The Darkness need no introduction, troche but for those who haven’t been paying attention since “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” a refresher might be in order. The Suffolk-based four piece, viagra sale fronted by brothers Justin and Dan Hawkins, shot to top of the charts in the early 2000s with their multi-platinum debut Permission to Land. Presenting a fresh take on glam and hard rock sensibilities, the band’s over-the-top sound, defined by Dan’s rollicking guitar work and Justin’s glorious falsetto, hit the pop motherload of being both easily approachable and endlessly infectious.

However, the band had difficulty following up this success. Their second album One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back, produced by legendary Queen collaborator Roy Thomas Baker, was incredibly ambitious (in some instances using 1000 instrumental tracks for a single song) but ultimately ended up quite uneven, and despite its platinum status failed to leave the powerful impression of its predecessor. In 2006, following a rehab stint and an increasingly tiresome press cycle, The Darkness split, with Dan and former members Richie Edwards and Ed Graham starting the band Stone Gods and Justin going solo.

Thankfully, this breakup proved short lived. In 2011, all four original members reunited, touring worldwide and releasing new material. It was the kind of move the cynical might assume was a desperate cash grab, but anyone who has seen them live can attest otherwise.Hitting the stage with the same bombast as they did in their twenties, The Darkness put on a polished and enormously fun show, celebrating the tracks that rocketed them to stardom while putting enough passion into the deeper cuts that the audience never feels like they’re just waiting for another hit. Beyond the excellent song selection and killer performance, their knack for stage antics is still there- the last show in Boston saw Justin climb across the balcony of the Paradise before jumping into the crowd and later sing a song as a fan carried him through the audience on his shoulders.

Earlier this year the band released Last of Our Kind, arguably their best record since Permission. While it’s predecessor, reunion album Hot Cakes, saw the band in fine form it often felt weighed down by expectation, lacking some of the vivacious flourish that the band is known for. On the other hand Last, which Dan produced and mastered in its entirety, has the band at their off-the-wall best – exploring new territory with a campy edge. There’s a heavier feel to a lot of the guitar work on the album, particularly on gripping album opener “Barbarian,” but the riff work is classic Darkness, with “Open Fire” and the title track proving to be serious earworms.

The Darkness will be playing House of Blues this Sunday, 11/1, bringing their Blast of Our Kind US tour to a close. We chatted to Dan ahead of the show about comeback albums, production methods and, of course, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”.

Allston Pudding: I noticed for this upcoming Boston show you’ve been bumped up to a venue over twice the size (House of Blues, Cap: 2425)  of the last time you were in town (Paradise Rock Club, Cap: 933). Would you say the band’s been on an upswing in general lately?

Dan Hawkins: Dunno, we’re a bit nervous about that! When we last played in Boston the guy said that we could have played there for two or three nights on the trot, tickets went so quickly. You never know what’s going to happen though, do you?

I think generally across America, it’s inching up. I’d say the last tour we did, the venues were averaging about 700 or 800 and now they’re averaging about 1000, so it’s gradually going up I think.

AP: Last of Our Kind is your second record since reuniting. Did you feel a bit more creative freedom on the album without this one being tagged as a “comeback album”?

DH: Yeah. God, it seems like we’re forever doing fucking comeback albums! It was nice to have gotten that last one out of the way and do something without any agenda. Definitely felt free. Felt like we could do whatever we wanted, which was exactly what we did.

AP: There were a few recurring historical themes on the album- some Norse, some medieval. What drew you to those influences?

DH: I think Justin’s always been interested in history. Particularly the history of East Anglia, which is where we’re from. It’s very rich in invasion stories, and so on and so forth. It’s very heavily invaded, East Anglia. They always seem to rock up there from over the water. So many battles and things that have happened over time. So yeah, it was Justin’s love of history, really. And an obsession with barbarism!

AP: You were the sole producer on the album this time around. How was that experience?

DH: Very cool. The main thing is, I had to mix the record at the end of it this time, so I paid more attention to the engineering side of it to make sure I wasn’t left with a massive turd to polish. So yeah, it went pretty well.

It was the most enjoyable and laid back record that I think all of us have ever made. We really rehearsed it a lot before we went to record it so no one was scratching their chins or wondering they’d done something good. We knew what we were doing.

AP: A lot has been made about the pretty crazy process recording One Way Ticket with Roy Thomas Baker. Would you say that working with someone with that experience on such a grand product, you learned some tricks that helped when you started producing?

DH: 100%, yeah. I was always interested in engineering and producing, and I had a studio anyway. Roy actually helped me finish building my studio, which ended up being a commercially run studio. He’s been a huge influence for me.

When we made One Way Ticket I was right there next to him for every decision, watching him. He’s very open with how he does things if he trusts you and likes you. So yeah, huge inspiration.

AP: Certainly in America, most people still know The Darkness for “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”. At this point in your career, does having the recognition of that one monstrous track still feel like a blessing, or does it weigh down on you a bit?

DH: Oh god, no! It doesn’t weigh me down at all! A lot of bands have one really enormous hit, but they still have a catalogue that their fans know. Thing is, they wouldn’t have reached a lot of their fanbase without that initial hit. So yeah, thank the lord!

AP: The Darkness’ live shows have always been known for their over-the-top quality. When you play, do you still actively think about stage presence, audience interplay, personal flourishes or has that all mostly second nature now?

DH: Definitely second nature now, I think. We’re not thinking of anything really; it’s hard to describe. Everything is happening so fast.

I guess it’s like when you’re on the dancefloor and you’re really busting some moves and you stop becoming self-conscious and you just dance and have a good time. That’s kind of what it’s like for us I think.

AP: Stone Gods- and it’s second album- have been on hold since The Darkness reformed. Is that a project you’re still interested in returning to at some point?

DH: Well, yeah. It’s funny I caught up with Robin Goodrich (the drummer for Bush and Stone Gods) in LA and he was chatting about it. We were like “god, if the day ever comes when Bush have a couple of years off and The Darkness have a couple of years off we’ll probably get together and do something.” To be honest, though, we’re both just very thankful that that’s probably very much pie in the sky. We’re both very busy at the moment!

AP: There was certainly a misconception around the first album from a lot of people that you were a parody band or something. Do you feel like over the years people have come on board with what you’re going for, or do you still experience some misunderstanding?

DH: Yeah… (chuckles) We still experience that. I think less and less, but I don’t think it bothers us anymore. It used to bother me, honestly. But I think people can make their own minds up. I don’t necessarily think that we get dismissed because of that. At least it’s something interesting! For people to not be sure is a good thing, I think.

AP: What’s next The Darkness after this tour?

DH: When we live Boston we’re flying straight to Australia for an Australian tour, then we go from Australia back to the UK to do the UK leg of the tour, then we’re taking the tour to Europe early next year, and then hopefully into Eastern Europe and South America and then we’ll be into festival season. So that takes us to the summer!

At some point within that time we need to write and record the next record. I think we really need to get it out next year. Coming back to your earlier question this whole thing of us constantly having to make comeback records because we leave it three or four years between albums is not good for us. We need to keep releasing; keep building what we’re doing. In that scenario we’re going to try and increase our output.

The Darkness will be playing House of Blues Boston this Sunday, 11/1. Tickets are still available here.