The Darkness

We can only hope they did "Get Your Hands Off My Woman".

It just feels a bit cosy to me, they don't sound like Beyonce or Jay Z, they sound like a clunky old metal band and I don't think anyone who's really into modern pop music is being obtuse by not liking them, they're an eccentricity if anything. I suppose I also feel what's the point of establishing them as pop music. Similarly you could argue what's the point of establishing them as rock music, and I'd have to say cos it's not really fair to the genre of music they're in to appropriate them as pop, cos once you do, inevitably it becomes a way to ignore the fact that you love a rock band.

I sometimes feel like this about your 2 Many DJs stuff aswell Tom, given the dance records they play aren't really massive hits all the time, and 2 Many DJs had so much electro I often felt they were a dance act. I know I was the one moaning about the principle of them playing all the rock songs, I've kind of given up on that now, though I still think indie-disco is a little too much of an oversight and an affront to soulgrabber, vitalic, alan braxe, daft punk (bearing in mind they tend to choose rollin' and scratchin'), none of which would really go down well in any indie disco except perhaps Alan Braxe. Perhaps.

This is true, of course. Although I don't like Coldplay and still consider them pop, probably more than I do Jay-Z. But then again as I've mentioned I define current pop by what's on the shelves at Tesco's at any given time.

I can certainly see The Darkness playing the Smash Hits Pollwinners Party this year though.

I think Matt is pretty much OTM here. I think The Darkness are pop in the sense that they are drawing on the tradition of Queen through Def Leppard - which may be the most popular export (in terms of sales figures) British music has ever had? They are pop in the same way that 'Jump' by Van Halen is a great pop single.

Unfortunately, they are really bad pop. Really, my argument against them has little to do with how seriously they take themselves - it's to do with the fact that their music is just plain bad bad bad and lost what little comedy value it once possessed after approximately three listens.

On a largely unrelated note jumping off from Stevie's point - have the Darkness released any records or played any gigs in America yet? Surely they have the potential to become more successful over there than any British act except possibly Radiohead in over 10 years?

Perhaps house=indie disco all along? god I hope not. I better grow my hair again.

fatboy slim, housemartins, jacques lu cont, zoot woman, felix? well, felix.

Curses it's a continuum, Ricardissimo is right.

I phoned Mike T and he agreed it was ridiculous.

I swear the next time I DJ it will be under this pseudonym.

And if you're in any doubt as to the kind of music they play there...(and I quote): "youth club classics, disco trash, punk stompers, sleazy listening, racy retro, drunken anthems, exotic rubbish, and perfect pop". And bloody good fun it (still) is too.

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd800/d832/d83258uakr8.jpg

And who thinks to cover Kiss in 1980? Too bad it was the best song on Sheer Greed

Hi, Jeff W!

The Darkness's album has now climbed back to the top of the charts, besting Starsailor's new release. Are they allowed to be pop music yet?

because they prefer it to 'your' pop. it goes no deeper than that. they just like it better.

no, hang on, they're wrong and you're right, because you're obviously cleverer.

i love this thread. the anti-darkness kidz, well, they're just so... rockist?

i mean, that's the essence of your argument, isn't it? that's not very insightful, is it? where do you expect such a train of thought to embark?

my point is, people like the darkness because, well, they like the darkness. they like the over-the-top glam, the ridiculousness, and the great and catchy songs. if you hate that, then by all means rail against it with all your erudite fury. but stomping around on your own little cloud whining "why do people not like exactly the same stuff as me" without even engaging the question of "why?" is absolutely and totally pointless.

i mean, isn't it obvious why people love the darkness? (and they do...)