SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DARKNESS – PERMISSION TO LAND… AGAIN (20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

THE DARKNESS
PERMISSION TO LAND… AGAIN (20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)
WARNER MUSIC

Why did the rock band break up? Because they took each other for granite… actually, it was alcohol and cocaine abuse, with The Darkness calling it quits in 2006. Lucky for us, a reunion in 2011 brought this British rock powerhouse back to life, releasing five albums all dripping in glam and glitter – glorious! Even more glorious is the 20th anniversary reissue of their stellar debut album Permission to Land… Again. With over four hours of play and a massive 66 tracks, this reissued deluxe album combines studio and live recordings covering sweet venues like Knebworth, The Astoria, and Wembley. Did I mention this is glorious?

From the outset, Permission to Land… Again tickles you pink. The talent is undeniable. Justin Hawkins’s vocal range is phenomenal, stereotypical coolness of British rock, and I freakin’ love it. Their debut album, Permission to Land, is captured in various forms, my favourite being The Astoria – feeling the crowd energy. As opposed to Wembley, you can hear the massiveness of the venue through the echo and scarcity of crowd interaction – distant, not for me.

Partial to a ballad? The Darkness love a ballad, and god, they do it well. “Love Is Only A Feeling” is an all-time favourite; Hawkins says best, “I love nothing more than raising a cigarette lighter in the sky, releasing the flame and listening closely to Love is Only a Feeling.”

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