The Darkness have shared that their holiday anthem Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End) came together on the spot after a night of heavy drinking.
Guitarist Dan Hawkins looked back on the moment the band’s label encouraged them to deliver a festive release following their breakthrough in the UK.
He told NME, “I was in the Met Bar getting absolutely wasted with Max Lousada, our A+R guy back then.
He said, ‘We have to start thinking about a Christmas single, right? What are you thinking: Love Is Only A Feeling?’ I told him, ‘Well, that is not a Christmas single, is it?’ He asked if we already had one and I said ‘Yeah’… even though we did not.”
The following day, while on the way to open for Metallica at Dublin’s RDS Arena, the group jumped straight into creating it. Hawkins picked up fairy lights and Christmas sweaters for the tour bus, and the 2003 track came together quickly.
He continued, “Justin had that chorus lying around as something he messed with years ago.
We figured out how to shape it into a real song and it was wrapped up within a couple of hours in the back of the bus. We honestly just blagged the whole thing.”
Even with its quick creation, Hawkins explained that the band wanted to craft an authentic Christmas single rather than simply dropping sleigh bells onto an already finished idea.
He added, “At that moment, I really wanted to compete. I wanted to be involved in the race for Christmas. You can tell instantly when someone just tosses in bells and the word ‘Christmas’ to an ordinary song. We wanted to make something that felt real.”
The track eventually grew into one of the band’s most iconic releases, placing The Darkness securely among modern Christmas rock staples.
The song narrowly missed the top spot after losing out to Gary Jules and Michael Andrews’ cover of the Tears For Fears track Mad World.
Perry Farrell has released another public apology following an on-stage confrontation involving his bandmate Dave Navarro.
The Jane's Addiction frontman was involved in a physical altercation with guitarist Dave Navarro last year during a live performance, an incident that prompted the band to cancel their reunion tour and eventually led to their split.
“I'd like to address what happened on stage last year,” Perry, 66, said in a statement shared across both his personal Instagram account and Jane's Addiction’s official page. “I've reflected on it and know I didn't handle myself the way I should have. I apologize to our patrons and my bandmates for losing my temper and for disrupting the show.”
He went on to admit that he did not meet fan expectations and described himself as deeply remorseful toward everyone impacted by the incident.
“Jane's Addiction has been at the center of my life for decades. The band, the songs, the patrons, and the impact that we've had on music and culture mean more to me than any words I could ever possibly write down,” he shared.
“My aim has always been to give our audience the best possible show, something real, honest and positive. In Boston, we fell short of that, and I'm truly sorry to everyone who was impacted.”
Jane's Addiction also issued its own statement regarding the altercation, which ultimately led to the group’s remaining members filing a lawsuit against Perry alleging assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract.
“Today we are here to announce that we have come together one last time to resolve our differences, so that the legacy of Jane's Addiction will remain the work the four of us created together,” the band wrote, signaling that the group would not move forward with Perry. “We now look forward to the future as we embark on our separate musical and creative endeavors.”
