Music
18 Dec 19

In The New Hot Press Christmas Issue: Pat Carty joins The Darkness on tour

For our last issue of 2019, Pat Carty joined pomp-rock supremos The Darkness on their Irish tour. Amidst the partying, crowd-surfing, backstage craziness and tourbus hi-jinks, he gains insight into a band with an unconquerable belief in the rock and roll dream.

Billed as "An Evening With The Darkness", the band have made the brave/foolhardy decision to play their latest album, Easter is Cancelled, in its entirety, and then return with a selection of fan favourites to close.

This, of course, also includes The Darkness' first single of 2019, 'Rock 'N' Roll Deserves To Die'. Surely it doesn't?

"We saw a video, I don't even remember what the band was," recalls Hawkins, "and we thought, 'Oh look, this band's gonna be exciting!' But when you looked at it, they were really struggling."

All smoke bombs and young ones on car bonnets?

"And long hair."

What's wrong with long hair?

"Nothing's wrong with long hair! That was where they got it right! But there was nothing new, nothing challenging, nothing that made you go, 'I wish we thought of that.'"

But people might point at you guys...

"But they'd be wrong, Pat, and you know that! You have to have more than one influence. For example, Frankie listens to Serge, that comes through. I am referring to Serge from Kasabian, of course!"

No, you're not. They're really edgy!

"Yes, that is the definition of edge! The point is we've got a lot of influences, and if you look for them, you'll see them."

So it's not just Queen and AC/DC?

"Sometimes, it's AC/DC and Queen."

For more, see the full interview in the Hot Press Christmas Special – available in stores and online now: