The Darkness - Have a one way ticket back to the Top!

December 12th 2013

Oxford, o2 Academy, UK

*****

Explosive Classic Rock show by The Darkness!

The Darkness ***** at one time where one of the biggest bands in the country headlining the Reading / Leeds festivals and not ever being off the radio's and TV. This could have been because they have one hell of a frontman in the form of Justin Hawkins with his stage presence and outrageous costumes grabbing the attention of everyone in the Rock World. They always mixed up 70's Rock and 80's Rock with a touch of the ridiculous and they really stood out.

Like every band that believed their own hype they got a little too big for the boots and alienated a lot of the people that originally loved the band, and with the departure of original bass player Frankie Poullain it kind of saw the downfall of the band. The thing is if you have a definitive line-up the worst thing you can do is to remove an eliminate of it and The Darkness really had the winning formula and Richie Edwards a former roadie with the band that took his place just did not have the same appeal and only play about a year with the band. I am not meaning the Richey Edwards who sadly went missing all though's years ago but Frankie's departure from The Darkness had the same consequences to the band with their material not coming up to the same standard.

Even in these years the darknesss weren't a bad band but there was just something missing, in 2011 Frankie rejoined the band and after a break The Darkness were back and better than ever. They still had elements of silly ness to them but the live show was even better, paying homage to their 70's and 80's hero's in a classic way. Tonight they have the same lights as Queen used in their famous Hammersmith Odeon concerts and they look amazing as they just come on and stand their in the way Queen used to do in 1975. The darknesss have a special treat tonight for all their original fans, they will be playing 'Permission to Land' in it's entirety and in the order it came on the album which is a real treat.

The Darkness have most definitely come along way since they first played the Bullingdon Arms down the road all though's years ago and tonight's show at the Oxford o2 Academy is totally Sold Out and you cannot even move to get to the bar in the venue. One of the high points in tonights concert is when Justin pulls a member of the audience in a white tuxedo up and says "This is how a Darkness fan should dress!" the fan then takes off the tuxedo jacket and boe tie and gives it to Justin to wear for a couple of songs and he looks mega cool in it. Also another highlight is when Justin climbs up onto the lighting rig and swings from it, to the worry of all the security in the venue, he then jokes about if the lighting rig fell they would then be known for killing loads of people in Oxford rather than the music they make.

Taking these antics aside tonight's set is very good musically and they start the set off in style holding hands with the light coming from behind them in 70's style before they break into 'Makin Out' the last track off special editions of 'Permission to Land' and it's really nice they have decided to include it in their set. They follow this up with 'She's just a Girl, Eddie' off their new album 'Hot Cakes' which should have done better than it did. This song is a great slice of 70's Rock done in with Darkness attitude and is what any fan would want them to produce. If you don't like this track then you really do not get what the band is all about and that is 70's Classic Rock with a Thin Lizzy groove to it.

'One way ticket to Hell... and Back' got a lot of criticism but is actually quite a good record if you actually give it a chance and listen to it, I think the reason a lot of people didn't was because of the bands ego's by that time had got so big and the last thing people wanted to hear about was The Darkness. 'Is it just Me' if it had been released twenty years earlier would have be by now a well known anthem and it simply sounds great today in Oxford. It's big and it has great guitar parts to it that build up in a great climax. Brand new track 'The Horn' is a big heavy track that shows new dimensions to the band but keeps to their old style at the same time with a little influence I think from acts like Steel Panther as well in the mix.

'Every inch of You' is a little bit of a let down and sounds little too similar to other tracks in the bands back catalogue and 'Curse of the Tolland Man' is a strange choice to play and not really needed in the set. They follow this up with their Radiohead cover 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)' which is very interesting and perfect for the Oxford crowd they are playing it to seeing that Radiohead live down the road from the venue and actually used to own a share of it when it was the Oxford Zodiac before.

They end the first set with 'One way Ticket' the opening song and single off their second album, this song has some great harmonies to it and ends off the first segment nicely and gives a good platform to get ready for our 'Permission to Land'. Of coarse the second set starts off with opening song 'Black Shuck' a clugger of a track that brings attention to Justin's high foursetto vocals and brings the bands debut album into motion.

This is followed up the single that was so good they released it twice 'Get your hands off my Woman' which goes by at the rate of nots, it was always a fast song but the band really launch it at you tonight so it's time for single 'Growing on Me' before you even have the chance to breathe. 'Growing on Me' was a song that the TV and radio really loved so played a lot so even if you think you do not know it you probably do.

'I believe in a thing called Love' was featured in Bridget Jones Diary and was a massive hit because of this and was used in one of the main fight sequences but already the song had been blasting the radio airwaves for quite some time. It's a song you just cannot get out of your head however much you want it out, it's just a great Pop / Rock song. Like next song 'Love is only Feeling' which is my favourite by the band and I think is one of the most grown up songs that they do and is helped along by killer guitar licks and a massive solo.

'Givin' Up' and 'Stuck in a Rut' bring on the Rock factor while 'Friday Night' brings the Pop factor to the set and leaves a space for a great version of 'Love on the rocks with no Ice' which goes on a little too long but is really fun and a slightly awkward version of the last track on the album 'Holding my Own' this brings the 'Permission to Land' set to a halt and we wonder what is coming next.

There is a lot of fun things tonight like Dan's birthday which they bring cake out for and some lucky people in the audience get a piece and some of the presents. That they bring out when they also take a Christmas tree and bobble hats onstage for a finale that Wizard would be happy for. You can see all the smiles on everyone's faces and Ed even gets covered by the Christmas tree so you cannot see him for the last song.

'Christmas Time (Don't let the bells End)' was a massive hit for The Darkness so I do not think there is a better way to end their set at Christmas with this cheery number that you can hear on the radio each year. After such a rocking fun set I have changed my thoughts on The Darkness and once again I have let them into my heart and my record collection, they are a good Rock band that put on a great Rock show that was enjoyed by everyone in the venue tonight, I would go out of my way to see them again.

The Darkness - Setlist

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The Boys are back in Town / Second Fiddle (Intro)
Makin' Out
She just a Girl, Eddie
Is it just Me?
The Horn
Every inch of You
Curse of the Tolland Man
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
One way Ticket

(Permission to Land)
Black Shuck
Get your hands off my Woman
Growing on Me
I believe in a thing called Love
Love is only a Feeling
Givin' Up
Stuck in a Rut
Friday Night
Love on the rocks with no Ice
Holding my Own
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Christmas Time (Don't let the bells End)