The Darkness at Roundhouse

The Darkness have remained rooted in their glam rock persona since the 2000s, creating records that mirror that of what was popular 30 years prior; it seems difficult to hone the “classic rock” feel while being encompassed by the beloved Britpop scene at the time, but The Darkness accomplished this with flying colours with their debut, Permission to Land, reaching number two on the UK charts in 2003. In honour of its 20^th anniversary, Justin Hawkins (frontman, lead guitar), his brother Dan Hawkins (rhythm guitar), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Rufus Tiger Taylor (drums) have been on a world tour to celebrate. On 9^th December 2023, the four took on an unsurprisingly sold-out show at London’s Roundhouse.

The set began with a bang: the band ran out excitedly to an ominous, yet magical track, and quickly took their places on stage to introduce themselves with Black Shuck. The song itself is powerful, but coupled with the energy of a packed crowd, the Roundhouse was as electric as the guitars. Confetti exploded over the audience and the four went wild while closing the track. After a few quick breaths, Hawkins introduced the night’s celebration and made sure to scold attendees who watched the show through their phones. Hawkins’ adversity to cell phones at gigs was made quite evident through the course of the night, and for the most part, the audience listened, and the concert had a different feel because of it.

Next was another popular Permission to Land track, Get Your Hands Off My Woman, and the power from Black Shuck continued. This time, while the audience was encouraged to clap along to Taylor’s tempo, Hawkins did a handstand, legs moving to match the rhythm. Growing On Me, The Best of Me, and Makin’ Out were next on the agenda, and they ignited the crowd; maybe this was also because of the fire and sparklers that shot vertically from the stage, but regardless, the highspeed energy from these tracks kept the ball rolling.

After Hawkins took a moment to discuss the band’s documentary, Welcome to the Darkness, they jumped right back into the set with Givin’ Up. As a surprise, Ed Sheeran joined to sing alongside Hawkins for Love Is Only a Feeling, and their voices mixed beautifully. Hawkins kicked him off the stage and Stuck in a Rut was next, followed by the slower How Dare You Call This Love? and a cover of Radiohead’s Street Spirit (Fade Out) that had The Darkness’ own flare to it. Then Holding My Own had its moment, followed by Friday Night. With the vibe amongst concertgoers high, the band switched to bask in the Christmas spirit, playing their own popular holiday tune, Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End). The band played the beginnings of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song, which unfortunately was purposely cut short after the first verse. Next was I Believe in a Thing Called Love, and then the four left the stage. The crowd was a bit confused; there was no formal exit or “goodbyes”. However, after about two minutes, they returned for an encore. For the lovely I Love You 5 Times, band members swapped places: Dan Hawkins now on the drums, Taylor on bass and Poullain on acoustic guitar. To wrap up the night, they performed Love on the Rocks with No Ice.

Overall, The Darkness still holds the same energy and passion they have had for 20 years despite any trials and tribulations. The band sounds bigger and better than ever, and their fanbase is along for the ride. This worldwide 2023 tour will continue on 11^th December in Glasgow and finish on the 22^nd, once again at Roundhouse, but do not fear – the tour will pick back up again in late January in Australia.

Taryn Crowley
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit The Darkness’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Friday Night here: