It’s been 20 years since The Darkness’ debut, Permission to Land, resuscitated glam rock. To commemorate the anniversary of its release, the band has plotted their Permission to Land 20 Tour in North America and will release a deluxe edition of the album this fall.
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Kicking off on October 3 in San Francisco, California, the tour will continue through major cities in the U.S. before wrapping up in Washington, D.C. on October 22.
Released on July 7, 2003, Permission to Land sold more than a million copies and went to No. 1 in the U.K. with the help of No. 2 single “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.”
“When ‘Permission to Land’ landed, 20 short years ago, we were bathed in shock and awe,” said singer Justin Hawkins in a statement. “As if by magic, rock wasn’t dead. Fun wasn’t banned. And spandex was almost acceptable again. Well, guess what? 20 years on, the same rules apply.”
Hawkins continued, “So please squeeze yourselves into those inappropriate leggings, back-comb your mullet, splash on a big handful of attitude, and come celebrate with us. We promise everything and we deliver, every time. Bring on the next 20!”
In addition to playing the entire 11 tracks of Permission to Land in full, the band will also play an extended “Best Of The Rest” set with more songs from their other six albums, including One Way Ticket To Hell…and Back, Hot Cakes, Last Of Our Kind, Pinewood Smile, Easter Is Cancelled, and their most recent 2021 release Motorheart.
“I wanted to make an album that was super uplifting, and I didn’t want to have any mood pieces in it,” Hawkins told American Songwriter of Motorheart in 2021. “There’s some self-discovery going on because there’s a lot of loneliness in it. Some of the lyrics may sound daft, but they’re actually about disappointing relationships and reflecting on why I’m sitting here on my own.”
The Darkness / Permission to Land 20 North American Tour
Oct. 3 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
Oct. 4 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Oct. 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
Oct. 7 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
Oct. 8 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
Oct. 10 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
Oct. 11 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
Oct. 13 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre
Oct. 14 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
Oct. 15 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall
Oct. 17 – Boston, MA @ Big Night Live
Oct. 18 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
Oct. 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
Oct. 21 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Oct. 22 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
Read our 2021 interview with The Darkness’ Justin Hawkins HERE.
Photo: Simon Emmett / Courtesy of Publicity Please
