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The title track, ‘Walking Through Fire’, is full of the Darkness attitude you’d expect, with the glam-rock guitar that shot them to fame in 2003, and Hawkins’ lyrics are both humorous and cutting. The track is a commentary on the band’s songwriting process, and features lines such as “We’re only doing this cause it’s fun/ Don’t even think my mum bought the last one.”  

‘The Longest Kiss’ was the first track to debut, doing so in September 2024, and was accompanied by a radio edit and an acoustic demo, though no versions charted. ‘I Hate Myself’ followed in December, and ‘Rock and Roll Party Cowboy’ was released on 24 January, exactly one month before the release of this EP.

The upcoming album will be their first full-length release since 2021’s ‘Motorheart’. That release was received well, earning a 7/10 from Classic Rock Magazine, who described it as “a daft-as-a-brush cheer-up we all need right now.” The new album will feature all four tracks included on the EP, as well as four new ones.  

Supporting the new album, The Darkness will be heading out on a 43-date tour around the UK and Europe. Beginning at Ipswich’s Regent Theatre on 6 March and concluding in Germany in October, the band will also be performing at two festivals. They will play Download Festival in June, and Italy’s Festival di Majano later in the summer.

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The new songs have been met with a positive response from fans, with some fans comparing ‘The Longest Kiss’ to early Queen material. On the newest track, ‘Walking through Fire’, one fan took to X, commenting, “This is my fave from the new [EP] for sure. Love the languid-loping groove and melodic riff.”

Alright! This is my fave from the new album for sure. Love the languid-loping groove and melodic riff. Cheers!

— Kevin Gamble Music (@KevGambleMusic) February 24, 2025

Next month’s album will be released under Cooking Vinyl, a label also representing acts such as Billy Bragg, The Prodigy, and The Jesus and Mary Chain, as well as various other legacy acts. 

Justin Hawkins has also found fame online through his YouTube channel, Justin Hawkins Rides Again. Set up in 2021, the channel has amassed almost 600,000 subscribers, and finds the frontman commentating on various subjects from across the music landscape.

With the EP now available to stream and the band ready to embark on their tour, ‘Dreams on Toast’ is set to be one of the year’s most exciting releases.

The tour will see the band perform 17 shows in just 22 days, beginning with something of a homecoming performance in Ipswich for the Lowestoft natives. After a hectic three week run in which the band will hit mid-size venues in cities towns across the UK, the tour will conclude with a bang at Wembley Arena on 29 March. Tickets will be available here from 27 September.

Most of the tour will precede the new album’s launch, so fans can likely expect a mix of old and new material. The Wembley Arena finale, however, lays the ground for a climactic live debut of new material from Dreams on Toast, coming the night following the album’s release.

“You know that thing when God’s breath tickles your soul and tells you to create? Who are we, mere mortals of extraordinary ability, to argue with the divine? So it gives us the most pleasure to announce that our new album, ‘Dreams on Toast’, will be released on Friday 28th March 2025,” the band wrote on its Instagram, announcing the new album’s name and release date.

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The Darkness recently rocketed up the US iTunes Rock charts with a resurgence in popularity for their 2003 glam rock anthem ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’, after Taylor Swift was spotted singing along to the song in the crowd of the US Open tennis final.

Propelled to fame by frontman Justin Hawkins’ unmistakeable falsetto and camp humour, the band’s debut album Permission to Land was a seismic event in the rock world in 2003. With hits like ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ and ‘Growing on Me’, the album soared to quadruple platinum status in the UK. The band’s blend of glam, classic and metal, as well as a jocular stage presence, set them apart in an era dominated by more subdued acts.

Despite their meteoric rise, internal tensions and Hawkins’ struggles with addiction led to a temporary split in 2006. The band members pursued separate projects, but the allure of The Darkness proved too strong to resist. They reunited in 2011, much to the delight of their fans, and have since released several more albums, including Hot Cakes (2012) and Easter Is Cancelled (2019).

Accompanying the album announcement was the launch of the new song, ‘Longest Kiss’, which in keeping with the band’s penchant for pastiche of rock legends, gives a nod in homage towards the dandy side of Queen’s late seventies era.

In his typical parodic style that has made the band renowned not just as beloved rockers, but also as beloved interviewees, frontman Justin Hawkins told NME about the upcoming album: “God might not be the power she once was, but say what you like about her, she knows damn well that what the world needs now, is rock, sweet rock. And who are we, mere mortals of extraordinary ability, to argue with the divine?

“So we knuckled down and thought really hard about the best of the best, the elite songs, the life-changing music of the ages. Then we popped out a dozen bangers before lunch. And these bangers we present to you here, wallowing in an aromatic aural ragu, served atop the charred remains of our envious contemporaries.”

Dreams on Toast will launch on 28 March and can be pre-ordered on vinyl here.

⚡NEW SHOWS ADDED ⚡
Due to the phenomenal demand that resulted in us selling out our UK tour in a day! We’ve added some new dates to the Permission to Land 20th Anniversary tour. Tickets on sale 9am this Friday 14th. Don’t miss out this time, get them here:… pic.twitter.com/95Xt0Php6t

— The Darkness (@thedarkness) July 11, 2023

The winter tour, set to begin in Belfast on December 2nd, will now see shows in four new locations, including Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds and Brighton, while the Roundhouse in London and Rock City in Nottingham will now play hosts to two dates. The addition of these new shows now means that the tour will stretch until December 22nd, a fact that will surely impress fans of the much-loved glam rock outfit.

The tour will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of The Darkness’ debut, and much loved, seminal album Permission To Land. An expanded Permission To Land deluxe album is also set to be released later this year via Warner Music especially for the anniversary, with details to be released by the band soon.

The Darkness formed in 2000 in Lowestoft with an initial line-up of Justin Hawkins (lead vocals, lead guitar) , his brother Dan Hawkins (guitar), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums). The group released their debut album, Permission To Land, in 2003 to widespread critical acclaim, with the album topping the UK Albums Chart and achieving quadruple platinum status after 1.3 million copies were sold. This album also contained the hit single “I Believe in a Thing Called Love“, by far the band’s most popular track.

Watch the music video for “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” below:

The group have gone on to release a further six albums, despite a five year hiatus, with their latest album, Motorheart, being released in 2021. Since their hiatus they have released five albums, and have even released a special Christmas beer in collaboration with brewery Signature Brew.

Watch the music video for “Motorheart” below:

See below for the updated series of tour dates:

02/12/2023 – The Telegraph Building – Belfast
03/12 – 3Olympia – Dublin
05/12 – O2 Academy – Edinburgh (new show)
07/12 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle (new show)
08/12 – UEA – Norwich
09/12 – Roundhouse – London
11/12 – Barrowland – Glasgow
12/12 – New Century Hall – Manchester
14/12 – Beacon – Bristol
15/12 – Rock City – Nottingham
16/12 – The Wulfrum At The Halls – Wolverhampton
18/12 – O2 Academy – Leeds (new show)
19/12 – Rock city – Nottingham (new show)
20/12 – Dome – Brighton (new show)
22/12 – Roundhouse – London (new show)

Tour tickets for the new shows go on sale from 9am on Friday 14th July and can be purchased here.

⚡️UK & Ireland Tour 2023⚡️
You have all been very patient. We are VERY EXCITED to announce the dates for our Permission to Land 20th Anniversary UK & Ireland Tour! We can’t wait to celebrate this very important birthday with you. See you all soon!

Tickets go on sale Friday at… pic.twitter.com/OsWLYHxIsr

— The Darkness (@thedarkness) July 3, 2023

Lead singer and frontman Justin Hawkins, in a recent press release, has said of the tour, “We, The Darkness, are delighted to announce that we’ll be hitting the road in the U.K. once again. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Permission to Land, our set will include every song from our debut album faithfully reproduced (with additional clam notes and meanderings) in the order in which they appear on the record. We’ll also play all of your favourite Darkness songs from the rest of our illustrious and tipsy turvy career. It will be the best show you’ll see this year. I should know, I’m the singer and also a YouTube music expert.”

The Darkness formed in 2000 in Lowestoft with an initial line-up of Justin Hawkins (lead vocals, lead guitar) , his brother Dan Hawkins (guitar), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums). The group released their debut seminal album, Permission To Land, in 2003 to widespread critical acclaim, with the album topping the UK Albums Chart and achieving quadruple platinum status after 1.3 million copies were sold. This album also contained the hit single “I Believe in a Thing Called Love“, by far the band’s most popular track.

Watch the music video for “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” below:

The group released their second album, One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back in 2005 but disbanded in 2006 following the departure of Justin Hawkins. The group reunited in 2011, however, and have gone on to release a further five albums, all to reasonably favourable receptions. Their latest album, Motorheart, was released in October 2021.

Watch the music video for “Motorheart” below:

An expanded Permission To Land deluxe album is also set to be released later this year via Warner Music, with details to be released by the band soon.

See below for tour dates:

02/12/2023 – The Telegraph Building – Belfast
03/12 – 3Olympia – Dublin
08/12 – UEA – Norwich
09/12 – Roundhouse – London
11/12 – Barrowland – Glasgow
12/12 – New Century Hall – Manchester
14/12 – Beacon – Bristol
15/12 – Rock City – Nottingham
16/12 – The Wulfrum At The Halls – Wolverhampton

Tour tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 7th July and can be purchased here.