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Review: The Darkness, Bristol Beacon
The publicity for recent documentary Welcome to the Darkness suggested that Justin, Dan and co had to start at the bottom and fight their way back after reuniting following the spectacular implosion that split The Darkness in 2006. In fact, certainly in Bristol, the loyal audience was waiting patiently and there were no embarrassing pub gigs as they went straight back to headlining a sold-out Academy. As Justin is keen to remind us tonight, they’d put the graft in before the mainstream media noticed them (locally playing the Fleece and supporting Def Leppard at the Newport Centre) and the whole preposterous Brit Awards/South Bank Show circus erupted.
Astonishingly, two decades have now passed since the temporary madness that briefly threatened to elevate loquacious, drug-addled Justin Hawkins to the status of National Rock Treasure and perennial chatshow guest. Tonight The Darkness are back to celebrate 20 years of Permission to Land, much of which has never left their setlist, by playing the Whole Bloody Thing. Yes, even the rather throwaway songs. And some B-sides and covers of course, since that chart-topping debut album is just 38 minutes long and they’ve got two hours to fill.
is needed now More than ever
It’s always wise to start with a highlight and Black Shuck sees The Darkness at their most AC/DC, with Dan cranking out that familiar riff, having raided his wardrobe for . . . another Thin Lizzy T-Shirt. It’s like the thoroughly mediocre Stone Gods never happened. But the show’s nearly over before it’s properly started as reliably catsuited Justin calls a halt after one verse to launch a tirade of abuse at those filming the whole thing on their mobile phones. “Put it away, you fucker! I don’t want to be on your social media.”
Later, he elaborates on his “justifiable tantrum” by asking us to choose between three possible reasons why anyone would do such a thing. Naturally, the entire audience plumps for reason three: “Because you’re a fucking cunt and you don’t give a fuck about anyone around you.”
The moment swiftly passes, the confetti canons fire up and it’s not long before Justin’s doing a headstand on the drum riser during Get Your Hands Off My Woman. The sound, which started out a little muddy, is quickly improved too – presumably after some furious sound desk tweaking. Back in the bad old days, sound engineers would regularly curse the former Cole Snorl, whose acoustics were never designed for heavily amplified rock music. But now it seems that some of those vast amounts of our money that were spunked on the project have been lavished on rectifying the situation in the brand spanking new Beacon. “Interesting venue, isn’t it?” quips Justin. “Three levels of enthusiasm!”
They might be fortysomethings these days, but rockin’ has never ceased to be fun for The Darkness, who gambol around the stage like a veritable flock of spring chickens. Along the way, they serve up a delightful Love Is Only a Feeling, Radiohead’s Street Spirit (Fade Out) reimagined as a galloping heavy metal anthem and, inevitably, the only festive hit ever to include the words ‘bellend’ and ‘ringpiece’ without getting banned: Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End).
Interestingly, they’re not afraid to get all Led Zep on our asses, playing the opening verse of Immigrant Song (which really cries out to be performed back-to-back with their own Barbarian) and concluding the final encore with the riff from Heartbreaker. Justin teases a ghastly synthwave version of I Believe in a Thing Called Love before the band play it properly, bringing even those seated comfortably on the tiers to their feet.
After a brief break, they’re back in their dressing gowns and swapping instruments to attempt I Love You 5 Times (originally the B-side of Christmas Time). Bassist Frankie Poullain, who seems to have his own fan club, takes acoustic guitar, Dan Hawkins tackles the drums, and drummer Rufus Tiger Taylor has a go at the bass. Remarkably, it’s not a disaster.
The hard-rockin’ Love on the Rocks With No Ice wraps things up, with a bizarre interlude in which Justin goes full Four Yorkshiremen while regaling us with tales of his and Dan’s alleged impoverished upbringing. “Rufus, on the other hand . . .” he remarks pointing at the drummer – a scion of rock royalty, lest we forget.
It’s been an enjoyable wallow in nostalgia, with some genuinely timeless tunes along the way. Let’s hope they’re sufficiently invigorated by the tour to record a cracking new studio album and pay a return visit to the Beacon to showcase it. In the meantime, Justin is bringing his Justin Hawkins Rides Again podcast show to St. George’s next March, which promises a further dose of opinionated fun. You’d probably be advised to leave your smartphone at home.
All pix by Mike Evans
Read more: Metal & Prog Picks: December 2023
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