I'm glad to say that the last proper gig I went to in 2015 was also one of the best. It's surprising just how many people don't realise that
The Darkness reformed several years ago and have released two more albums since then. However, the thousands of people in
The Roundhouse tonight were obviously in on the secret - I think this is a sold out show.
I think the Roundhouse is one of the best music venues in London. It's far less of an ordeal going to a show here compared to most the bigger and more well known corporate venues - I think this is because it's independently owned and run. Even when full the venue doesn't seem uncomfortable and it's easy to move around. It's also easy to get a good view from almost anywhere. It's a pity all the other old railway loco shed roundhouses in London didn't get converted into music venues instead of being knocked down. I get the impression the management here are more interested in the arts than just in making as much profit as possible, although the pints at the bar are certainly on the pricey side - leading to the first deployment of my new hip flask.
There are a lot of people who don't 'get' The Darkness - their loss as this band are enormous fun - while not giving a shit what anyone else thinks of them. Wasn't rock 'n' roll meant to be
fun? A lot of people seem to have forgotten that. Fortunately The Darkness
haven't. And nor have their fans. Justin Hawkins still retains his (very) finely tuned sense of the ridiculous - at least I
think that's what it is - or maybe he's just slightly mad? Possibly both. He seems more in control than last time I saw the band - that was several years ago, and although he performed well then he seemed a little unsure of exactly what was going on - as if he was teetering on the edge... He is
totally in control tonight and looks like he is loving every moment of his time on stage. He hits the stage in a crazy black and white striped suit that reminds you of Beetlejuice - ridiculous but very effective! Shorter hair now and his extremely odd looking and mismatched 'tache has gone. Shame as I though that was funny - which may of may not have been his intention. But you never quite know where you are with Justin - you just have to assume
he know's where he is....
As you'd expect, all the hits are rolled out. This means that most of the setlist is based around the band's first album. In fact they play virtually the entire 'Permission To Land' album - but who's complaining? But they still opt to open the show with a new song - the tongue-in-cheek Led Zeppelin influenced 'Barbarian' from the band's latest album. I love this song with it's finely tuned Spinal Tap-meets-Led Zep sense of the ridiculous. After 'Growing On Me' the band lurch back to classic rock with the highly AC/DC influenced 'Black Shuck - a song that's always enormously popular with the fans. Also popular with the fans - COWBELL!
Especially when deployed by a Thunderbird wielding bass player called Frankie Poullain.
The band's less well received second album 'One Way Ticket....' only get's one song aired tonight - 'English Country Garden' - a shame as I didn't think it was such a bad album even though it didn't have any classics on it. The 'comeback' album 'Hot Cakes' fared little better with only a couple of songs played tonight - not a bad album actually, but no one apart from Darkness fans seemed to know it was ever released....
Of course the new album 'Last Of Our Kind' had to be featured - well they
had to really as the band's current road trip is called the 'Blast Of Our Kind Tour'. Oddly enough, the title track
wasn't included in the three or four new songs played.
There have been some changes in the Darkness camp in 2015 - the revolving door for the drum stool has been spinning at high R.P.M. - original drummer Ed has gone (again) to be replaced by Emily Dolan Davies. For five minutes. Well, as long as it took to record the new album anyway. Now she has
also been replaced - by Rufus Taylor - son of Queen drummer Roger Taylor. He seems to fit in well, although I feel he is playing just slightly behind the beat through tonight's show. But maybe that's just me? Drummers aside, the band is now back to the classic (but not original) lineup that recorded the debut album 'Permission To Land'.
The latest 'special edition' version of the new album contains some extra tracks - including a brand new Christmas song 'I Am Santa' - which bizarrely they decided not to play even though this show is only five days before Christmas!
A costume change for Justin later and the fun continues - guitar playing brother Dan Hawkins seems to be the rock that holds everything together in this band - rather like Malcolm Young used to in AC/DC. There are quite a few similarities between the two bands.
Naturally, one of the highlights of tonight's show is 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love' - then the band leave the stage before the inevitable encore.... Then we
do finally get a seasonal song when they return with 'Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)' before launching into their rather good Radiohead cover 'Street Spirit'.
The show ends with a crushingly heavy 'Love On The Rocks With No Ice'.
I don't think anyone goes home disappointed after what is an enormously entertaining end of tour show by a band really at the top of their game. See you all again next year then?
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