Bands like Bowling for Soup, Blink-182, and Sum 41 may know their way around a commercially successful track that can get the audiences toes tapping and their heads nodding but the genre is becoming diluted.

When 'rock divas' like Avril Lavigne began to appear on the scene I must admit I was concerned that the pop element of commercial US rock music was getting far too strong.

Then, from maybe the most unlikely place imaginable, came a band that firmly stamp a mark of British superiority back on the UK rock scene.

The Darkness

The Darkness hail from Lowestoft, not somewhere known for its musical sons or daughters, but a place that has now definitely been put on the map.

Their debut album, Permission to Land, caused a riot of commercial support and critical acclaim when it was released in July and for very good reason.

The Hawkins brothers are definitely proud of their Suffolk roots as their album opens with a tribute to a legendary local beast, a huge dog known as Black Shuck.

The rest of the CD is crammed full of potential hit singles.

'Growing on me' has an anthemic quality that is irresistible to almost everybody, and sets the standard for the rest of the album.

The early tracks on the album may have hinted at the quality of the band but it's the fourth track that confirms it.

Dan Hawkins

'I believe in a thing called love' is a breath-taking song. The Darkness freely admit they are heavily influenced by bands such as AC/DC and this is evident here.

With a guitar riff that instantly engraves itself in your mind and Justin Hawkins' rock to falsetto vocal stylings, this track pulls you in from the beginning and just gets better and better.

When brother Dan arrives with a guitar solo that leads into Ed Graham's drumming crescendo you know you have heard something that will become an instant classic.

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