Watch ED SHEERAN and THE DARKNESS rehearsing 'Love Is Only A Feeling' backstage before London concert
15-12-2023
Pop superstar Ed Sheeran played a surprise set as the opening act for THE DARKNESS, and later joined the British rockers to perform their song “Love Is Only A Feeling”, on Saturday, December 9 at London’s Roundhouse.
THE DARKNESS has shared a video of Sheeran and THE DARKNESS‘s “Love Is Only A Feeling” pre-show rehearsal, filmed backstage in the dressing room.
Check it out below.
THE DARKNESS, which is currently celebrating 20 years of its debut album “Permission To Land”, has had a long relationship with Sheeran, having previously opened for him on the U.K. leg of the 2019 “Divide” tour”, along with James Bay and Zara Larsson.
“The crowd started off with their fingers in their ears,” THE DARKNESS guitarist Dan Hawkins told Guitar World about his band’s opening slot. “But by the end they had their hands in the air. It was a massive success, actually.”
Sheeran opened the Roundhouse concert by playing a six-song set, telling the crowd he bought a copy of “Permission To Land” when he was 13 years old, “and it was always my ambition to be onstage with them one day.” He jokingly asked THE DARKNESS‘s audience to “check me out on MySpace” before adding: “I hope you like it… If you don’t, it’s only 30 minutes.”
After playing his set, Sheeran returned to the stage later in the night to join THE DARKNESS on “Love Is Only A Feeling”, taken from “Permission To Land”.
Sheeran is a noted rock and heavy metal fan, having recently collaborated with British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH on a song that will reportedly be released for charity.
In July 2021, Sheeran floated the possibility of exploring a more extreme musical path while speaking to The Sun. He said: “I was really into death metal as a kid. I listened to CRADLE OF FILTH and SLIPKNOT and all that stuff. I’m not saying I could ever step into that world. I learnt all those riffs on guitar as a kid. That’s something I’ve never thought about doing — but something I would not be opposed to creating.”
THE DARKNESS recently announced a feature-length documentary, to be dubbed ‘Welcome To The Darkness’
Ahead of the documentary release there is also a very special expanded “Permission To Land” deluxe album release out on October 6 via Warner Music. It comes as a five-LP package, a four-CD+DVD package, a double-CD package and of course it will also be across all of your digital streaming platforms in its full glory.
“Permission To Land” was originally released in 2003 via Atlantic Records and stormed to the top of the U.K. Albums chart, where it remained for four weeks, and spent 53 weeks in the Top 100. It achieved the band three BRIT Awards, including “British Album Of The Year”, “British Group” and “British Rock Act”, where they fended off competition from the likes of BLUR, RADIOHEAD, SUGABABES, MUSE, PRIMAL SCREAM and more. The record has sold over 3.5 million copies to date, with 1.8 million in the U.K. alone.
The celebratory year is topped off with a sold-out tour of the U.K. in December, part of the “Permission To Land” anniversary world tour which kicks off next week in the United States.
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