SUFFOLK retro-rockers The Darkness are succeeding where many before them have failed – by breaking into the American market.While numerous other English acts – including Oasis and Robbie Williams – never made the breakthrough, the band is quickly gaining legions of new fans.

SUFFOLK retro-rockers The Darkness are succeeding where many before them have failed – by breaking into the American market.

While numerous other English acts – including Oasis and Robbie Williams – never made the breakthrough, the band is quickly gaining legions of new fans.

Their debut album, Permission to Land, which went multi-platinum in the UK, is now also selling well stateside.

It has now shifted around 250,000 copies in the USA and the group, from Lowestoft, is being talked about as the quickest growing British band since the Spice Girls.

In the past few weeks the album has moved from 173rd position on the Billboard 200 to 92nd, and now sits at 39th spot on the vaunted chart as the fastest-selling record of the week.

A spokesman for the group – who are currently touring Australia – said: “It's going off big time for the band in the USA and around the world.

“We think that their album will go into the top ten on the American billboard chart on April 1.

“I think it would be fair to say that they are the fastest growing group in the USA since the Spice Girls.”

The shaggy-haired rockers will arrive back in the UK at the start of February to play concerts which had to be cancelled last year when lead singer Justin Hawkins fell ill.

They will then embark on another whirlwind promotional tour later in February, which will see them visit Europe before landing back in the USA at the end of March.

Their success stateside ensures the band continue their meteoric rise to world superstardom, which was boosted yet further earlier this month when the group received four Brit award nominations.

In 2003 the band enjoyed an unexpected leap to fame, finishing the year with a number one album, two top-five singles and armfuls of awards.