THE DARKNESS
@ The Observatory
March 13th 2022
REVIEW by Alexander Laurence
Some say that rock and roll is dead and can’t be seen in the rear-view mirror. It’s as if we are all in a hall of mirrors where we are playing out scenes from Spinal Tap endlessly. A band like The Darkness starts precisely at the comedy of Spinal Tap and invites us to take this trip one more time, with a wink. The Darkness does indeed bring the passion and the imagination to transport us all back in time. All at once, The Darkness could be 1975 (Thin Lizzy, Angel) or 1982 (Judas Priest, Queen) or even 1993 (Aerosmith “Get A Grip” era). They are all these things while still being themselves. They appeal to everyone who missed out on proper rock from the last century, or even 2004.
The Darkness appeared in a totally different era. Twenty years ago there were super cool bands like Interpol, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, and The Strokes, who were all very serious bands. “Where are the fun bands?” you may have been asking. Magically The Darkness appeared from nowhere, and eclipsed every band at the time. The Darkness was the biggest UK band in 2004. They had sold millions of records and played large shows worldwide. It makes sense that half of their set comes from their epic debut “Permission To Land.” They play songs from all six of their albums, and a few from the new one “Motorheart.” It’s all sweat. It’s all classic.
The Darkness has the move and the grooves. They look great and if you are not down for new songs, you can just wait for “Love Is Only A Feeling” or “I Believe In A Thing Called Love.” The Darkness took a break for five years around 2006-2010, but they have been going strong since 2011, even with bassist Frankie Poullain. Justin Hawkins is a great lead singer and iconic figure in rock, when that is hardly a thing anymore. Dan Hawkins is a guitar shredder like few others, in an age where we have to watch nine year old Japanese girls play every Hendrix solo on YouTube. It’s great that The Darkness has returned to the USA for the first time in four years. Maybe in these dark times, looking backwards is the only way forward, for now. So let us praise rock and raise a fist with humor, have fun, and enjoy life. Let the rockers unite!
All photos by BRADLEY DUPRAY
No comments:
Post a Comment