No, there wasn’t a power-cut at the Inverness venue; one of the biggest rock acts of the 2000s is coming to the Ironworks this November!
Hot Cakes is the band’s first album since One Way Ticket to Hell… And Back which was released way back in 2006. So why the lengthy hiatus?
“We fell out to the point where I didn’t think we were gonna speak again”, reckons Dan Hawkins. Indeed, the fall from grace is well documented, with brother and lead singer Justin Hawkins alleged £150,000 cocaine habit and subsequent rehab, bassist Frankie Poullain’s sacking from the band followed by his “nonsensical and contrarian” autobiography, “Dancing In The Darkness”, and the dreaded second album which “only” went platinum compared to their debut.
So far, so very rock-and-roll. It was only when Justin (then performing in the band Hot Leg) invited Dan to see him at a show in Brighton, later inviting him on stage for an impromptu rendition of I Believe in a Thing Called Love that things began to fall into place. “I think he realized he was missing it” says Justin; “and I loved being in Hot Leg, but it didn’t have the magic The Darkness had. It was only a matter of time”.
Since then, the band has gone on to play at Download, have completed one UK tour already as well as putting “I Believe…” firmly back into the American psyche, landing an appearance in a Superbowl commercial (in turn launching it to the top of the iTunes Rock Chart). There’s also talk of yet another album in 2014…
