"Why Justin Hawkins and The Darkness Prefer Authentic Rocking Over Modern Methods: The Importance of Amps in Their Live Performances"] - Guitar | Technique

No-one does arena rock quite like The Darkness – and in 2026 the band will be embarking on their biggest headline tour in 20 years, with seven arena dates across the UK ending with a night at the 20,000-capacity O2 in London.

Frontman Justin Hawkins tells MusicRadar: “We’ve never done the O2 Arena, not even as a support act. It’s certainly a fabled room.

“I can’t remember if I’ve been to a gig there, maybe once for Nickelback. They make big arena rock and it makes sense in a place like the O2.

“For us, it’s usually places like Wembley or Ally Pally [Alexandra Palace], or even a couple of nights at The Roundhouse.”

He admits: “I know this is ambitious! It’s less dates, bigger venues and a lot of hope that our fans turn up!”

Hawkins says that these shows will require “months and months of preparation” in order for his band to sound “bigger and better”. But, make no mistake, what they will deliver will be discernibly more organic and human compared to the other futuristic productions these venues host on a regular basis.

Hawkins declares: “We don’t use MIDI. I’d love these shows to look like a Queen gig from the early ’80s.

“I don’t want to be reliant on technology like LEDs and video walls,” he says. “Obviously we’ll have a bit of that, but we’re not a video wall band – we’re a band band.”

He continues: “The production will have to reflect that, while also being ambitious. There’ll be fire. We’ll have to hire the best people so they don’t blow us up! They can blow everything else up, just not the band.”

He is also proud to state that they will be using real amps, which is becoming increasingly rare in the digital age.

“A lot of the floor plan for any Darkness gig is amps,” he says. “We don’t use simulators because we’re a real band making proper noise. That means a lot of the stage will get taken up with real gear.

“It’s also about the personalities and performance. We were born to do this. Our music belongs in arenas.”

The Darkness will be supported on this tour by country duo Brothers Osborne and fellow Suffolk rockers A. It’s a diverse line-up, with a strong family connection in each group…

“I wouldn’t call it incestuous but some of these brothers have lived in Lowestoft,” Hawkins smiles. “People talk about webbed feet, but no one realises that having six fingers can actually making playing guitar easier”

With a straighter face he adds: “Musically, Brothers Osborne are very countrified. They’re friends with our drummer Rufus [Taylor], that’s how this happened, and their guitar playing is very serious.

“You could say similar things about A, whose guitarist has a bit of a Van Halen vibe. Us and them go back many years, we’ve known each other since our first bands. It’s will be fun to do some shows together after those pub days.”

Hawkins is also contemplating a new album from The Darkness – a follow-up to 2025’s Dreams On Toast.

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The quartet have a penchant for producing songs that feel larger than life itself: from the 16 tracks they’ve recorded with ‘love’ in the title to their razor-sharp musings about dystopian advances in technology (The Battle For Gadget Land), the Viking invasion of East Anglia (Barbarians) and the eternal warmth that prevails in the bosoms of school meal supervisors (Dinner Lady Arms).

“We’ve explored most avenues of thought,” Hawkins says. “It’s difficult to second-guess what your audience want.

“I’d like our next record to be done live. We’ll write some songs and then play them in front of an audience while recording. We’d add some things later, of course.

“The tension of having an audience in the room while making a record would add something. I think it would give us some edge.

“We’d have to be bold enough to keep certain mistakes, but we could end up with an album that sounds like Exile On Main St. or something. It could be amazing, couldn’t it?”