Went to see The Darkness start off their comeback tour of the UK at the Liverpool Guild of Students last night. The Gig was originally meant to be at the O2 Academy, but the roof has collapsed, hence the change of venue.
Novelist Supermum came with me - she hadn't been to that particular venue for about 20 years and reckons that it's changed a little, but not that much.
I'd been there once before myself (in 1985 I think?) - it's a medium sized hall that does the job OK.
We arrived as the first of two support acts were finishing their set. "Crown Jewel Defense". Didn't sound like anything special, and I heard a couple of bum notes in the final guitar solo.
The second band "Foxy Shazam" from the US of A were far more entertaining. A bizarre looking bunch of glam rock rejects who threw themselves into every strange number that they played. The bald, bearded keyboard player was right at the front of the stage, standing on his keyboard for the clapalong bits. The bass player had come straight from Mott the Hoople and there was also a chap in a top hat, playing the trumpet.
Then came the band that we'd been waiting for. The Darkness ran through a blistering set of numbers from their two albums. The stuff from the second album still doesn't sound as good as the first to me - but OK live all the same. Lots of Lizzy-esque guitars in chorus moments and plenty of riff-tastic posing opportunities for Justin and his brother Dan Hawkins.
They started off with "Black Shuck", somewhere in the middle was my personal favourite "Get Your Hands Off My Woman You Mother....r", and finished with a string of encores, which included their Christmas song (a month early), an instrumental jam, Queen's "Tie Your Mother Down" and of course "I Believe in an Thing Called Love".
During this last section Justin took off, riffing away whilst being carried on someone's shoulders (fan or roadie - I'm not sure?) through the crowd and back to the stage again. May have been spontaneous, may have been staged, but looked great all the same.
Quotes of the night from Justin "What was that dear?" "These breasts are for you?" "No thank you - I've got two of my own!". Also (after changing into a red striped glam-suit) "It's the only one that's clean".
Great night out - if you don't count the £3.80 for a pint of San Miguel in a plastic glass!
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