The Darkness - 'Dreams On Toast' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Rock and Roll Party Cowboy

2. I Hate Myself

3. Hot On My Tail

4. Mortal Dread

5. Don't Need Sunshine

6. The Longest Kiss

7. The Battle For Gadget Land

8. Cold Hearted Woman

9. Walking Through Fire

10. Weekend In Rome

+ BONUS TRACKS

11. The Wishing Well (Justin) / Au Revoir, My Friend (Dan) / Peppermint and Chamomile (Frankie) / My Only (Rufus)

The Darkness burst onto the scene in 2004 with 'I Believe In A thing Called Love' and their full throated embrace of the 80’s and early nineties rock and roll excess perhaps meant that some people chose not to take them as seriously as they perhaps deserved as a band. As a song it’s a brilliant piece of rock and has stood the test of time, the subsequent album, 'Permission To Land' was also very impressive but I suspect their playing up to stereo types and wearing lycra plus the snobbish nature of some of the music press who are always chasing the best new thing meant they have struggled to be taken seriously since.

Their fans, and there are many, have long known they are a proper rock band and one of the best live acts in the country. I saw them recently in Edinburgh and they were excellent. Some of the new songs they played made me think that maybe, just maybe, the new album might be the one to take them back near the top of the charts again and perhaps banish the naysayers once and for all.

I know there are some who think rock has had its day, they couldn’t be more wrong, go and join 50,000 people at a Springsteen or Bon Jovi gig, see London Stadium go mental to the Foo Fighters or even watch the Manics rock Edinburgh Castle and one thing you will notice is that there are all ages there, a roughly equal mix of genders and a love of rock music that transcends what people are told is cool. Many kinds grew up listening to rock that their parents played and, finally, the Darkness may be about to reap the rewards of their persistence.

This album shows a lot of different influences, at least one song sounds like Queen, there is a hint of Freddie Mercury’s Barcelona to another, one could be Bon Jovi at their rockiest, another encouraged me to believe that the band could occupy the sweeping vistas of The Boss, there is a bit Motley Crue, some Thin Lizzy and even some Poison, Intrigued? You should be, this is a full on rock and roll album with some interesting twists and turns, some pushing of the boundaries, some experimentation and just a lot of fun, at one point I even wondered if they were going a bit country!

'Rock and Roll Part Cowboy' picks us off, it’s a proper rock and roll song. 'I Hate Myself' is a brilliant sog which see’s Justin show off that he still has his full vocal range while making it clear that the band are brilliant musicians, throw in some unexpected sax and you just know you’re going to enjoy this album.

Personally, I really liked 'The Longest Kiss' and 'Cold Hearted Woman', both of which might not be traditional Darkness songs but which I think are proof they can write great songs, can turn their hand to anything and that Justin is a better singer than some might give him credit for.

I think this is a great album, one that deserves to be listened to more widely than their current fanbase. If you haven’t given The Darkness a listen apart from the first album and the Christmas song (still a work of genius) then this is the album that you should listen to, you may just realise what you’ve been missing all of these years!

I mean, can you imagine The Darkness of 2004 writing 'Mortal Dread'? I can’t, but you will need to listen to the lyrics to see what I mean, they are embracing getting old and where the world is right now in a way I don’t think they could have then and the important thing it’s still a great song.

Go buy or download this album and let’s get the Darkness back to the top of the charts!