Photos and Review by Jeff Lasich
Another tour from 2020 that got delayed several years finally hit the road. When I heard The Darkness was touring the US this spring, with a stop near Pittsburgh I thought maybe I’d go check them out since I have a soft spot for the first record, Permission to Land. I was wondering if that band could even draw in 2022. Well, the answer to that question is a solid yes. The 4 piece from England played a sold out show at Jergel’s on April 16.
Opening the show was a three-piece band from Nashville, TN, The Dead Deads. I know what you’re thinking, they are from the south must be a country band. Nope. These three women are rock influenced, while pulling influences from indie, punk and grudge. Many of their faithful fans, the Deadcorps were in attendance, judging by the signature X painted over their eyes. I was picking up some late 90s vibes from them, with Letters to Cleo coming to mind more than once. After around 30 minutes, they finished up and the stage got set for The Darkness.
The band hit the stage at 9pm, opening with “Welcome Tae Glasge,” from their most recent album. If you aren’t familiar with The Darkness, they are a rock driven band, definitely inspired by 70’s rock bands in both sound and style. Lead singer Justin Hawkins unique vocals are the perfect compliment to the music. To describe the band as energetic is an understatement. Hawkins had several costume changes, played guitar, keytar, did some headstands, jumped all over the place and even sat on the railing of the balcony overlooking the stage. The band played around 16 songs, including “Growing on Me,” “Motorheart,” and “Black Shuck.” At one point, Hawkins caught someone near the front of the stage texting and took his phone. The fan was in the middle of texting his wife when this happened. At this point, Hawkins made a facetime call to the guy’s wife, with a raucous crowd in the background. It was all in good fun. Their set ended with “Get Your Hands Off My Woman,” and I was disappointed the didn’t play the radio version which says melon farmer instead of mother fucker. After a short pause, the band returned to the stage for one encore song, their biggest hit “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.” During the opening cords, Hawkins again stopped the show and confiscated a bunch of cell phones and placed them in the bass drum. He then said now you can bounce around without having the phone in your hand (or something of that effect.). The sold out crowd loved every minute of the show. I had an absolute blast. The Darkness is a really fun band live, and if they are playing near you don’t miss out.
Please enjoy the photo gallery from the show!
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