Darwin 's Radio are a 4 piece band from the South of England.  Formed when former Grey Lady Down members Mark Westworth and Sean Spear joined forces with Declan Burke of The Spirit of Rush (the highly successful Rush tribute group). Tim Churchman (also from TSoR )completes the line-up on drums.  Whilst clearly absorbing influences from old school progressive rock acts like Rush and Genesis and from more contemporary exponents of the art such as Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree and Muse, Darwin’s Radio are something very different - a modern progressive rock band with great harmonies, strong melodies and just a touch of jazz.
The band's first release was the three-track EP Pictures in 2003 followed in 2006 by their first full album Eyes of the World.  Recorded at The Enid’s studio in Northampton Eyes of the World is an album of musical landscapes that is exactly what the band wanted to write; free from compromise. Not quite neo-prog and not exactly prog-rock, the music rides a precarious balance between genres, and on that tightrope they create a brand of rock where melody, feel and flow form the foundation and their musical passion bring these songs to life. Through warm and inviting melodies and carefully crafted and personal lyrics these songs come alive with moving musical crescendos and dynamic performances.
Reviews
“…this is one of the Brit prog albums of the year.
Burke outsings many a prog vocalist and his fluid but
muscular guitar work recalls Francis Dunnery of It
Bites, but allows Westworth to shine as well. Two first rate epics,
Erase… Rewind and The Vast Within, bookend six other
strong tracks with Stronger and Glass Tiger’s Eye proving prog can
really rock. Â In short, Eyes of the World
is a triumph.†    8 out of 10
(Nick Shilton   Â
 Classic Rock magazine)
“…There is much to admire here built upon the solid base of drummer Dave Pankhurst and former GLD bassist Sean Spear. Meanwhile fellow former GLD whiz Mark Westworth adds some truly proggy keyboards, but it is ex-Spirit muso Declan Burke that adds a mighty tasty filling to the sandwich. He has an excellent vocal approach and his guitar isn’t bad either! He has an amazing voice and when it all comes together it makes for the some of the best prog I’ve heard in years...â€
(Martin Hudson     CRS magazine)
“…It is rare when you discover an album that has all
of the qualities you look for. It’s bands like this
and an album this good that restore my faith in the music industry. Without a
trace of pretentiousness or commercialization, Darwin 's
Radio has written and created music for the sake of music and have raised the
bar quite high for future independent bands to reach. There is not one lyric
without meaning and not a single note without purpose. Few bands can make that
claim and few bands can match their combination of musicianship, passion and
melody. Operating outside of any defined genre, Darwin 's
Radio have created one of the best albums of 2006 and beyond. This is prog,
this is rock, this is pure. This, folks, is simply
outstanding...†    5 out
of 5
(Scott Pierce     ProgressiveWorld.net)