Back on October 27 I finally got to see English rockers The Darkness live, and at the rather intimate Irving Plaza. It took me over a decade (12 years to be exact) to see them perform, but it was still very much worth the wait. The stop came as a part of their tour for their new album Last of Our Kind, released last May via Canary Dwarf.
After a few rocky years, I wasn’t sure quite how The Darkness’ live performance would come off, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how solid they sounded that night. Frontman Justin Hawkins had complete control of the crowd, even jumping off of the Irving Plaza side perch into the receptive hands of the crowd. The band were a ball of energy live, and it resonated with the sold out audience at hand.
The new material sounded fine enough live, but it was tracks from their career-making debut Permission To Land such as “Black Shuck,” “Growing On Me” and “”Get Your Hands Off My Woman” and of course, “I Believe In A Thing Called Love,” that raised the bar to another level that brought me way back. The encore even featured an unexpected cover of Radiohead’s “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” that works out a lot better than it sounds.
The show delivered on every bit of the promise that getting to see The Darkness comes with, and then some. I hope to find myself back for seconds when their next tour comes around.
Find some shots of their performance posted below.
The Darkness Setlist:
1. Barbarian
2. Growing on Me
3. Black Shuck
4. Mudslide
5. Givin’ Up
6. Roaring Waters
7. One Way Ticket
8. Love Is Only a Feeling
9. Friday Night
10. English Country Garden
11. Every Inch of You
12. Rack of Glam
13. Get Your Hands Off My Woman
14. Stuck in a Rut
15. I Believe in a Thing Called Love
Encore:
16. Open Fire
17. Street Spirit (Fade Out) (Radiohead Cover)
18. Love on the Rocks With No Ice
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