March 29, 2006 10:00

Wolfmother declare The Darkness 'hams'

The Aussie newcomers have no time for Hawkins men

Australian newcomers Wolfmother have attacked The Darkness for making rock a laughing stock.

The Sydney three-piece, who have impressed with their gonzo rock riffs, believe their British rivals are not a true rock band, but a comedy act.

"The Darkness are obviously hamming it up, they're so over the top," declared drummer Myles Heskett. "I think they're trying to be funny. We're not about that. We're just playing the music we like. We don't have any control over how other people perceive us."

However he admitted despite Wolfmother's obvious rock credentials there was one band that surprisingly is not an influence on them: Led Zeppelin.

"I don't have any Zeppelin albums," Heskett told Texan paper the Star Telegram. "We all dig Black Sabbath, but we didn't exactly pull out our record collections or anything. We're into lots of things."

Meanwhile, Wolfmother feature on the Best New Bands Showcase 2006, a free CD with this week’s NME.

Their track ‘Unicorn’ features alongside the likes of Dirty Pretty Things, The Rakes, The Go! Team and Hot Chip, on the disc, which is free with the issue, dated April 1, which is out now.