The Darkness have announced that they will be releasing their new album, Dreams on Toast, in March 2025 via Cooking Vinyl.
“You know that thing when God’s breath tickles your soul and tells you to create? Yeah, makes me giggle too. But you can’t resist,” comments The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins. “God might not be the power she once was, but say what you like about her, she knows damn well that what the world needs now, is rock sweet rock. And who are we, mere mortals of extraordinary ability, to argue with the divine?
“So we knuckled down and thought really hard about the best of the best, the elite songs, the life-changing music of the ages. Then we popped out a dozen bangers before lunch. And these bangers we present to you here, wallowing in an aromatic aural ragu, served atop the charred remains of our envious contemporaries… ladies and gentlemen, I give you Dreams On Toast!”
To celebrate the album announcement, The Darkness have shared its upbeat pop/rock classic sounding single, “The Longest Kiss.” Tipping it’s hat to the ’70s pop genius of both Queen and Paul McCartney, it finds the band dance across jaunty piano keys and frolicking guitar licks in irresistible top form.
Hawkins explains, “Misty Orchards! That’s not my porn name, that’s the kind of scenery that I love. I awakened to such a vista in the delightful Scottish highland town of Nairn on the morning that inspiration for ‘The Longest Kiss’ lyric struck. I was bleary eyed and locked in an unending embrace with my (mid)life partner. Weird that I can still sing, but that’s a testament to the resilience of humans, especially lead singers.
The music itself is a piano-led composition, the chorus of which my brother and I came up with after he’d taken a long time to empty his bladder during some impressive pub endurance. The verses were transposed from a song I’ve been working on for decades as part of a musical about the collapse of the Lowestoft fishing industry, called ‘The Collapse Of The Lowestoft Fishing Industry’.
The musical isn’t finished yet. But ‘The Longest Kiss’ is. The results are astounding. We’re all very proud of this. Please, to enjoy!”
Listen to ‘The Longest Kiss” below and pre-order Dreams on Toast here.
Additionally, The Darkness have announced their largest headlining tour of the UK in years, to take place this upcoming spring. The Dreams On Toast UK headline tour will see them play 17 shows across the country finishing at London’s OVO Wembley Arena on March 29th. Support comes from Northern Irish indie-rock heroes Ash, who first supported The Darkness on their legendary ‘Permission To Land Tour’ over 20 years ago.
Lead singer of Ash, Tim Wheeler, comments, “In 2004 we toured the UK’s arenas with The Darkness as ‘Permission to Land’ catapulted them into the big league. Next March, 21 years later, we will reunite to tear across Britain before an epic crescendo at Wembley Arena. We believe in a thing called Rock!”
Fans who pre-order Dreams On Toast from the band’s official store will receive access to a pre-sale for the March UK tour. The pre-sale, including VIP upgrades, will open at 10am on Wednesday, September 25th and will remain live until any remaining tickets go on general sale at 10am on Friday, September 27th.
Tour dates:
07/03 – Ipswich, Regent’s Theatre
08/03 – Oxford, New Theatre
09/03 – Swansea, Arena
11/03 – Guildford, G Live
12/03 – Hull, Connexin Arena
14/03 – Liverpool, Guild Of Students
15/03 – Wolverhampton, Civic Hall
17/03 – York, Barbican
18/03 – Edinburgh, Usher Hall
20/03 – Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall
21/03 – Newcastle, O2 City Hall
22/03 – Manchester, O2 Apollo
24/03 – Bristol, Beacon Theatre
25/03 – Portsmouth, Guildhall
27/03 – Leicester, De Montford Hall
28/03 – Cambridge, Corn Exchange
29/03 – London, OVO Arena Wembley
