A huge thanks to Lightbulb Film Distribution for sending us this to review as we bring you a piece of material that does a stellar job of holding its own in this Welcome to the Darkness documentary review.
In 2003 British glam rockers The Darkness took the world by storm with their hit single “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”. Then at the height of their fame the band split up and fell into obscurity. 20 years on they tell their story.
From a 2003 album that erupted the entire music scene and catapulted The Darkness to stardom to pub gigs and the desire to be back on the big stage once again Welcome to the Darkness is a heartfelt and quite beautiful fly on the wall documentary of a band that have seen it all, done it all and want to get back to where they deserve to be once again.
Permission to Land was one of the first albums I ever purchased. Back when Virgin Megastores were a high street commodity I was asked what I wanted for Christmas with money being no object, I had absolutely no hesitation in saying that I wanted the Permission to Land album and nothing else.
That Christmas my whole world changed, I later went on to buy a Tab book of The Darkness and a guitar and started to attempt to play some of the songs.
Now, I’m a terrible guitarist but I certainly gave it a good go!
Justin, Dan, Frankie and Rufus make up The Darkness today and some of their most recent albums resonate with the greatness that oozed from Permission to Land with their 2017 album Pinewood Smile being one of my most recent favourites as Darkness magic oozed through every single track on that album.
With behind the scenes interviews we learn of the trials and tribulations of the band and Justin’s decision to step away from the band for his own mentality. A decision that proved to be a positive change for him but sadly at the expense of The Darkness and their rise to music immortality.
This warts and all documentary truly takes the mask off the band and shows a raw unedited and emotional documentary of these wonderful human beings on the pursuit of former glory.
Their resilience and their dedication towards creating music just has to be admired whilst at the same time never bowing down to what the industry wanted them to do.
Unapologetically themselves Welcome to The Darkness is a rollercoaster ride through fame, friendship and redemption.
Seeing The Darkness visit my home town in Stoke on Trent I had to go and meet them and so I booked myself onto a VIP experience with the band. We reviewed that experience HERE.
The Darkness offer one of the most affordable and intimate VIP experiences we’ve ever had with a band.
In your head you build up a group or a figure or people you admire and 99% of the time you’re disappointed, this absolutely wasn’t the case here and even in the height of the pandemic with social distancing in full effect the guys made you feel welcome and closer than ever.
Welcome to The Darkness further proves just how down to earth these guys are but highlights the strength they all have with all of their individual struggles and you just have to admire that.
The Darkness make incredible music, they’re incredible people and this documentary demands and deserves your attention because despite craving for the top once again the documentary highlights their friendship, that brotherly love and camaraderie where you believe anything is possible, so long as they have each other.
Permission To Land anniversary edition is out now including a five-LP package, a four-CD+DVD package, a double-CD package, and digital streaming platforms.
Our Rating
Summary
Unapologetically themselves, this peek behind the curtain of The Darkness demands your attention. A great bunch of guys just eager, determined and working their ass off in the face of adversity to rise once again to their throne of rock n roll greatness. A truly wonderful heart on sleeve documentary.
