Fans of the Dark were formed by drummer Freddie Allen (from the cult AOR band Houston), vocalist Alex Falk(Swedish Idol and theatre productions of Rent and La Cage Aux Folles, bassist Robert Majd (Captain Blackbeard, Metalite) and guitarist Oscar Bromvall.

Allen co-wrote much of the Houston album, which won Classic Rock’s AOR Album of the Year (2010). Looking for an outlet to freely express himself musically, he began writing and putting a band together. Having crossed paths with Falk when they attended a Stockholm high school for performing arts together, he knew this ‘monster voice’ was just what Fans of The Dark needed. We recently caught up with Freddie to get more on Fans of the Dark…

Get the single here

You and Alex (Fans of the Dark vocalist) have known one another since college, did you always stay in contact?

We have known each other since we were 16 or 17, and I think we re-connected through Facebook ten years ago or something like that. He was always a fantastic singer with total presence, and I just asked him one day on Messenger if he would be willing to record some songs. Last year it finally fell into place.

Are you still working with the band, Houston at all?

Nope. We are still friends, but I am no longer involved in that band. I wish them all the best, though.

How long have Fans of the Dark been together, have you had a chance to
play any live shows yet? and how do you feel about streamed gigs?

We formed last summer during the pandemic, so no shows yet. We have just recorded the first album together and we are enjoying the moment. When time
comes, we will consider live shows. I haven’t watched any streamed gigs, so I don’t know about that. But if people like it, why not!

Covid has been a global problem, and your debut single talks about making the best of and appreciating our time, how have you and the band spent your time during Covid, was the album written during this period?

Yes, it has been a terrible year, and at the same time, strangely I have had time to stop and think of life a bit. I used to run to the bus, and now I just walk. It’s like that. Life has slowed down. I built a sauna in my house last summer. And after that I started writing songs again. I hadn’t really done that since the second Houston album, in 2013. I just wrote this new album in a month or something, and then we booked some studio time and went for it. It was great, focused and simple, almost like becoming a kid again.

Also, can you recommend any books, podcasts, films or tv shows you have enjoyed recently?

I recently read the Sci-fi classic “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinlein. I guess Iron Maiden borrowed that title, but I don’t think they borrowed the plot. It’s a great, thick novel about the life of a Martian who comes to Earth and has trouble understanding our ways. Since I am a movie buff, I can recommend the horror film podcast “Post Mortem with Mick Garris”, it is great if you love horror and fantastic films! When it comes to films and tv “Cobra Kai” is a GREAT show made with lots of love for the original “Karate Kid”. And I also love “The Last Dance” about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. I must have seen it ten times. If you have Disney+ I can also recommend “The Imagineering Story”, which is about the planning and building of all the Disney theme parks: such a perfect story of following your dreams and making them real!

Can you tell us a bit more about the forthcoming album – the music and lyrical themes?

Sure, the album is really personal to us, because it deals a lot with our childhoods and young adult lives. When you are a kid, everything is scary and hard, and at the same time fantastic. You can create dreams, you can imagine stuff and make it come alive when you play. It is something that most of us forget how to do when we grow up. Some of the songs deal directly with these feelings, and some of them are more like “The Never Ending Story”, a fantasy or an old book or a film seen through the eyes of a small kid. Musically it has a lot of energy and is perhaps a little more intense than your regular melodic rock record, but it also has the odd “epic” and slow song.

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 6 October 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 8 October 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 28 October 2024

IZZY REIGN Spooky Scary Skeletons (FiXT)
THE RASMUS Rest In Pieces (Better Noise Music)
THE PLAGUE What Else Can I Do (FiXT)
STAR CIRCUS Turn The Tide (indie)
DEFENCES Breathe It In (Long Branch Records)

Featured Albums w/c 28 October 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)