The Darkness
10/22
9:30
According to A&R Nick Raphael in an interview with HitQuarters, there was no initial clamour to sign the band, "There couldn't have been less of a buzz, and only two record labels showed any interest in them."[7] He believes the reason for lack of interest was that "The business as a whole thought they were uncool. In fact, people were saying that they were a joke and that they weren't real."[7] Raphael continued: "Now, 3.5 million records later, they’re one of the greatest of all bands in the world, and that’s because what they did was real; they weren’t copying anyone. If they were copying, then they were copying someone from twenty years ago, and no-one else was doing that."
However, throughout their career critics around the world would label them as a "joke band".[8][9][10] As part of Sony Music UK, Raphael had attempted to sign them, but the band instead opted to go with Atlantic Records.[7]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Darkness_(band)