Tag Archives: The Darkness

Thoughts gone Gaga

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This morning, Darklings were ready and waiting for the announcement promised for today, mostly expecting (not unreasonably) some news about the album release date, maybe some gigs to look out for. Lady Gaga’s little monsters were also waiting for news on her Born This Way Ball tour dates in Europe. Neither had ANY idea that the news was going to involve each other… At 7.30 this morning, Capital FM’s site posted the tweeted news that The Darkness would be supporting Lady Gaga on 21 European dates through August to  October. Two were in the UK – London and Manchester – and a third in Dublin. Retweeted, it flew round the Darkling set.

Twitter went into an absolute frenzy. Both Darklings and monsters were relaying their shock, awe, amazement, and initial disbelief. WTF? REALLY? It came like a bolt from the blue, this one. Leftfield.  Both sets of UK fans were split pretty much down the middle. Awestruck wonder and fairly vehement disgust were both expressed, along with disappointment. There weren’t many neutrals. A good many monsters will need a bit of a Darkness learning curve by all accounts. Some had set off to download albums and watch youtube – result! For over 5 hours ‘The Darkness’ trended worldwide, longer in the UK.

Let’s take ‘Awestruck wonder’ then, first. Why? Being fans of both helped with that one, to start with. If you are, then this is going to be one special night! Then there’s the ‘The Darkness/Lady Gaga gig’ phenomenon, whichever one you prefer. An expensive one, but Gaga gigs are few and far between here at any time, and Darkness ones also this year, so far. Then once those feelings had ebbed, and the bank balance had been checked, there were so many other things to consider.

This is a HUGE thing for TD to have secured. Main support to a woman of international renown, critically acclaimed, and truly individual. There’s no one like her right now, and she has power. She also has brains, and if she wants TD on HER tour, then she has good sound reasons for doing so. Impeccable taste, too, obviously. The amount of exposure that this will give TD is so immense it can’t be quantified. Not only will they get the captive audience exposure to thousands, but the PR benefits are just staggering. Even just being associated with the tour is like a rocket launch – especially as Justin tweeted in the middle of this afternoon that the album will be out this summer, which is before or as this tour starts for them. The Samsung SuperBowl ad has been blown out of the water!  Next up is the creativity bit. Apparently the stage set took 18 months to build. Now, if you’ve got a main act who can pull off the sort of stuff that Gaga does, aren’t you going to take a little advantage of that when it comes to your own stage act? I doubt the stage will be completely bare for TD. I doubt the general atmosphere will encourage toned down costumes and restrained performances. Oh wow.. the costumes… I think that we’re going to see something very special, in all sorts of ways. I also think that actually, these two acts aren’t so very dissimilar and that they will understand and gel with each other very well. They seem to me to have the same sort of attitudes and desires in what they do and what they give to their fans. This has the potential to be completely mental, in a stupendous way. Bring it on.

I don’t want to do the ‘fairly vehement disgust’ bit. Leaves a bad taste in the mouth. But why oh why is this tour such bad news for some people? It’s true that the album news Darklings want was not what emerged today. Nor was a list of UK and Europe tour dates. Since when has THAT been an excuse for some of the things I’ve seen today? I can’t  comment on some of Gaga fans’ comments. They have their likes and dislikes, and some wanted another band instead. BUT… I didn’t want to believe  some of the things I read from both sides. Losing respect for their idol for arranging this. Saying that you’re not going to see your idol because TD/Gaga would spoil it. Accusations of selling out. Pouting and stamping feet because things weren’t going their way.  Objections because the other band just weren’t right for ‘your’ band. TD knew this was going to divide people, and their small warning wasn’t without substance. Sadly.

Sheesh. This is a tour, and a damn prestigious one. It’s not a joining at the hip. It’s going to be a learning curve on both sides in some degree, it’s going to be incredibly beneficial for bands and fans alike in one way or another. No one is losing any credibility and no one will have a career damaged. I hope people get their heads round this, because this IS happening.

Justin said:

“It was put to me as a question – do we want to be a main support band on one of the biggest – if not the biggest – stadium, worldwide mega-tours that have ever been? And, I think I replied, ‘Yes please’.

“It was really straight forward.”

and Frankie added on FB: Haha, well said Justin! Why would The Darkness shy away from something this ridiculous?

And it is, gloriously so. Right up The Darkness’ street.

Gaga for The Darkness

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Quite right, too.

Capital FM have this morning broken news that The Darkness will be supporting Lady Gaga on the UK and European legs of her world tour. Tweets have flown, with both Justin and TD retweeting the link, though uberofficial confirmation still to come. This from their site:

 ‘Marry The Night’ star confirms details of gigs in London and Manchester as part of European dates. Lady Gaga has announced two UK dates as part of her ‘Born This Way Ball’ world tour.

The gigs, at London’s Twickenham Stadium on 8th September and Manchester Arena on 11th September, will mark the ‘Marry The Night’ star’s biggest ever shows in Britain. They form part of the European leg of the ‘Born This Way Ball’ tour, which kicks off in Bulgaria on 14th August and includes a show at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on 15th September. The European dates are currently set to conclude in Barcelona, Spain on 6th October.

Support at all of the European shows, including those in the UK, will come from The Darkness and Lady Starlight.

Ticket prices will range from £50-£80 for London and £60-£80 for Manchester.

Gigwise state that tickets for the two UK dates will be on sale on Friday 13th April, though if I were you I’d check out ticket sites for presale dates.

Lady Gaga tweeted these tour dates:

 

Darkwatch #USA

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The Darkness have been to America.

A very short statement for an event that meant such a lot to The Darkness’ and Darklings’ worlds! Not that long after a pretty brilliantly amazing tour in the UK and Ireland,  a second tour with an identical lineup was announced for the US. Not a comprehensive tour, but with other commitments no doubt in place,  it’s still pretty packed with as much ground covered as possible.  Cue an eruption of  American Darkling frenzy – and who can blame them? We’d felt  the same here, and we’d already had our first taste of ‘what was’ morphing into  ‘what will be’.

Staggered presales via a link only available on TD’s Facebook page went amazingly well, selling out in the majority of venues. That was mirrored by the general sale release – almost full sell out.  Another New York date was added, and the last three dates announced extended the tour to the whole of Februrary, give or take.  Fantastic news – well, to me it looks like a bloody good feat!

The excitement hit fever pitch. My ears are still ringing from cybercheers in some quarters. There are a LOT of people out there who have waited a very long time to see TD at all, and thought they had missed their chance. Once TD arrived, it was like the Pond didn’t exist, as a sound barrier, anyway. With a couple of new songs and a new stage outfit that added an awful amount of sex to the stars and stripes, there’s no way anyone could possibly say they were shortchanged. Supercharged is probably more accurate!

Reviews, comments and photos all point to one thing – that this was a special kinda tour for everyone., with all sorts of things happening. Hazel Eyes on the set list. The ace treasure hunts for tickets, held on Twitter. Justin’s dive into the crowd from the balcony (holy shit, Justin, I have problems looking down from balconies, never mind jumping!). The banter, the anecdotes, the joy of being plunged into Darkness.  Could it have been better?

Not really. Not from fandom’s point of view. However, on Superbowl night, a different kind of glory came with an unexpected  and very important event. In a Samsung phone advert, Justin appeared with a crowd, a choir and some chaos playing along to IBIATCL – right in the middle of the Superbowl. One of the most prestigious ad breaks in the US, with a worldwide captive audience.  Fuck the PHONE, this was just about the most perfectly timed superb bit of PR/management brilliance EVER. In minutes, TD were worldwide trending, and had gone to the top of iTunes rock charts.  This was a coup of monumental proportions, so deep curtsies all round to the team that clinched that one.

A few weeks filled with travel and gig frenzy and they came back to rest and plunge back into album work. Job partly done in America – not wholly, because since then more dates have been announced and tickets gone on sale. Round 2, anyone?

 

My thanks to all those who sent contributions to OI during the last tour. If there’s anyone else willing to do the same, drop me a line.  

Laurie’s U.S. Tour Diary – The Darkness, Foxy Shazam, Crown Jewel Defense (Pt 2)

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Day 1 – February  18, Las Vegas, NV, House of Blues

Welcome to the Sin-Sinniest City of them all, LAS VEGAS! On this tour with me are my Darklets, Rhyanne and Harrison, and friend Dori – you remember her from the NYC gig. We pulled into town the night before and Dori had flown in from New Jersey. Boy, were her arms tired!  *rimshot*

The day of the gig, Ree decides she wants to ride the New York New York roller coaster that is just across the street from us. After much debate, I finally agree to ride with her and off we go through the casino to find the rollercoaster. I don’t know how many OI readers have been to Vegas, but these casinos are mahoosive, like little money-grubbing cities. Finally, we find the coaster entrance near an arcade. We’re standing around trying to figure out where to buy tickets and such when Dori turns around and says “There’s Frankie!”

Yes, it was Mr. Poullain, who was waiting for Mr. Justin Hawkins. So once we chit chat with him for a bit, we decide to wait to say hi to Justin too. He arrives and asks if we saw his tweet about riding the coaster and Dori told him we were already there!  He was very nice and I gave him an “I heart moustaches” magnet I’d bought for him in the gift shop earlier, before we knew he’d be there. He liked it! So long story short, Ree and I rode in the rollercoaster two seats behind him. It was great fun, even though roller coasters are not my bag, baby!

Before we lined up, we saw Sky in line at Starbucks next door and we went to say hello as he waited for his green tea. Such a nice guy, he is!  Saw the other Foxy band members and CJD guys come in as we waited for the gig.

The gig itself was fantastic! Although we found out the hard way that if you want to jump the line to the front, you had to buy $25 of food or merch  from House of Blues and show the receipt.  Crown Jewel’s songs are slowly growing on me, and Foxy was phenomenal as always.

It was awesome to hear Hazel Eyes, which was added to the Chicago gig thanks to fan requests! I think Cannonball was dropped , but it was pretty much the same setlist as New York. I saw Vinny Paul from Pantera up in the VIP booth watching the show. All in all, the crowd was enthusiastic and it was a stellar performance! Justin’s new onstage habit is picking people from out of the crowd and complimenting their appearance, and there was a contingent from the UK whom Justin gave a shout to as well. Las Vegas loved the boys!

We said hello to them after the show and got some pics, and they all signed my beaded medallion. It was Ree’s first time meeting them, but Harrison missed out. Dan and Ed didn’t seem too happy that Ree couldn’t get in because it was an 18+ venue and she wasn’t 18. Justin finally got to see Dori’s fabulous catsuit and he loved it! He told her not to wash it. We said we’d see them in Phoenix and off we went the next day.  😉

 

Day 2 – February 19, Phoenix, Arizona, Celebrity Theatre

After traveling 6 hours (yes, we’re driving!) we reach Phoenix and check in. Lo and behold, there are other Darkness fans at the same hotel! We pulled in blasting “Bald” to get their attention and Harrison yells “Do you believe in a thing called love?!”  We said hello to some lovely British ladies in the hotel lobby and one of our hotel neighbors is also going to the gig. Turns out later that Justin pointed him out in the crowd as having awesome facial hair!

The Celebrity Theatre is different because it’s what they call “in the round,” meaning it’s a round stage. But tonight’s gig is halfway blocked off, so it’s what Justin dubs “The Semi-Circle of Power!”  It’s also quite odd that there is standing room in front of the stage and the performers are pretty much in your face if you’re lucky enough to be standing (which we were), but then there were seats behind the standing area so it must have been hard to see for the seated people immediately behind us.

I almost got tossed out because my camera was called “Professional” but after explaining that it’s not and I couldn’t return it to my car because we walked to the theatre, the security guys let me back in as long as I didn’t take video. So back to the front I go. The Crown Jewel guys are sounding better and better, and Foxy has an enthusiastic fan base here in the valley of the sun. My favorite part has to be when Sky keyboard surfs into the front rows and lets the fans pound the keys. The crowd is chanting “Foxy! Foxy! Foxy!” after they leave and I’m almost sure they’ll come back for an encore…no? Oh, okay.

The Darkness bounds onstage and the crowd noise is incredible!  At first, Justin was dubious about the stage and asked “Does this make my arse look big?”, because the circle went halfway around Dan’s side of the stage and his rear was in view.  Justin had great fun trying to see which side of the stage is louder during GYHOMW. The Semi-Circle of Power allows Dan to travel to the other side of the stage and solo a few times. During LOTRWNI Justin doesn’t get to do his walkabout because of the odd shape of the venue, so he opts for soloing down the middle corridor. I must say Phoenix was a brilliant gig and the crowd was up to 11!

Milled around after the show and again chatted with the guys from Foxy, CJD and TD. Harrison finally gets to meet TD!  It’s fun watching my kids meet them, as they’ve been subjected to their music for 8 years and now they’re old enough to like TD on their own.  Our new friends from the UK got to say hello as well (Sue, Liz and Terri and their other friend whose name escapes me – sorry!). We finally find someone with a silver Sharpie so Dori’s catsuit can be signed by the band. Since it was freezing cold out, we didn’t hang around long and then it was time to head back and rest up for L.A.

 

Day 3 – Los Angeles, California – House of Blues, Sunset Strip

L.A. is lovely this time of year, and as we enjoy dinner at HOB before the show (to get our fast passes), we hear sound check going on. Sweet!

Oh My Gee! So many people are here! My friend Julie, who I did a similar tour with in the UK in 2006, is here!  And our friend Hannah too, who I haven’t seen in a few years!  Another friend also arrives later and we ended up chatting with her and her son too. Good times! Sky and Daisy from Foxy come over to say hello to us – such nice guys!!

As for the gig, well….the band was rockin’ but let’s just say that I thought the some of the crowd was not as enthusiastic as Phoenix or even Vegas or New York. Dan’s guitar wasn’t working right during one song and the band played on while he switched out guitars, and Justin says “Now you know what we would sound like without Dan on guitar – we would SUCK!” Billy Duffy from the Cult was in the audience somewhere, Justin announced, and he said he was nervous because Billy was a hero of his. But on the upside, everyone who had never seen them before and those of us who HAD seen them before were happy campers with the band and the performance, and that’s what matters.    Cheers for rocking the House of Blues!

They shoo us out fairly soon after the gig and after chatting with the CJD boys again, we decide to go for an early breakfast. This traveling stuff is quite wearying.  After stopping at the famous Mel’s Diner on Sunset, it’s time to hit the hay – but not before we see Loren from Foxy outside the HOB and we say “HI LOREN!”  J

 

Day 4 – Travel time!

But not after first having lunch at the famed Barney’s Beanery, which was a favorite spot of Marilyn Monroe, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison, etc. After a quick stop at the Guitar Center on Sunset, we then go to the L.A. Fashion District to look at fabrics. Dori HAS to buy some purple leopard and red zebra print spandex!  The plan had been to head back to San Diego and drop the kids off, but there’s not enough time and I have two extra tickets…..so off we all go to San Francisco!

 

Day 5 – February 21, The Fillmore, San Francisco

Well I must say this: After all the driving we’ve done, I respect bands so much more. Sometimes as fans, we forget all the effort they make traveling this gigantic land of ours by bus, then have to do a kick ass show, stay out late after the show meeting fans, unwinding, and then get up at ungodly hours like 5 am and do it all over again. My hat is off to CJD, Foxy and TD!

Thank God there’s no fast pass this time! We see the TD guys as they go into the venue and Justin pops back to say a quick hello and to make sure Dori hasn’t washed her catsuit! LOL!  We make friends with the tall guy standing in front of us, and Liz from the UK joins us as we wait. We’re worried we won’t see Sky before the show – which has almost become a ritual! – when he, Alex and Daisy walk by and say hi. J  And of course, our new CJD friends Taylor, Nick and Steve also say hello. Taylor tells us they have an upcoming UK headlining tour  J  Whoo hoo!

Well, the vibe in the Fillmore is electric! I tell Ree that LED ZEPPELIN played there and she wasn’t really that impressed. Teenagers! This is where it all happened…Led Zep, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane….it boggles the mind how much rich musical history is in that building. Luckily the stage is massive and has a huge barrier and we have no problem getting front row. We also discover through TD’s FB page that a special Fillmore poster has been created for the band (more on that later!)  The picture was awesome!

You know it’s special when the crowd is getting worked up just singing along to the pre-show songs (and by the way guys, thanks for getting me hooked on “Guitar” by Prince!) and it’s even more exciting when TD tweet about how loud we are singing along to “Just What I Needed” by The Cars  J  Soon, CJD come on and rock the house! It’s even better when Taylor announces that it’s as close to a hometown gig as they’re going to get, since he’s from nearby Modesto, and the crowd lovingly embraces them from there.

There are some people that are there only to see Foxy Shazam, and they were not disappointed! What can I say about this band that hasn’t been said already, except that they are master showmen and musicians and they totally killed it! At the end, Foxy has left the crowd in awe and clamoring for more just like in Phoenix. WOW!  Later on, Justin has asked the crowd to give it up for CJD and Foxy and backstage, they heard everyone chanting “Foxy! Foxy! Foxy!”   The Darkness was happy to hear that, especially Justin, because Foxy is his favorite band.

When TD comes onstage, the crowd explodes and TD feeds off our energy.  Justin points out our tall friend from the line outside as lovingly protecting his woman from the people behind them (which was really sweet!) and he dedicates GYHOMW to them.  As the show progresses, a fine cloudlike haze has settled over the crowd and I’m quite sure it wasn’t from the dry ice machine! Justin remarks that he knows that we’ve been smoking Mary Jane’s Laughing Tobacco  😉  I can’t even point out highlights as it seemed every song was a highlight and it was over before we knew it. I do manage to catch Ed’s drumstick as it bounced off Harrison, but luckily it was gently tossed our way and didn’t cause any damage  😉  Some guy even offered me $10 for it, but I said no way! As Harrison and I leave to find Dori and Ree on the other side of the stage, happy concert-goers are singing and dancing along with “I Had The Time of My Life.”  I love when that happens!

As we exit the best gig we’ve been to yet, the Fillmore hands everyone a print of said Fillmore poster. I’m having that framed!  We hang out to say our goodbyes to CJD (and met Taylor’s mom and Grandma, how nice!) and then we finally get to say our goodbyes and thanks to TD before we leave the tour.

The Darkness is very thankful for the fans who have stuck around, as well as the new fans they are winning over.  It’s really nice when they remark that they will miss seeing us in the front row and they don’t know what they’ll do without us the rest of the tour  J  We say we’ll see them somewhere here in May, and we have all our memorabilia and memories to carry us through til then.

My favorite onstage moments for all the gigs is the way the entire band is smiling, laughing and enjoying each other as a band again. Dan literally bounces as well as headbangs through a show, and of course Justin is bouncing, leaping, tossing plecs, posing, diving into crowds….anything we want to him do, he does. It’s pure unadulterated HAPPINESS making its presence known on this tour, as well as the show I went to in London. Another highlight for me is when Justin sings “Holding my Own” acoustically, and Dan is impishly in the background making the crowd do a hand wave along with the ballad. Every time the crowd sings along with the songs, or when Justin is making us make the most ridiculous noises during LOTRWNI, the fun is always there – and that my friends, is why I love this band so much – aside from the fact that they all rock so hard it must hurt.

I truly do thank the band for resurrecting all this wonderful music filled with good times, and based on audience reaction to the new songs, we have so much more to look forward to in the future. I’m not sure if I’ll do another road trip like that, but who knows?   NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW!  J

 

 

 

New TD dates for US

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Direct from TD’s Facebook:

The bewitching hour is upon us with more show announcements at the helm. The following shows will have a special Facebook presale on Wednesday, March 7th at 10am CST as well:

May 23rd – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues New Orleans
May 27th – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues Dallas

You need to Like the page to get any presale details, if you haven’t already.

On Tour with The Darkness – Live Reviews

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By Rebecca Martin

I became a fan of The Darkness in late 2004, too late to catch them on their U.S. tour. I’ve waited in vain since then to see them live. But now, in 2012, my patience has finally been rewarded. I traveled from South Carolina to New York City, Chicago, and Minneapolis with my St. Louis friends Andrea and Kim for one purpose: to see The fucking Darkness.

Crown Jewel Defense

I knew there were two opening bands on tour with TD, but I was determined to show, at most, polite disinterest as they were not the bands I came to see. It was an easy task with Crown Jewel Defense, the first opening band. While I’ll admit that the lead singer has long, pretty hair and was covered in glitter, my friends and I had long faces like children who had been dragged to church against their will. At one point, I remember thinking “Aargh! We still have to sit through one more band before we finally get to see The Darkness.” But my sentiments quickly changed once Foxy Shazam took the stage. More on that later.

In Chicago CJD singer Tyler’s mic went out and Andrea declared that it was the best they’d sounded yet. But by Minneapolis, they had grown on us and we tolerated them much more than we did in NYC; I even found myself singing along with a couple of their tunes. I have to admit that I was being less-than-fair to them in NYC. They showed a lot of courage in going out onstage to play songs at sold-out shows to audiences who are there to see someone else.

Foxy Shazam

It’s safe to say that I’ve never seen anything like Foxy Shazam. All six members command the stage with a cohesive, united front of controlled, writhing, upbeat insanity, which is everything a good rock show should be. Eric Nally is the gymnastic, glittery leather-clad singer. Most reviewers have compared him to Freddie Mercury. While the flawless harmonies on their new album are certainly reminiscent of Queen’s best years, possibly a nod to the influences of producer Justin Hawkins, I found Nally’s stage energy more akin to James Brown. I haven’t seen any other singers who in the course of a 5-7 song setlist boogie and bebop with a mic stand, leap-frog onto the guitarist’s shoulders, fall to their knees, bounce right back up and somersault across the stage. Eric Nally does all of this. I envision him walking offstage afterwards and collapsing onto a nearby chair from all the energy he’s expended.

Potential hecklers be warned: don’t fuck with Eric while he’s onstage trying to do his thing. He’ll call you out then put you in your place, much to the delight of the rest of the audience. In Chicago, he told one such heckler “the difference between you and me is that you’re looking up and I’m looking down.” In other words “shut the fuck up and let me do my show.”

In Minneapolis, there seemed to be a lot more Foxy fans than at the other two gigs I attended. Once the band took the stage, the floor was crammed with drunk and/or sweaty bodies.  At one point, guitarist Loren Turner crowd-surfed a bit. The crowd seemed to surge in two opposite directions: forward to catch and hold him or to the side to keep him from landing on your head. After three shows, I am officially hooked on Foxy.

 

The Darkness

The audience was kept sonically entertained with a decent mix of rock songs as we impatiently watched the roadies set up the stage. I distinctly remember hearing Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin. But then suddenly the music got much louder as the appropriate choice of Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town” began to play. Maybe The Darkness has always played it, but it seemed especially suitable on their third date in their too-brief North American tour.

ABBA’s “Arrival” now began to play and everyone knew this was the moment before the moment we’d all been waiting for. The lights dimmed and the exhilarating roar of the audience greeted The Darkness as they came out, opening the show with “Black Shuck.” I got very emotional at this point and one or two tears may or may not have escaped each of my eyes. Have I mentioned I’ve been waiting for The Darkness for seven years?! I just couldn’t believe that I was finally seeing The Darkness. They were really there, right before my eyes, rocking their asses off. However, I pulled it together quickly…there was no fucking way I was missing one of my favorite bands playing one of my favorite songs from their catalogue.

From what I’ve observed in their live performances I’ve seen on DVDs, it never takes Justin very long to disrobe once he’s onstage. He made it through Black Shuck but then took off the vest of the costume he wore. Wonder Woman’s costume should be rebooted to look just like Americana rocker vest and trousers that Justin wore onstage for the first part of the performance. (Seriously, how can WW be expected to fight crime effectively in booty shorts and a tube top?)

After the New York gig, I got my picture taken with Frankie, Dan, and Justin. I asked Justin after the show to play Hazel Eyes in Minneapolis, since that show coincided with my birthday, but I got politely shot down as he teased, ‘I don’t think I’d be able to remember the words.’ Despite the fact that I knew he was joking, four varied emotional responses went through my head.

  • (sarcasm) Oh yeah, you have a whopping catalogue of 50 songs; I can see how a person could forget lyrics to so many songs.
  • (anger)That’s what you have fucking rehearsals for
  • (pleading)But…I’ll make cue cards! I’ll SING the words to you!
  • (guilt trip)The Sunday show is my birthday…you owe us; you never came back to tour One Way Ticket like you promised

I’m proud of myself for refraining from any of those comments. Anyone who knows me can verify that I don’t always possess that much self-control. After the Chicago and Minneapolis gigs, I’m even prouder of my restraint as making any of those comments would have made me feel bad, knowing what I know now.

In Chicago, about halfway through the show, Justin said “We’ve had some requests…play more songs from One Way Ticket. Who here has been to any of our other shows? [cue my friends screaming, then Justin points to us] This is for you [play Hazel eyes]

Time-Out Chicago’s review of the show said “Hawkins…led the band through the highlights of its two-album catalog (“Hazel Eyes” and “Giving It Up” were among the most electric).”

Hey, Justin, how ‘bout you let me plan the band’s set list for your promised U.S. summer tour. I seem to know what your other American fans want to hear. All joking aside, I was so shocked that they were actually playing the song, I couldn’t even sing along with the first verse. I just kept saying over and over again, “I don’t believe it!! They’re playing Hazel Eyes!”

In Minneapolis, Justin said “on our tour, most of the songs we play are from our first album; we haven’t played much from the second album.” I knew where this was heading, so I waited for an appropriate pause from Justin and shouted “Hazel Eyes.” Justin smiled down at me and said “this lady wants to hear Hazel Eyes.” Justin watched and listened to the crowd as they erupted into approving screams and applause. (I’d like to reiterate my earlier offer to plan your setlist for you.) He then smiled back at me and said “okay” as if to say “yeah, alright, I’ll play this song for you.” According to Kim, Justin kept looking over at me while singing the first verse, but I couldn’t tell because his hair was in his eyes and I was too busy singing along to notice anything but the words to Hazel Eyes. This whole “Hazel Eyes” situation tells me that The Darkness is a band that actually gives a shit about what their fans want, which gives them major points in my book. Because of his kindness to this particular fan, Justin Hawkins now occupies a very special place in my heart, making this, hands-down, the best birthday I’ve ever had.

In my travels for the three gigs, people asked me what brought me to the city in question. When I told them, some people got the clear look of judgment in their eyes. To people like that, I’d like to say the following: Don’t judge me for following a band that I love, that I’ve been a fan of for 7 years. We’ve all made our choices in life.  You choose what to spend your money on. Mortgage, spouse, children, family pet, family vehicle, those are all ordinary things to me that everyone has. I’ve always known that I didn’t want an ordinary life: I didn’t want the exact same life that everyone else had. I wanted my life to stand out and count for something in my memory, the only one that counts. Rock and roll is my husband and my children. The bands I love are my mortgage and my SUV. Don’t fuck with me or my family or you’re going down.

The Darkness, Foxy Shazam, Crown Jewel Defense – East Coast America

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The lovely Brandi Lukas has allowed us to share some of  her photos on OI – they’re from Boston, New York and Washington. Follow the link for them all.  Thanks, Brandi! She also has a blog where you can see more of her work.

The Darkness – New York 4.2.12 – Day 1

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Review by Laurie Whitecloud

Well it’s been a really long 8 years since The Darkness has played live here in the U.S. I’ve already planned on a Southwestern state road trip to hit some gigs when my friend Dori – who went with me to see the boys off on the Rally to Hell – offers to buy me a ticket to New York (the ticket, not the plane fare) since I bought her ticket to Phoenix! I’m all over that like hot syrup on pancakes. Let’s rock!

Dori has made a fashionable new catsuit for the occasion. On the train ride over to the gig, I tell her she should tweet her pic of herself in it to Justin and ask for a retweet. So we giggle and she sends the tweet to Justin, and almost immediately there’s a retweet posted. Sweet!

We found our friend Brandi, another diehard TD fan, and are walking around the block when all of a sudden Brandi goes “There’s Frankie!” – a lo and behold, there was the Frankster! So we manage to catch him to ask for pics and signage for my badass beaded Darkness medallion, which he asks if I made and I said yes. He remembered a pic that Brandi had made him 8 years ago, and that made her night! He also complimented Dori’s catsuit and then he really had to get inside – he was late! Then, we chat up Sky from Foxy Shazam for a little bit and try to help him locate somewhere to eat in the area. Then we meet some other friends in line in front of Irving Plaza and wait for doors to open.

It was the longest wait ever! We had a nice chat with Michelle, aka Flaming Priest from the former Flaming Priest TD website, and her friend Melissa, and of course Mistress Boo and Dre and their friends were there. FINALLY, doors open at a little past 8 and we’re off to the barrier! It ends up just being me, Brandi and Dori parked on Dan’s side of the stage, and everyone else has taken off to stake out their places.
Well, Crown Jewel Defense tried their best to win over the tough New York crowd but some people in the balcony were chanting “No more songs!”, which was unfortunate. The lead singer just shrugged it off and said just one more song, then Foxy Shazam would be on. I like CJD, but I think most of the people were just anxious for TD.

Foxy Shazam was next. I was curious to see which songs from their new album “The Church of Rock n Roll” would be played, and how the crowd would react to THEM if they didn’t like CJD. But my boys Foxy ended up rocking the house and won over some new fans. Songs that were new were Holy Touch, The Temple and I Like It. They also played The Only Way to My Heart is With An Axe, Oh Lord, Rocketeer, and Killin It. Eric also managed to do his famous lit cigarette-eating routine, which was sorely missed by me in London. Awesome show, guys!

Tick tock, tick tock! It’s like David Lee Roth in Hot for Teacher “Aw man, the clock is sloooooow!” The waiting is the hardest part, as the great philosopher Tom Petty once said. We’ve been treated to a screen with different videos and images on it in between sets, but now the guys behind me are chanting “Raise the shit!” (meaning the video screen!) and we’re now singing very loudly along to Just What I Needed by the Cars, the The Boys Are Back In Town. The excitement is palpable! Then the sweet sounds of Arrival are finally heard. I’m doing the arm wave to this as is customary in the UK, but my countrymen need to learn this move!

AND THEN THERE THEY ARE!!! Dan, Frankie, Ed and Justin! THE DARKNESS IN THE USA, FINALLY, AGAIN! Sorry for all the caps, but it needs to be screamed. The crowd goes apeshit and Justin just stands there, cool as fuck with the Darkness sunglasses from the Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Video shielding his eyes from all the adoration and he’s wearing his brand-spanking-new catsuit with stars and stripes. Captain America ain’t got nothing on him!
They rip in Black Shuck and they have the crowd eating out of their hands for the rest of the gig. The new tunes are really stellar and I can’t wait for the new album! Video can be had at You Tube, but I think the songs besides NGSU and Out of This World are She’s Just A Girl and Everybody Have a Good Time. I know all diehard TD devotees know that most of PTL was played, and OWT and Is It Just Me from OWT, but the biggest surprise was the addition of Physical Sex to the setlist! I have an affinity for that song as it is my favorite B-side and of course, touchyfeelywoman is my screen name at Darklings. I was happy!

Random observations: Dan was extremely bouncy at the gig. Not just his hair, but he was literally jumping up and down at the gig. They all were really happy! Some people in the crowd started chanting for Justin to “Take it off! Take it off!”, so of course he had to take off his vest! I had to leave the 2nd row near the end of the set because it got way too hot and the idiot next to me wouldn’t stop crowding me. Long story short, I managed to get back inside after IBIATCL and Bareback, then stayed near the edge of the crowd for Justin’s walkabout during LOTRWNI. He came right in front of me and so I touched his elbow. Very proper, me! lol! Then he jumped onto a platform right beneath the balcony and continued to solo, the very place where some drunk chick had crawled up and jumped into the crowd earlier. This crowd was nuts! Body surfing was everywhere. When Justin commented how loud Boston was, the New York crowd had to out-loud them lol! 😛

It was an epic evening. I didn’t hear one bad word about the gig. We wanted to hang around afterwards to try to say hi to the band, but Dori and I had to catch the last train back to New Jersey and Brandi had to catch her train too. Next time, fellas! and Welcome Back to the U.S.!! See, we weren’t lying when we gave you that petition when we said you had a lot of fans who wanted you back here. See you in Vegas!

Photos from this gig are now in the Gallery.

Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us – The Darkness

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This first new release in years is downloadable for free now.

The accompanying video is a dream of animation by Thom Lessner and Ted Passon. Look out for your entire Darkness collection in that bedroom (can’t see the stick of rock yet! Is it there?)  and watch out for some references to past Darkness doings. Ed’s hair fluffing is causing giggles, too. And, of course, cats of a superior nature. I’d just like to damn the unfortunate lack of any internet access all day till just now, preventing me from seeing it.

Foxy Shazam – The Church of Rock and Roll

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Foxy Shazam. What, you may say, is all that about? Well might you ask. For those who haven’t been baptised into this Church, settle back. Those that have, you’ll know all about the strangely off-sweetness of Foxy’s being.

You might have seen them supporting The Darkness during their UK tour last November, or have seen them moons ago at the Camden Barfly. I can bet  that wherever it was, you won’t forget it. There’s ALWAYS something happening, when they’re on stage. ALWAYS. A band that never stands still, never rests, never loses a chance to entertain. Eyes take time to rest on Skye playing keyboards with his feet, and you’ve missed Alex playing his trumpet whilst doing a one handed, thrusting crabstand. Look away for a second, and Eric is on shoulders, as if he’s apparated there. Photographers can’t keep up. Eric’s voice tears at your ears and psyche both as he delivers powerful, sometimes shatteringly high notes from a slender frame that seems too frail to contain such richness… but don’t be deceived. The man’s made of steel – hard, unforgiving, sharp, bright and flexible – especially where hecklers are concerned.

Given their well known association with Justin Hawkins (Eric and Justin have long been songwriting together, Justin produced this album, support slots on Darkness UK and USA tours), it’s tempting to look for another embryo Darkness. Forget that. Foxy Shazam have been around for a good long time. This is their 4th album and they have live experience that bands would sell their shoes for. Last year, the two bands complemented each other perfectly while contrasting starkly. Foxy Shazam are far darker than The Darkness in tone and presence. They have levels of sleaze and storytelling methods that would not suit TD.  To describe more fully, try hard rock disco (dickso?☺) 70’s frenzy with cool blues dirty trumpet under/overtones. It works equally well at whatever tempo, whatever emotional level.

This album, out a week ago, is all that. Start with the get down dirty title track and I Like It, move through pop twists to Last Chance at Love. I Wanna Be Yours and Wasted Feelings have hypnotic repetitions, vocal treatments and rhythms. Forever Together will give sweet chills with an easy, cool summery feel – but beware of this and the deceptively simple treatments given throughout. This is not music that trips happily through love and life. It digs far deeper than that. You’re never far from that dirty little edge of voice or instrument, crafted by men who know how. Power is seldom absent, whether it’s lyrical, vocal or instrumental. Foxy Shazam do indeed give a little enigma back to rock and roll, and a little enema is gifted, too – so it should be.

I want to see all this on stage, because I want to see/hear these songs with the raw passion of performance pulsing through. When you leave a gig with wide eyes and ‘What the FUCK was that?’ on your lips, you’ve seen something special. Had an epiphany, even. The Church’s services aren’t for the fainthearted or closed-minded, and I like it. A lot.

Foxy Shazam – out on USA tour with The Darkness starting 1st Feb in Toronto. See the tour dates page for more info, but move fast for tickets.

The Church of Rock and Roll is out now on iTunes, or see the band’s Facebook page for further info on album/tshirt/artwork bundles.

 

Darkwatch #11 3/4

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Stop Press! 

TD confirm today by Twitter: 

Good news! We’re premiering “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us” (new song + video) on http://RollingStone.com Weds morning (9am EST).

That’s 2pm for the UK.

I forgot where we’d got to on these, so I made it up. Here we go then – a round up of some stuff you already know, but in one short bit of waffle.

So… America it is, this week. After a good few donkeys, four lads are off to plant metaphorical and musical Lowestoft flags all over the States.  Judging by the speed of the ticket sales and adding of new dates, America is as hungry for TD as a Black Shuck after a hard day at the church door. Good luck over there – busy tour schedule and travelling alone look quite daunting, but I guess they’re used to that sort of thing by now. There are some great fans waiting to see The Darkness for the first time – some I’ve known for 7 years or so – and the tizzy level is getting out of control in some quarters (with justification!). While that’s in the last stages of prep, there’s plenty else to be going on with.

Check out Judge Dredd Megazine  (link to info) which features TD  in American Reaper. Interesting, if slightly bizarre. I haven’t read 2000 AD since I was a slip of  a lass, when 2000 seemed a lifetime away! Also check out (if you can get it) High Voltage magazine (also see @highvoltagemag) as they have a TD special. It’ll be on sale on tour, if I read that right.

More news – The Darkness are sponsoring a local roller derby team, The Norfolk Brawds. Both Ed and Dan have been seen sporting their Tshirts, which are pretty fine. That’s got to be one of the best sponsorships ever – last time round it was a racing car. Ace, but not quite as cool as this. Justin has also been quoted as saying he wrote three songs about the Lowestoft fishing industry declining, via nme.com.

Best thing, though, as revealed yesterday – new music and new video is  to be unveiled this week. A photo of little teeny Darkness figures have been posted as a little teaser – look out for those on eBay one day. A new Darkness release! The wait (phase 2) is almost over. Best, BEST news.

Some Twitter  tour fun has also been promised, so set your mobile alerts.

Have I missed anything? Umm… probably.

 

New TD American Dates

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From TD’s FB page:

Darklings, as predicted, three more tour dates are being added to our February roster:

Feb 23rd at Roseland Theater in Portland, OR
Feb 24th at The Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Feb 25th at Neptune Theatre in Seattle, WA.

There will be a ticket pre-sale available for our Facebook friends only on Wednesday morning. Join us in celebrating this news! xx

Excellent news, Darkdudes!

Darkround 2011

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A year ago, we weren’t on a high, we were in a hiatus. 2011 started, in Darkness related terms, with quiet and wonderings and maybe even quiet wonderings. There was no news from any camp, though interest was still high in the doings of the then ex-members of The Darkness. Strangely, January last year saw a huge jump in Stone Gods Temple viewings, still unexplained, as there were no hints or gossip at that time.

At the time, though, the ex-members were either no longer ex or hovering on the brink of slipping right back in to their original places. Even the rumours had died down – for a while. There were hints and signs and portents to be read, but you’d have to have been employed or damn close to have been absolutely 100% sure that you KNEW it was going to happen. Anyone else was just aiming for being Nostradamus rather than Mystic Meg.

The longer there was no news from Stone Gods and Hot Leg (for whatever reason) the more possibility there seemed to be of a… something.  Those two bands filled the Darkness gap admirably. I can’t imagine having had two better things come from what was a hell of an implosion.  Both bands were my passion, for different, various and odd little reasons.  They are still badly missed and I  wish we could still have them, somehow… it wasn’t to be.  I wanted success for them both, and the final absolute confirmation (long since known) that they had truly gone gave a fair few conflicting feelings, I can tell you.

There wasn’t any doubt about the joy that the Reformation brought, however.  And no doubt that it would be a success.  The first three were a given, with so many people wanting to see the boys back. Either you were a diehard there, or a diehard listening and desperately waiting for the tour or for Download. Yeah.. Download. Not many bands who five years ago had been consigned to the scrap heap by hacks and illwishers get offered Download as a comeback. Pretty nifty! Someone up there had faith in them.  By the Rock Gods, they nailed it.  Thousands singing along, radiating almost visible goodwill vibes back at the stage. More to the point, thousands willing to say how great that performance was and start the mass fuelling of the Darkfires.

The October 100 club gig was one that will live in legend.

The November UK tour and Ireland Weekender proved that sellouts are still probable, that the shows are still bloody brilliant, and that the deepseated, long dormant support is still there. Many people came for nostalgia and left with the NOW.  First timers came because they thought they had lost out before, and weren’t disappointed.  And a good sprinkling of people who clearly thought (eavesdropping in queues is great) that actually, TD weren’t THAT bad first time round REALLY. No, really. Just that everyone took the piss, innit, but ya know there was always a soft spot… they were better than you think they’re going to be, yeah? Brian May moments at Hammersmith – more legendary moments, laced with awe and wonder – for the audience, as well. 

The tour over,  December was the time to start revealing other little treasures all newly polished.  A slot at the Isle of Wight festival in June, the first of the summer outings confirmed.  An American/Canadian tour – 3 weeks of flashing (not literally..?) round the continent in February.  Thanks to a genius Facebook event, several  shows sold out their presale, often in minutes, as they went online as and when the timezone hit 9am. Fascinating to watch! The general sales went even better, resulting in an extra New York date being added.  As I type, announcements regarding Vancouver, Seattle and Portland are promised for tomorrow (9th January). The Darkness don’t seem to have lost any of their appeal across the pond. I predict that after this tour and working on the album there, it might be hard to get them back, as I think the desire for all things Dark will be intense.

In the next few weeks and months, then, we can hope for news about a single and album release dates, the actual dates, a UK tour, more festival dates… busy busy busy, and all in a very good way.  Let’s let them get on with it at their own pace. They know what they’re doing, and that doesn’t involve sitting on their arses. Whatever comes in 2012, it will rock the shit out of everything The Darkness meet.

Magic Moments

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There are countless little tiny moments and details that stick in your head long after tours and gigs have finished. The way a plec was flicked, a piece of crowd banter, the lights. They can range from sublime to awful with ridiculous somewhere in between. A few of my TD in-gig ones:

  • Justin dropping the mike in Paris.
  • A view of bum via the purple devil-tailed catsuit.
  • The nasty man in the crowd accusing TD of selling out during the first play of Christmas Time.
  • The feel of a front row bouncing in unison.
  • Running high fives.
  • Acoustic SLAGI, in blue light.
  • Handstands.
  • Dan’s armwaving during Holding My Own.
  • Feeling another breastbone barrier height bruise forming on top of the last one.

What little things stood out for you?

Some UK Inches – Between A Dry Ice Machine and a Foggy Place

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So… whole (a bit) tour recovery took a bit longer than a weekend, thank you to sinuses/cold/head/ache/work. While it’s not hot off the press,  I can look back and ponder, with a smile.

Newcastle… 8 years and 1 day since my first ever TD gig. The first of my tour dates,  it was easy to be excited and easy for it to be a great gig in my eyes just because – but it wasn’t just due to that. The place really was jumping, with an electric feel in the air. Expectations were running high for the whole tour. Fans either knew what the old standards were, or had heard about them in hushed terms of legend from others. Like I said before in another post, there was hell of a lot of reconnection going on, and now a tide of affection and support building up behind The Darkness.

Crown Jewel Defense went down pretty well – it must be interesting to be first on out of 3 – and were better than many a support band I’ve seen in my time. I approve of glitter liberally applied, too.  Then came something that I’d waited quite some time for  – Foxy Shazam. Heard about, listened to, tried to see once but was too late. WELL. I’m not sure I’m not still wondering ‘what the FUCK was that?’ but I can say it was bloody amazingly fantastic. They’re getting their own review. All I can say here is go and find out about them, now. Hurry. Especially if you’re in America and have tickets for February.

The Darkness. Oh yes. Back.  Boys, Town, In, Are, Arrival.  I don’t think anyone was left in any doubt about that. Uplifted and rocked as well. Every single older song was greeted with glee. Holding My Own was a real revelation, a Justin solo acoustic, beautifully done. Quite a mesmerising moment. Might well have been poignant too, if it had had completely different lyrics :D. Dan’s arm waving from the back of the stage wouldn’t have helped a straight face, either. Street Spirit – YAAAY! This was the first thing, early in 2003, that connected the voice and the name ‘The Darkness’ in my head when I heard it on the radio. It was a real joy to hear it live just for that reason! Loved Christmas Time’s snow….

A good many people had heard Cannonball, Concrete and Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us before, thanks to youtube, but live, they’re something else. They’re all pure Darkness, but differently. Cannonball is a hard and..umm… ballsy explosion, Concrete a catchy rock earworm, and NGSU is TD’s best poprock with sharp little edges.  Those three have superb trademark Justin vocals, high and crystal clear. Can’t Believe It’s Not Love is a marvellously swingy, singalong gift in notes that you or I can manage without destroying our own balls or ovaries. Versatile voice goes hand in hand with varied songwriting, more so than ever before.  New and old mixed seamlessly, I think – although I had seen them before and was pretty used to the new ones already. A mark of song excellence – just typing this has created 4 earworms all at once and it’s making thinking very hard!

This was a TD gig at tour greatness. It had everything. Excitement, fun, nostalgia,  future, brilliance,  rock, losing band in dry ice, laughter and sweat.  Next…

Next was Cambridge, a whole lot colder and foggier.  Never been so glad to see the end of the journeys there and back!  The inbetween was worth the scary driving bits, though, of course. The Cambridge crowd took longer to get going. Perhaps because it was bloody cold in there. The barrier was so cold I yelped when I leant on it! I don’t think it really truly rocked until Justin whipped the crowd up, though Foxy Shazam made the place buzz beforehand.  By the end of a cracking set,  they were eating out of his hand and making the most ridiculous noises at his merest whim.  More ridiculous than normally happens, I mean.  Ok.  I knew Newcastle was never going to be a fluke, but it has been confirmed.  Slick as a greased parrot, they are GOOD at what they do, and yar boo bollocks to anyone who says otherwise.

UEA. No fog, ten minutes down the road, bliss.  Home gig, so this one is ace whatever happens, it always is. Fantastic atmosphere in the smallest venue of the tour, I think. CJD – no one will ever forget those shorts. Foxy Shazam – blew me away again.  Lots of name checking friends, wondering where Dad’s gone, happy crowd, happy band. First time, also, that I noticed that Justin stuck plecs to his chest with own sweat to use later.  In this Christmas Time, the snow fell straight on to the crowd,  which after the last two gigs as a bit of a surprise. 2 seconds into the song and the stuff is in my hair, mouth, boots, socks, jeans pocket and  undies.  No mean feat, that last one, they’re well protected, but there it was when I got ready for bed.  This gig was my favourite so far. It just felt so damn right and that everything had fallen into place for a perfect night.

Next night – Hammersmith. Mad rush, getting changed into jeans still discharging snow (am sure they didn’t need a machine any more, just shake the entire front row from UEA), getting the train and tube and makeup together.  And lo, arrived at the front just as CJD got into their stride, causing a young lady of my acquaintance to raise a very interested eyebrow. It’s  the last night of the UK mainland tour tonight. Great crowd from the off tonight, bouncing off the walls and as excited as UEA and Newcastle. Me too, as there were old friends there, including the most fabulous Laurie, who after long years had finally ended up in the same place as me. YAAY! Foxy Shazam come on and hit the ground running and rolling. They’re not a stationary band, but tonight was their last night as they weren’t going to Ireland, so they gave it their all. If you weren’t blown away, you might be made of brick! What a delight they are.

The Darkness. Again. Here they are, also giving it everything.  It IS the best of the lot I’ve seen, I’ve decided, though the UEA ones always have a special feel. Superb everythings, not a moment wasted or a note misplaced. Justin did misplace the microphone for a bit though – rushing up, opening mouth, singing… oh.  Sorry, Justin, still giggling at that one! Lord knows what it was doing on the drum riser – was it just after the headstand? Normal service was resumed with a grin. More snow ended up in my undies and elsewhere (even under my phone cover, phone in zipped up bag) but it was just FUN dancing in it.

Encore.  Bareback, Tie Your Mother Down, IBIATCL, LOTR. We know what to expect, some final mental partying before.. oh. Hang on just a fucking minute. That’s… that’s BRIAN MAY. Long time champion of  Lowestoft’s finest is ON STAGE. WITH GUITAR. I was wondering, after the 100 Club, when it would happen, and the rumours of something special for tonight had made me wonder even more – but the actual fact of it happening right there in front of me was something else, baby.  For three glorious songs, including one of his own,  TD became a 5 piece.  They truly looked like they were in the dream they later tweeted about.  What a moment. What a legendary gig. It’ll be spoken of in years to come as ‘the’ one, and not one person there on or off the stage will forget it.

With the exception of the epic Love On The Rocks, we were all done, standing in awe.

The Darkness deserve all the plaudits they got and will get for this tour. It can’t possibly be easy to come back after 5 years, playing with other great bands, and do what they’ve done. But to do it this way? It seemed so seamless. Effortless.  Confident. How did they do that? Justin (and Dr May) said to tell people that The Darkness are BACK.  And they were both right.

Go forth and Darkangelise!

 

The Darkness, Hammersmith Apollo, 25th November 2011

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By Adrian Gray

November had been a stressful month for me. This was mainly due to my unwavering desire to avoid learning anything about what songs might and might not be played on The Darkness’ ‘Every Inch’ tour- so much so that I would dive under my desk every time I accidentally glimpsed the word ‘surprise’ or ‘acoustic’ on relevant Twitter feeds.

Fortunately, my slightly sad commitment to set-list based ignorance paid off and, waiting outside the Apollo in the November cold, I was fully prepared to have my face blown off in a rock and roll fashion. Eight past seven on the slightly un-punctual dot and the doors opened, and with a quick sprint the front row was mine.

For reasons that have escaped my memory, I believed the first support act Crown Jewel Defense to be from Ireland. Thus, you can imagine my surprise when the California born and bred lead singer first opened his mouth. Despite this initial perplexion, CJD actually produced a solid batch of tightly knit riffs and overall punchy songs, warming the cockles nicely.

A brief wait.

Then, Foxy Shazam: a band with which I had fallen deeply in love over the previous eight months but had yet had the chance to see live. What they pulled off no-one could have prepared for. The audaciously eccentric Eric Nally bombarded the audience with a concoction of soaring vocals, headstands, frontward rolls, Luke Skywalker impressions, dramatic monologues and piggy backs. And all of this to the backdrop of deliciously melodic ‘rock and soul’ anthems performed with the energy of band convinced the world will actually end in 2012. Spectacular.

A perhaps even briefer wait.

Finally, with the soundcheck now history, Thin Lizzy stuck in my head and Abba’s Arrival filling the sweaty air, it was time.

A roar: there they were. All four positions were assumed: another roar. Then- ‘Black Shuck’. Perhaps not the opener I was expecting, with ‘Bareback’ suspiciously absent, but boy did it work. Suddenly the energy of the crowd was vast; the heat and noise verging on overwhelming; and as the familiar opening chords of ‘Growing on me’ leapt from the speakers, the momentum only grew.

And with that, thousands were collectively plunged into a feast of overwhelmingly awesome rock. The unstoppable ‘Best of me’ cascaded into a better than ever sounding ‘One Way Ticket’, before (hopefully) soon to be hit single ‘Nothing’s Gonna’ Stop us’ provided a catchy first taste of what’s just over the horizon. Following a blistering ‘Getcha ands orf’, Justin placed a top hat upon his flowing yet somehow manly locks and donned an acoustic, before entering into the brand-spanking, shiny new ballad ‘Can’t believe it’s not love’. This was a new song for me and looks set to clamber atop the pile labelled ‘classics’: an intoxicating blend of characteristically irrepressible hooks combined with Steel Panther esc lyrics coated with a necessary sprinkle of subtlety.

A true highlight followed. An acoustic ‘Holding my own’ showed everyone why it was worthy of closing ‘Permission to land’ and proved the kind of grin-inducing surprise I’m glad I managed to avoid hearing about.

Back to electric.

Hits were then followed by hits which were followed by new songs which were followed by hits. The rock quartet became a festive four-piece as slightly too much fake snow christened the beginning of the fantastic ‘Don’t Let the bells end’. The audience took the role of the school choir to provide a stronger, if slightly less innocent sounding finale.

The encore was upon us. But then, a familiar figure: the no longer black yet ever iconic hair of a man without whom the Darkness may not exist appeared- Lord Brian May was on stage. A violently loud reception followed, with every last member of the audience voicing their appreciation for the man who has by now perfected seeming modest while clearly remaining preposterously awesome. Without an introduction ‘Bareback’ began, and although hearing it this late in the set was a bit like receiving an Easter egg in September, it was still massively welcome.

Although hard to hear over the sound of five thousand voices screaming one man’s name, I’m relatively sure ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ was played next, which lifted yet another roof off after nearly forty years of doing so. Brian thankfully remained to smother the timeless ‘I-believe’ in the wail of the red special. Incredible.

The classic closer ‘Love on the Rocks’ combined with a walkabout drew the night to a close in a typically mesmerizing fashion. My ears were ringing, my ribs were bruised, but a smile was painted permanently onto my face. Turning around to look at the crowd, I think this applied to pretty much everyone else too.

So that was that. The kind of night to brag on the internet about. The kind of night to tell your kids and your kids’ best friends about. Interestingly, three of the songs I enjoyed the most were ‘Concrete Lion’ , ‘Nothing’s Gonna’ Stop us’, and ‘Can’t believe it’s not love’, and that can only bode well for what is to come in the land of D’.

The Darkness – 9.11.11 HMV Picture House Edinburgh

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Review by ‘Love on The Rocks’

Seven years is a very long time to wait. It’s long enough to go through that cycle of fondly reminiscing, to briefly forgetting, then to coming back and wondering… Can something really still be as good seven years later?

It was the big question that stuck in my mind when I went to see The Darkness at the Edinburgh HMV Picturehouse on the 9th of November. The first time I’d seen The Darkness was back in 2004 at Brixton Academy, on their Elf Hazard Tour. I didn’t realise that first time would be the last for a very long time, and have since mourned not having caught them before the band’s break-up. That night back in 2004 was hands down the most fun I’d had at a gig, ever. I was a little worried that I’d be disappointed, that it wouldn’t live up to the incredible memory I have of being 17 years old, excited beyond belief, leaping around and squealing at having touched Justin’s leg during the ‘Love On The Rocks’ walkabout. Could it still be that good?

However, videos and reviews from the band’s summer gigs had my hopes up and I was already buzzing like an excited teen again as I bustled into the Picturehouse. I’d never been to the Picturehouse before and was quite surprised by how small it seemed, however this did please me as it meant that it was very easy to get near the front (especially considering we were pretty early). It seemed like a fairly nice venue.

Crown Jewel Defense were the opening support. I’m sure they’re lovely lads, but they weren’t quite my cup of tea though my gig partner/the boyfriend seemed to like them more than I did. I did have to give props to the lead singer for what looked like a custom-made t-shirt with ‘Fly Like a G6’ scrawled on it, which did make me chuckle.

Foxy Shazam were up next and I was incredibly excited about this. I’d been recommended Foxy Shazam by another Darkling so had looked them up and had promptly fallen in love. They opened with ‘Oh Lord’, which is one of my favourites so I was happily bouncing around, screaming along to the lyrics. On my own, so it seems. I was a little disappointed that the crowd where I was, on Dan’s side of the stage, took some time to warm up to Foxy. However, Foxy blasted through their set which was, regrettably, too short for my liking, and I’m sure that they had won over most- if not all- of the crowd by the end. Highlights were Eric’s head-stand and Sky, the keyboardist, seeming to keyboard-crowd-surf with his instrument at one point. I don’t know how it was quite humanly possible but was quite a spectacle. I loved every minute. Once they were off stage, I asked my gig companion what they thought and the reply was “They’re fantastic, but the lead singer’s insane isn’t he? I’m glad there’s a barrier between us…”

Then there was that moment- the waiting game. You could feel a change in the air as the crowd started to shift and get restless. Everyone knew what was coming next. It’s at this point that I must thank the lovely tall lad who let me stand in front of him so I could see, thus placing me on the barrier, which I remained clamped onto like a limpet for the rest of the gig. Thank you, Tall Lad – you helped make the gig that bit more awesome for me.

I’m sure every Darkling out there knows that moment, the one when you know you’re in for one hell of a night. It’s when the first notes of ABBA’s ‘Arrival’ start trickling out of the speakers, and the lights go down. Your tummy flips, your heart skips a beat then starts pounding, and you can’t help but bounce in your spot a little bit as you know exactly what’s going to happen next.

After their grand entrance, the band launched straight into ‘Black Shuck’, which had the crowd going veritably wild. Although an excellent opener, I’ll admit that I felt a twinge of regret that we weren’t getting the classic ‘Bareback’ to launch us into the gig. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect in terms of set list since I hadn’t read anything about the Liverpool gig the night before, but think it was very well arranged with a good ‘greatest hits’ feeling about it while giving us a taste of what more was to come in terms of The Darkness in 2011/2012. All of ‘Permission to Land’ was played, as well as ‘One Way Ticket’ and ‘Is It Just Me?’ from the band’s second album. I would have loved it if we’d had more of the B-sides other than just ‘Best of Me’ and ‘Bareback’ (which made an appearance during the encore), since although they are two cracking tunes, The Darkness are one of those bands with an excellent array of B-sides (plus I’ve always wanted to hear ‘Out of My Hands’ live).

One great unexpected surprise was the acoustic version of ‘Holding My Own’. I was genuinely delighted when the rest of the band cleared off and Justin struck up the familiar chords. It worked really well as an acoustic piece and Justin, unsurprisingly, did fantastically holding the stage by himself. It was genuinely a beautiful moment. This was topped off by Dan peering out from the wings at one point and trying to encourage the crowd to get their hands in the air- hilarious

The new material was truly excellent. I’d heard videos of ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us’, ‘Concrete’ and ‘Cannonball’ from the summer gigs and was already a great fan of the songs, so it was great to hear them being played live. There really is some stunning guitar work going on in all three songs, and it’ll be interesting to hear studio versions of them hopefully in the not-too-distant future. The newer addition being debuted, ‘Out of This World’/’Can’t Believe It’s Not Love We’re Making’ (there seems to be a little dispute over the actual title of the song at the moment), is just a classic Darkness track- very catchy, excellent guitar work, fantastic vocals, something you can jump around to and that will be stuck in your head for days after hearing it. It’s a real corker, so look out for that one!

The encore was solid, though it did feel strange having ‘Bareback’ so late on in the set- however glad it was still included! I loved their cover of Queen’s ‘Tie Your Mother Down’. I got the distinct feeling that they were really having fun with it, and you can’t help but grin and sing along when you can tell that the people rocking on stage are having the time of their lives too. It just reminded me so much of what I’d missed about music when The Darkness were ‘off the scene’, as such- I missed having fun. I missed hearing music that made me grin like a loony and want to sing along to it, regardless of the fact that I’d never, ever be able to reach those top notes like Justin can.

The night closed in the traditional manner with ‘Love On The Rocks’ (a personal favourite) and Justin’s walkabout. Though I’d been whisked back to my teenage days, this time I did not rush to touch his leg (although amongst his many costume changes, Justin seemed to have whipped out a classic pink-and-white number that may well have been the one teenage me touched back in the day). Through the deafening screams, you could tell that no-one in the venue wanted the night to end and yet that everyone had had a mind-blowing night of rock. This was how it should be done.

As I left the venue, ears ringing, grinning from ear to ear, it felt so good to be able to say “They’re BACK!”

Video of Holding My Own – there are other videos on the same channel, from that gig.