The Darkness played Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville and the energy was contagious

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 As I drove into downtown Nashville, the air glowed with a purple light that shrouded the city.  This summer as been exceptionally hot and the people are waiting for a change in the atmosphere.  Nashvillian’s are clamoring for something cool and that’s exactly what they received on Sunday night in the form of a band called The Darkness. As I cut through the streets of Music City I peered up to the AT&T building that the locals refer to as “The Batman Building”, as it looks like the pointed mask that hides the identity of billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne (whoops, should’ve said “spoiler alert”).  I like to call it the Ronnie James Dio building, as those long antennae peering atop the structure look more like the rocker horns that the one-time Black Sabbath frontman used to flash to onlookers. 

On this night we were treated to old-school rock and roll as the UK based band was in town for their third American stop, freshly off a European tour in support of their newest project, Dreams on Toast.  From the bands management: 

The band’s new album, Dreams on Toast, flawlessly captures The Darkness in their finest form, celebrating the band’s influences, strengthening their sound, while also embarking on avenues never heard from the band before in a grand display from a passionate, hungry and inspired collective. From the likes of the jaunty ‘70s pop genius of lead single “The Longest Kiss,” glam rock punk stomp of second single “I Hate Myself,” searing hard rock of “Rock And Roll Party Cowboy,” heartfelt ‘60s pop balladry of “Hot On My Tail,” huge swaggering anthems such as “Mortal Dread” and “Walking Through Fire,” while even creating a country classic with “Cold Hearted Woman,” the album brings all of the wildest fantasies of The Darkness to life. 

My passion for the British rock group began back in 2003 when I first heard the single ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’, off their debut album Permission to Land.  Now singer/guitarist Justin Hawkins, his brother guitarist Dan Hawkins, bassist Frankie Poullain, and drummer Rufus Taylor (son of Queen drummer Roger Taylor) are back with their eighth studio album. If you know anything about The Darkness, then you know about a high level of intensity when playing live gigs.  As the band first emerged on the scene there was this inkling that they were some kind of joke band.  That they were spoofing the 1970’s hard and glam rock scene, but those ribbings were quickly left by the side of musicality road.  This band is absolutely enthralling.  Listeners and critics alike fastly found themselves realizing the technical fortitude of this sonically reverent band. 

On this night, at Brooklyn Bowl, they were supported by Irish musician Mark Daly who led his band, The Ravens, in opening the night. Mark mentioning at one point, “I love American music fans. You guys get here early and actually cheer on the opening act that you’ve never heard of.”  Mark and his ensemble punched the evening into overdrive right from the very first note.  His sound was infectious and spread through the crowd like a wildfire of controlled chaos.  The players were timely, tight, and reeling with adventurous riffs and rips that cavalcaded from one side of the room to the other.  They were certainly happy to be up there on this night, and we were so thrilled to invite our neighbors from across the pond into our house for a community meeting of music.  

The story goes that Daly was “discovered” in Spain while performing in his band, The Voodoos. During a gig, music manager Brian Message (Radiohead, Nick Cave), was in the audience and asked that Mark play some original songs. After performing five brand-new originals that night, Brian decided to bring the band to London and Mark and his mates recorded their first professional EP. It was in this moment that Mark found his direction, earned some clarity and decided to become a full-time musician.  He has been on this trajectory ever since and has never looked back. 

The evening continued with The Darkness taking the stage next.  The band has been around for 25 years, and they look and sound as good as the first time I popped in their CD.  I was right up front in the photography pit, between the barricade and the stage and while I wanted to capture the best of the band in digital form, I was also careful to lose myself in the music.  I certainly had my questions about the band’s upcoming performance rattling around in my head before showtime.  Justin once hit notes that tickled the top of the scales, and I worried that maybe those days were gone. Maybe the sound and the antics would lack?  However, that could not be further from the truth.  Audially this batch of performers was right on point.  Every note, both vocally and instrumentally had the precision of a sessions recording.  

Rolling Stone UK declared that The Darkness have “Incredible live presence,” Music Connection raves, “There really is nothing like a Darkness show, the band is great, the songs are great, and they leave the fans wanting more,” while Live Music News and Review enthuses, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that The Darkness are guaranteed to melt your face during one of their live performances.” Music Existence proclaims, “This band is in a class of their own and shouldn’t be missed if you’re able to see them live,” Music City Magazine shares, “They are truthfully one of the best live acts out there,” Top Shelf Music Magazine lauds, “In terms of pure high-energy rock and roll, nobody has ever rocked harder than The Darkness” and My Global Mind declares, “Their show is EXACTLY what a rock and roll show should be!” 

I highly agree with my journalistic peers about the intensity and enthusiasm that courses through the veins of this act.  The best part about it is that they are clearly not acting at all but rather embodying the attitude and grace of those groundbreaking musicians that are considered their forefathers.  At one point the frontman went into a full headstand on the drum riser and clapped his feet in time with the beat of the track.  The entire band coils and explodes with attitude in every lick, which causes their fans to raise their hands to the rock gods in approval. The drummers time causes the crowd to surf and sway their bodies in unison and the whole place looks like fields of dimly lit wheat undulating in the wind. 

GALLERY

I was down in that metal line corral snapping away with my finger in order to catch the next great move, but I also took a moment.  I was engulfed in something special that laid directly in front of me, but I also wanted to seek out the real joy.  It was behind me.  I spun around for a brief cut of time to watch the smiles that illuminated the space between stage and exit.  The fans had forgotten any worries for a couple of hours.  Sweat pooled from some faces and could quite possibly be tears of ebullience.  That is what the great bands do, and The Darkness should be considered in that category.  The live show is miraculous.  Us photog’s were allowed in the depths of the man-made path that split the raucous crowd from the rambunctious lot of players for three songs and so after that I shifted my view to that of the other patrons and basked in the glory of the politely piercing jams.  

At their roots they can be stripped down to be labeled Americana.  Beyond relatable storytelling and a toe-tapping foundation they could be called a blues-band in the way that The Rolling Stones were. On top of that, one clearly recognizes the presence of both classic and modern rock.  The Darkness had a tough act to follow with their initial album going quadruple platinum in the UK alone, but I would say if they did “leave the scene”, they are back in full force musically.  This new record shows the true diversity of the rockers.  It ebbs and flows smoothly with the big five octave theatrics of the frontman but also delves down to lyrically poetic ballads including a new favorite of mine ‘Weekend in Rome’. 

As the set seemingly closed with the boisterous number ‘I Believe In a Thing Called Love’ in which no one was standing still, the band slipped off stage only to return with my recently added playlist like.  Yes, they stepped back up in front of the packed house at Brooklyn Bowl to play that last track from their most recently project. 

Weekend In Rome includes a spoken word section, in which a very recognizable voice inflects the lines: “Meandering like the Tiber, gand in hand, we scaled the Spanish Steps, the night air thick and sultry, I kiss you beneath the Italian moonlight… This was my dream.”  If you want to know who that gravelly speaker is on the recording, it is none other than actor Stephen Dorff.  Dorff is the star of the Beatles biopic Backbeat, the blockbuster Blade, and more recently, the acclaimed TV series True Detective and The Righteous Gemstones.  And guess what?  He was here live to do the reading in person.  If that’s not rock and roll than I don’t know what is. 

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