The Darkness wants you to put down your phones and pay attention to concerts

In the early ‘00s, in the midst of boy bands and girl-pop princesses, a British quartet with the bluster of ‘80s glam rockers, the melodrama of Queen and one awesomely shrieking frontman emerged.

The Darkness – singer Justin Hawkins, his brother and guitarist Dan Hawkins, bassist Frankie Poullain and drummer Ed Graham – stormed the world with their debut album, “Permission to Land,” and guitar-centric rockers “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” and “Growing On Me.”

But it was the third single from the band’s 2003 album, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” that catapulted them to mainstream frenzy, including a breakthrough in a U.S. market starved for stomping, campy singalongs.

Even 20 years later, trying to mimic the stratospheric notes achieved by Hawkins’ five-octave voice on the song’s chorus remains a futile sport.

The Darkness’ resume includes six more albums, a split in the band when Hawkins tended to a drug problem in 2006, and a revolving drum seat. Rufus Tiger Taylor, son of Queen’s Roger Taylor, has handled the beats since 2015.

A reissue of their debut, “Permission to Land … Again,” is available now, stocked with B-sides, demos and live tracks, and a U.S. tour to celebrate continues through October.

Checking in from Switzerland, where he has lived for the past decade, Hawkins, 48, who helms the podcast “Justin Hawkins Rides Again,” talked about why he still loves performing the band’s signature song, how he wishes fans would put down the phones at concerts and why he thinks Wolfgang Van Halen is a “game-changing talent.”

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Question: It’s been an interesting 20 years for you and the band. I’m guessing there were times when you thought you might not see The Darkness around this long? 

Justin Hawkins: I think when we first started, the main objective was to have longevity. We thought we were building something that exists outside of fashionable and we expected it to be like a cult band thing, with a smaller audience that cares deeply about what you do because no one does that specific thing. The whole plan was to keep going and have defiance as the main commodity.

I think The Darkness did rock a huge favor 20 years ago. What do you think of the current rock-scape? 

In terms of rock in general, I would say that COVID has been an amazing thing for rock. There used to be a time in the ‘70s and ‘80s when kids would listen to virtuoso guitar players and nerds like me would sit and practice and become a virtuoso in their own right. And then with grunge, the nature of guitar music changed and being a virtuoso became something to hide. It was about having the right look and attitude, and a lot of times it was a disadvantage. So I think with COVID, even the cool kids who were playing guitar were becoming more accomplished sitting in their bedroom for three years. Right now, it’s a fantastic time for rock with a lot of progressive stuff, math rock, fusion stuff. It’s cool people with nice faces and tattoos who would normally be doing sports and hanging out with girls.

It was great to see you singing Van Halen songs at the Taylor Hawkins tribute last year. Tell me about that day and playing with Wolfgang Van Halen, Dave Grohl and Josh Freese.

I was slated to sing the Coattail Riders (Taylor Hawkins’ side band) stuff and then I got a call from Dave. We chat periodically and he said, “How do you feel about doing some Van Halen?” and when he told me the (songs), I said, “Oh, cool!” It was a bold decision to do a slightly deeper cut (“On Fire,” from Van Halen’s 1978 debut). My only run-through with Wolfie was in the green room on the day of the show. But I loved it. It was one of the few situations where it’d make me want to check my trousers. Dave and Josh are awesome, but Wolfie was an unknown quantity to me, and when he walked in we hugged and held each other for a little while. There was a kinship from the first second I met him. He’s a really, really accomplished individual. I think he’s a game-changing talent.

How many times have you heard “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” performed in a karaoke bar and have you ever been recognized while it’s happening?

That has happened, actually, but I’m pretty low-profile. That song is just like a gift. We didn’t toil endlessly trying to create it. The first thing I played led to the next thing I played. It felt like the universe was giving you something, and then everyone says, “that’s the hit” and you never get bored of stuff like that. Because it came out of nowhere and changed my life, I’m always delighted to play it.

Can you still hit those notes? 

I sing everything in the original key. There was a period of time when I had slight voice issues, a polyp on my vocal cords. … Now I have a 20-minute warmup and 20-minute warm-down. I’m more of a technical singer than I was before. In the old days, I was yelling everything.

You’re touring the U.S. this month and then Europe the rest of the year. What changes have you noticed while onstage?

I do get concerned about audiences now, with the phones. You’re talking about both the artist and people experiencing the moment and enjoying live music. If you have your phone up, you’re not mindfully enjoying the moment, and that’s not what it's about. And how many different perspectives of the same song do you need? It’s always for “I Believe …” when the cameras come out, and that’s when I want the crowd to be part of the show the most. I’ve stopped the song and said: “Listen, guys, we don’t need 200 perspectives of the same song. One person will be the videographer and ask him his name.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Darkness talks 20 years of 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love'