The Darkness

The Darkness land at Utilita Arena Birmingham on 12 December 2026, with brothers Justin and Dan Hawkins up front, Frankie Poullain on bass and Rufus Taylor on drums. Born in Lowestoft in the early 2000s, the band blends glam sparkle, classic rock crunch and pop sensibility, driven by twin-guitar harmonies and Justin Hawkins’ falsetto. Permission to Land (2003) put them in the spotlight with I Believe in a Thing Called Love, Love Is Only a Feeling and the seasonal track Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End). After a break and side projects, they regrouped and kept the albums coming: Hot Cakes, Last of Our Kind, Pinewood Smile, Easter Is Cancelled, Motorheart, and Dreams on Toast (2025).

On stage, expect tight riffs, sticky choruses and a set that stitches the early hits to newer cuts without losing momentum. The Darkness play it loud, tuneful and a little theatrical, the way their songs are built to be heard: guitars up, voices raised, and the whole room singing along.