The Darkness at the Vogue
review from Scotty Evil
I have to preface this by saying I’m so glad I caught this show. Us older folks who grew up with Zeppelin, Boston, Aerosmith…well The Darkness is the fountain of youth for rockers.
The guitar pedals were to the metal right from the start at The Vogue Theatre on a rainy Wednesday night on the Granville strip. Garage rockers with a punk edginess to them, Diarrhea Planet, plunged onto the stage with a guitar assault that was tight down to the millisecond. These guys were getting full value out of their guitar strings all with whipping hair, jumping splits and punk swagger to spare. A great counterpoint to the formulaic country music Nashville Tennessee usually produces. Check out “Turn to Gold” currently on Bandcamp. And tons of positive comments from the crowd! Oh, and Sleeman’s Honey Brown is the beer of choice for guitarist Evan Bird by the way.
The Darkness took the stage spot on 9pm with Justin Hawkins sporting a matching leopard catsuit and cape, urging on the warm applause from the crowd. “Open Fire” was the first track featuring twin Gibson Les Pauls, followed by “Love is Only a Feeling”
And the band was clearly having fun. Justin Hawkins paused to say “I hate that I see some empty seats, maybe I’ll have a seat myself”. Later on, when he was sans shirt: “I need some clothes, anyone?” A grey hoodie was thrown up on stage. “Oh perfect, that’s what I was hoping for, a grey hoodie…”
This was followed by a couple of ball hats and a female fan offered a black top festooned with gold stars…
“Is this a sports team? Your sports team on this hat? If I wear it, will I be paraded down your city streets like a god?” He then got the crowd to vote which hat would join the hoodie/starry shirt ensemble.
While the banter wasn’t serious, The Darkness musicianship certainly was. I’ve never heard a better sound mix in this venue and it was just loud enough to punctuate the meaty riffs. Bassist Frankie Poullain and drummer Rufus “Tiger” Taylor (yes, the son of Queen drummer Roger Taylor) were solid and steady. Not a flawed note in the entire show.
The rest of the show was heavier on new tracks but featured such classics as “Get Your Hands off My Woman” and a solid sing along to “Friday Night”, with the smash hit “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” rounding off as the perfect encore.
The Darkness was a heavy aural treat for a bargain in an intimate venue. When musicians entertain as well as they play, rock fans will prance in to see these guys every time.
6/5
written by Scotty Evil
photos from Red Lenses Photography
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