Remaining members of The Darkness are currently recording new tracks without their original lead singer Justin Hawkins. The new band will comprise of the 3 other members of The Darkness, but they intend to release the material under a different band name with bassist, Richie Edwards, taking over the role as lead singer.

Hawkins was greatly instrumental in the success of The Darkness with his exuberant performances and ostentatious outfits; they soon shot to fame in 2003 with their debut album Permission to Land. However in August 2006 things were brought to an abrupt halt when Hawkins was admitted to The Priory Clinic with a reported £150,000 cocaine habit. 2 months later he quit the band.

In their 3 years at the top, Hawkins is the second member to quit - original bassist Frankie Poullain left citing the pressures of the band's success as the cause.

Many fans are reported to be looking forward to hearing the new line-up; most have already heard Edwards' lead vocals in previous concerts by The Darkness and have reacted positively to his decision to front the band - although it remains to be seen whether they will achieve the same success as The Darkness.

They were gone ??

OH, now I remember.

They were they 'metal' band with Tiny Tim doing lead vocals.

If its under a different band name it aint The Darkness, now is it?

never liked em to begin with, but best of luck to them anyway.

I'm not a Darkness fan, but I can understand why they were so popular.

It's an interesting dilemma that faces the remaining band members. If they continue as The Darkness they may disappoint because the focus was always on their lead singer. If they disassociate themselves from the old band then they may lose a vital fan base and will have to work hard on re-establishing themselves with a new image. It's noticeable how front men can always carry their ex-band associations with them whilst maintaining a solo career (often over several decades), yet remaining members struggle to reconnect with audiences.

Steve Winwood for example: Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith and solo career.

Paul Rodgers: Free, Bad Company, The Firm, The Law, currently with Queen and also a solo career.

Other band members often just fall by the wayside. The main exceptions being when other band members are already major names and they form supergroups; i.e. Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton in Blind Faith and Jimmy Page in The Firm.