08 December 2007 | 08:36
THEY were Suffolk’s most successful ever rock band but, when lead singer Justin Hawkins quit The Darkness, the remaining members admitted they were “staring premature retirement in the face”.
The Lowestoft group sold more than a million copies of their debut album, won a string of awards and toured the world, but Hawkins’ departure – blaming a drug habit that had cost him £150,000 over three years – appeared to signal the end for the rockers.
But now the three remaining members of the group – Justin’s younger brother Dan, Richie Edwards and Ed Graham – have launched another bid to rule the rock world with their new group Stone Gods.
The band are showcasing their new look at a string of support gigs and have recorded tracks for their debut album.
Dan Hawkins, who went to Kirkley High School, said he was enjoying a fresh start with the new band.
“We’ve taken control of our ambitions and no one’s power hungry or fame mad,” said the guitarist.
“We won’t repeat any mistakes from the past. I don’t have to play the game anymore. I’m not in a pop band. I don’t want to be a celebrity. I’m not interested in any of that.”
Edwards, who replaced original band member Frankie Poullain as the bass player in The Darkness, is the lead singer of Stone Gods.
He said he had feared for his future when Justin Hawkins called time on the chart-topping band.
“The whole thing had fallen apart,” said Edwards. “I got the phone call from Justin and I thought ‘that’s it’, but half an hour later Dan rang me and said ‘Rich, do you fancy doing a bit of singing?’
“We got together and started writing and it’s snowballed from there. I just can’t wait to get out there and play these songs to people.”
The band is completed by bass player Toby MacFarlaine, who has previously played with former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon.
Their first release, an EP called Burn The Witch, is due out in early January, followed by a headlining tour and the album release in the summer.
“If your favourite song of all time was Friday Night (by The Darkness) then you’ll hear Burn The Witch and you probably won’t like it,” said Dan Hawkins.
“But that’s cool. In a way, that’s exactly what we want! We don’t want people shouting for Darkness songs.”
Just the way we like it.
