Picture credit: Sam Lane photography 25th November 2025 – Today, St. Pancras International played host to British rock legends The Darkness who delivered an impromptu live performance at the station in a week of landmark announcements for the band. Performing in homage to the 20th anniversary of their smash hit second album One Way Ticket To Hell… And Back, which featured an iconic stream train on its front cover, the band were also celebrating the announcement of their largest headline tour in 20 years, which takes place across UK arenas in December 2026. Pre-sale for the December 2026 UK arena tour starts at 10am Wednesday 26th November 2025 here, and general sale starts at 10am Friday 28th November 2025 here. The Hawkins brothers, Justin & Dan, performed songs including their festive smash hit ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)’, a take on Cliff Richard’s ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ and further Darkness hits and fan-favourites including ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’, ‘Givin’ Up’, ‘Friday Night’ and more. The Darkness frontman took to the St. Pancras piano to perform and sing, while Dan Hawkins accompanied on acoustic guitar. The performance from the multi-platinum and award-winning rock band brought the power of rock and festive merriment to the surprise and wonder of onlookers this lunchtime at St. Pancras Station who were in full voice for the occasion. The performance follows in the footsteps of GRAMMY® award winners Alicia Keys and Norah Jones, Jeff Goldblum, and dynamic duo Rod Stewart and Jools Holland who performed at St. Pancras International. Other world-class performers to have graced the famous St. Pancras pianos include internationally acclaimed music giants Elton John and John Legend. St. Pancras International has become renowned for regular performances from stars, talented members of the local area and even visitors from afar. The station’s main Arcade, which is host to the pianos, has grown into a hub of cultural activity over the years, creating a strong sense of community and lively destination for exciting arts activations. Regarding the performance Justin Hawkins says, “As Santa prepares to fly his reindeer-fuelled sleigh of Slays across the night sky, thence to squeeze his tubby frame down the exhaust flues of the nation’s central heating boilers, so we, The Darkness, dust off our Christmas songs in readiness for a glut of celebration! And what better place to celebrate than Britain’s favourite railway station?! As the commuters hurry by, mince pies crushed in their frozen palms, we are filled with joy to tickle the ivories of Christmas Warmth, and strum upon the Lute of Festive Light.” Peter Martin-Jones, Head of Marketing at London St. Pancras Highspeed says “St. Pancras International has become one of London’s go-to spots for live music, and having The Darkness bring such a festive performance to one of our iconic pianos perfectly captures that spirit. We are so pleased that Justin and Dan chose to pay us a visit in such an exciting week of announcements for the band.” For more information on music, arts, culture and retail events happening in St. Pancras International station, visit https://stpancras.com/news-events and follow @StPancrasInternational on Instagram. THE DARKNESS 2026 TOUR DATES
July 11th – Knebworth Park (with Iron Maiden)
Dec 8th – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
Dec 9th – Leeds, FD Arena
Dec 11th – Manchester, AO Arena
Dec 12th – Birmingham, Utilita Arena
Dec 13th – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
Dec 15th – Brighton, Brighton Centre
Dec 16th – London, The O2 About St. Pancras International Station
St. Pancras International station is a unique Grade I listed building, offering a wealth of stylish and premium shops, bars and restaurants all under one iconic roof. The venue is a destination in its own right as well as a world-class station, known for its calendar of new and exciting arts and music experiences – there’s always something new to discover. About London St. Pancras Highspeed
London St. Pancras Highspeed owns and operates the UK’s only high-speed railway and the stations along the route – St. Pancras International, Stratford International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International.
London St. Pancras Highspeed are passionate about making journeys better, bringing people together and encouraging travel along our route that connects London to Kent and beyond into Europe. About The Darkness
It was back in 2003 that we witnessed the start of a love affair between one of the most extraordinary and best loved bands to come from the UK and fans all around the world. The Darkness exploded from their Lowestoft roots to global success when they released their debut album Permission To Land to almost overnight success. It topped the UK charts, going 5x Platinum and selling over 1.5 million copies in the UK alone, whilst also becoming a huge success everywhere from the USA to Australia, Germany to Japan. The album spawned a series of hit singles including ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’, ‘Growing On Me’, ‘Get Your Hands Off My Woman’ and ‘Love Is Only A Feeling’. It also clocked up a series of awards including three BRIT Awards, two Kerrang Awards and an Ivor Novello for ‘Songwriters Of The Year’ amongst many others. In 2025 the record was revealed as the most successful British rock album of the 21st century. The Darkness played a number of landmark shows, including a headline set at the 2004 Reading & Leeds Festivals, as part of a whirlwind career of global touring and international success. The band then followed the success of their debut with the 2005 album One Way Ticket To Hell… And Back, which produced the Top 10 hit ‘One Way Ticket’. However, the pressures of fame took their toll, and in 2006 The Darkness were no more. Yet, like a veritable phoenix rising from the ashes of despair, the band reformed in 2011 touring Europe and South America the following year with Lady Gaga. They released their comeback album Hot Cakes that year and Last Of Our Kind in 2015. In 2017 the band ushered in a new era with the release of Pinewood Smile and the critically acclaimed record became their third UK Top 10 album. With its successor Easter Is Cancelled (2019) achieving equally great heights there seemed no stopping the band. However, that album’s title proved semi-prophetic and following its release the world plunged into the Covid-19 pandemic. Undaunted, they released their seventh studio album Motorheart in 2021 which not only received some of the best reviews of their career but once more catapulted them straight back onto the upper echelons of festival bills such as Download and saw them pack out tour dates around the country with fervent fans hungry for the band’s return to the stage. 2022 saw The Darkness perform incendiary shows around the world whilst, in tandem with their touring, fabulous frontman Justin quickly became the internet’s favourite rock ‘n’ roll personality with his highly revered Justin Hawkins Rides Again podcast. The Darkness then came full circle as their game-changing debut album Permission To Land turned 20 in 2023. They rang in the anniversary year with a performance of the timeless classic ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’ on BBC One’s New Year’s Eve programming and by selling out arena shows including Wembley with Black Stone Cherry. The band continued to be lauded as rock gods throughout the year, performing with Guns N’ Roses at BST London Hyde Park, as well as KISS in Norway amongst many other hugely acclaimed shows. A specially expanded Permission To Land deluxe album was released via Warner Music and their 2023 Permission To Land 20 world tour sold out shows across the globe. In November a critically acclaimed documentary film entitled Welcome To The Darkness premiered in cinemas across the UK to rave reviews. And now, more than 20 years after The Darkness exploded with the big bang that changed the face of British rock music, their cheeky, spandex-clad anthems continue to capture hearts, and a new generation of fans, as proved with their eighth studio album Dreams On Toast, released in March 2025 via Cooking Vinyl. The album smashed into the UK Official Albums Chart at No.2 in April this year. Dreams On Toast became their most successful album since their iconic debut album Permission To Land. The rock legends launched their latest hit album to sold out shows across the country, which included their headline return to Wembley Arena, on a tour which continued across Europe, Australia and the USA, where the new songs proved instant fan favourites alongside their multi-platinum, award-winning catalogue. 2026 will see the band’s live show taken to a new level with their largest headline tour in 20 years, calling at seven arenas across the UK in December, including their first ever headline performance at The O2 arena in London. The Darkness will be joined on all dates by support from the GRAMMY-winning, multi-platinum selling, American country rock band Brothers Osborne, as well as the multi-million streamed UK rock band A. | 
