The Darkness' most vivid memory of their career is when frontman Justin Hawkins first wore a catsuit on stage.

The flamboyant frontman went against his bandmates wishes by wriggling into the tight one-piece in the back room of the Castle pub in Tooting Bec, south London, on November 16, 2001, before they became famous.

The band's guitarist Dan Hawkins, Justin's younger brother, said things didn't quite go to plan for the 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love' hitmaker.

Dan, 36, recalled: ''He wanted a white one but they got the material completely wrong. And as soon as he started sweating, it turned into a naked suit, a bit like Shakira.

''He had jeans on, and he started taking them off for the big reveal and realised he'd left his shoes on, and he was literally on his back while the song started.

''We were trying to keep it going while he was on the floor.

''Someone in the audience managed to pull the jeans off for him. A total f***ing shambles.''

Despite the struggle, bassist Frankie Poullain, 46, called it a ''defining moment'' for the band, who are heading out on tour again, and the outfit became a permanent fixture for the 38-year-old musician.

Justin told Classic Rock magazine: ''My mother used to hang around with Brian Jones [Rolling Stones], and she once described an outfit he was wearing as being a pink catsuit seductively unzipped to a dangerously low area.

''She'd always reminisce fondly about that. So from childhood I always thought that the catsuit was part of the rock 'n' roll theme.''