This documentary gives us an entertaining “comeback” narrative arc for the Darkness, the British neo glam-rock band with outrageous campy stylings, sparkly catsuits and real songwriting talent. For a couple of years in the early 00s they were absolutely gigantic, and then crashed and burned, apparently due to lead singer Justin Hawkins’ abuse of drink and drugs. Those were the days when everyone didn’t automatically make solemnly supportive noises about recovery and looking after your mental health: there was more ironic dismissal of addiction burnout as a symptom of rock’n’roll selfishness and absurdity.
But recently, Justin reconciled with his brother, lead guitarist Dan, and the band got back together with bassist Frankie Poullain and a new drummer, Rufus Taylor (son of Queen’s Roger Taylor); they started slogging around precisely the same kind of tiny venues that they started out in, this time in a more wintry mood, but still beguiling everyone by always performing as if they are in Wembley Arena. It is funny to see them play in front of a tiny audience in a modest hotel in the Irish countryside, although perhaps the band members wouldn’t find everything so hilarious if the cameras were not there.
Both Dan and Justin have had health scares: Dan with testicular cancer and Justin with a polyp on his vocal chords, the kind of thing that could totally destroy his musical career. But he has a medical expert see to it in Switzerland, the country in which, as Justin casually reveals, he now lives … so audiences can perhaps assume he is not on his uppers. A feelgood story in which things aren’t quite so dark as all that.
• Welcome to the Darkness is released on 9 November in UK and Irish cinemas (for one night only).
