Comebacks are one of the trendiest things in the rock world at the moment – nowadays it seems that no festival is complete without a legendary band dusting themselves off and preparing to conquer the world once again. But too many comebacks spoil the broth, and it appears the market for them has become oversaturated – now a band has to show they are needed in the world again, rather than just reliving the glory days. So it’s lucky for The Darkness that they are so exuberantly unique, as well as being in possession of a clutch of genuinely exciting new songs.
What struck me most about this gig is that the band takes nothing for granted the second time round – they are hardworking and rinse the crowd of every last drop of energy. Marching on confidently to ABBAs ‘Arrival’ they burst into ‘Black Shuck’ and then proceed to deliver a truly astounding 21 song set. Musically the band are sharper than they’ve ever been – every solo is watertight, every falsetto is pitch perfect – they don’t put a foot wrong. Most importantly there is a respect for, and connection with, the audience: they know that many bands don’t get a second shot and there is a genuine feeling of gratitude tonight.
Their greatest asset is that they make every show a performance rather than just a gig. This is largely due to the charisma and showmanship that front man Justin Hawkins possesses in abundance. Topless by the time the band start their third song, he spends the majority of the set flailing around stage, jumping off the drum kit and spends the encore riding through the crowd on the shoulders of a bewildered member of security. And don’t even get me started on the (multiple) catsuits he wears throughout the evening…
They have new songs, they have a new album dropping early next year, they already have a huge outdoor homecoming show lined up in a forest in Suffolk next summer, and most importantly they have regained the old chemistry which was lacking towards the end of the first phase of the career. As the band walk off stage Justin turns to the crowd and simply exclaims “Tell your friends The Darkness are fucking back.” He is undeniably right.