Easy Anglian rock behemoths The Darkness have released the latest single from their upcoming Dreams On Toast album. True to its title, Rock And Roll Party Cowboy is a livewire affair, kicking off with what sounds like a motorbike revving its engine before a classic, old-school riff powers proceedings towards the heart of Saturday night.
"Leather jacket, no sleeves," sings Hawkins. "Harley Davidson, yes, please!"
Hawkins then goes on to list the items an actual rock'n'roll party cowboy might accessorise with, including a Zippo lighter, Marlboro Reds and "sewn-on patches", and he's clearly speaking from experience.
"People recognise me as astronaut pirate movie star cool and that’s obviously accurate," advises Hawkins. "What they may have overlooked though, is that I am also Rock And Roll Party Cowboy cool… which is a good 15 per cent cooler! I think you’ll recognise that in the first listen."
Rock And Roll Party Cowboy is the follow-up to I Hate Myself, which was released in December, which was itself the follow-up to The Longest Kiss, which arrived in September.
The Darkness will celebrate the album's release with an 18-date UK tour which kicks off with a pair of hometown shows at Ipswich's Regent's Theatre on March 6 and 7. The schedule comes to a frothing climax at London's Wembley Arena on March 29. Support from Northern Irish rock trio Ash. More UK and European shows follow throughout the summer. Full dates below.
Dreams On Toast will be released on March 28.
The Darkness: 2025 Tour
06 Mar: Ipswich Regent’s Theatre
07 Mar: Ipswich Regent’s Theatre
08 Mar: Oxford New Theatre
09 Mar: Swansea Arena
11 Mar: Guildford G Live
12 Mar: Hull Connexin Arena
14 Mar: Liverpool Guild Of Students
15 Mar: Wolverhampton Civic Hall
17 Mar: York Barbican
18 Mar: Edinburgh Usher Hall
20 Mar: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
21 Mar: Newcastle O2 City Hall
22 Mar: Manchester O2 Apollo
24 Mar: Bristol Beacon Theatre
25 Mar: Portsmouth Guildhall
27 Mar: Leicester De Montford Hall
28 Mar: Cambridge Corn Exchange
29 Mar: London OVO Arena Wembley
May 16: Coventry Empire, UK
May 17: Leeds Beckett Students' Union, UK
Jun 14: Derby Download Festival, UK
Jun 20: Limerick King John's Castle, Ireland
Jun 21: Killarney Gleneagle INEC Arena, Ireland
Jul 18: Kristiansand Ravnedalen Naturpark, Norway
Aug 02: Majano Festival di Majano, Italy
Aug 09: Belfast Custom House Square, UK
Sep 30: Bruxelles Ancienne Belgique, Belgium
Oct 02: Tilburg Escape Room 013, Netherlands
Oct 03: Hamburg Steinway & Sons Fabrik, Germany
Oct 04: København Poolen, Denmark
Oct 06: Oslo Rockefeller Music Hall, Norway
Oct 07: Johanneshov Fållan, Sweden
Oct 10: Berlin Metropol, Germany
Oct 11: Bratislava Majestic Music Club, Slovakia
Oct 13: Zurich Komplex, Switzerland
Oct 14: München Backstage, Germany
Oct 16: Milan Alcatraz, Italy
Oct 17: Ciampino Orion Live Club, Italy
Oct 18: Nonantola Vox Club, Italy
Oct 21: Barcelona Sala Apolo, Spain
Oct 22: Madrid Sala Riviera, Spain
Oct 24: Lisboa Cineteatro Capitólio, Portugal
Oct 26: Bilbao Santana 27, Spain
Oct 28: Luxembourg City den Atelier, Luxembourg
Oct 29: Paris Élysée Montmartre, France
Oct 30: Köln Live Music Hall, Germany
