits Coldplay and Radiohead, the Darkness revels in rock 'n' roll excess. It rejects current rock as uninspired and boring. And it boasts of its musical influences - from Queen to AC/DC - proudly on its splashy spandex sleeves.
The band earned puzzled looks and skepticism early on from the notoriously harsh British press, but it soon charmed critics with its humor and outrageous showmanship. Last week it won the songwriter of the year award presented by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. U.S. audiences first took notice when MTV picked up the band's single I Believe In a Thing Called Love, playing the wacky video in heavy rotation.
Add this to your Darkness education: Bassist Frankie Poullain quit an early incarnation of the band and took off to Venezuela, only to be summoned back a year later. These days, the lineup is Hawkins, his brother Dan on guitar, Poullain and drummer Ed Graham.
Calling with "the worst hangover after 16 hours of just constant boozing," Poullain said the quartet is looking forward to continuing its U.S. invasion. The band brings its metal-inspired spectacle to Coachman Park on Saturday.
ST. PETERSBURG TIMES: Are you more confident, now that this is your third headlining tour in the United States?
POULLAIN: Yeah, we're just basically really determined to show people that we're a real, proper heavy rock band. Some people see the videos or the way we dress, and sometimes journalists always concentrate on the spandex and stuff, so a lot of people make a snap judgment that we're a gimmicky, kind-of-joke band. But really we're influenced by Cream, AC/DC, Aerosmith. They all had different, kind-of-gimmicky sides to them as well, but people saw the light.
TIMES: How difficult is it to maintain a sense of humor but also be serious about your music?
POULLAIN: We work hard on the songs and spend a lot of time rehearsing. And then we have fun with it once we've done all the hard work. We're capable of being just complete buffoons and messing around, but we're also capable of working hard, really seriously. It's that kind of duality that makes us the kind of band that we are. We want to be the biggest rock band in the world.
TIMES: How important is a sense of humor?
POULLAIN: I think it's a sign of intelligence and understanding of life and humanity.
(Humor is) what's been missing in music ever since grunge, really. I think we're bringing back some of the old-school rock values and some of the things that have been missing for a long time. And I think we're breaking the rules in the process. And that's why some people like us and some people don't.
TIMES: A lot of bands seem to think less about showmanship, when that seems to be your appeal.
POULLAIN: Definitely, yes, it's very important to entertain people. It's what's been missing. Nu-metal and angsty, miserable rock music is just like a horrible experience for people to have to stand in a crowd and watch that kind of music.
You have someone like Radiohead who do it very well, and it's thought-provoking and quite deep, and it's good songs, and it's crafted. But I'm talking about the post-grunge bands, people like Linkin Park and everything. It's not real rock. It's produced like pop music. There's no vibe there. We try to entertain people on different levels. We rock them, and it's kind of hard and heavy, powerful.
TIMES: Let's talk about style. You certainly have a look.
POULLAIN: We met Steve Tyler at the show in Atlanta; he came backstage. And the first thing he said to me was that he loved my shirt and he wanted to get in contact with my shirt designer.
Occasionally I've been described as a Pirate of the Caribbean, and then on the last tour, everybody was saying (he resembled) Jimi Hendrix, which really surprised me. And then a lot of people said Prince. And then Jeff Beck once said I was (like) "Keith Richards goes disco," which I thought was great. I think I blushed when I heard that. I was so flattered.
TIMES: Were you trying self-consciously to craft an accessible sound? Do you worry about alienating people?
POULLAIN: I suppose we're appealing to ourselves first, but there's a cross section at our gigs. You have the old rockers in the back, the girls in the front throwing their knickers onstage, you have the skate-punkers, and I suppose you have a few students, too.
We seem to strike a chord with the highbrow and the lowbrow. The thing is the people in between, the people who see themselves as cool and sophisticated and listen to coffee-table music and everything. They don't seem to like us. But it's a real mixture. The only thing lacking is skeptics. But I'm sure we can convert them.
PREVIEW
The Darkness headlines the 97X New Rock Spectacle with Authority Zero and Stenogram at 5 p.m. Saturday at Coachman Park, Clearwater. $15 advance, $23 at the gate. (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100.
