First up was a nine-piece band Do Me Bad Things. They alternated
between two vocalists - one with high notes and the other could grace
a death metal band. Fairly generic rock and nothing special to be
honest.
Ash were special guests and they played a storing set
featuring `Kung Fu', `Burn Baby Burn', their new single (Renegade Cavalcade) and for those lighter moments `Shining Light'.
Tim
Wheeler is a very energetic frontman plus a fan of the Flying V
guitar and the band played a very tight set. They even played the
Thin Lizzy classic `The Boys Are Back In Town' and dedicated to
former Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson who was in the audience.
The Darkness took to the stage in a series of flash bombs and as
you'd expect it was a nigh of OTT rock. All the hits were here
like `Growing On Me' and `I Believe In A Thing Called Love' plus the
debut album favourates like `Black Shuck' and `Friday Night'.
The crowd were lapping it up and Justin Hawkins has come on leaps and
bounds at working the audience although sometimes his on stage banter
went off at tangents (at one stage he was playing Jim Diamond tune
son his keyboard and rambling on about the 80's TV series `Boon'!).
Plenty of new songs on show including the next possible
single, `Country Garden' that rocks big time and `Juliet', a tune
that sounds like Boston jamming with Foreigner.
Not overly impressed by the other new songs though. The band play a tight set with bass
player Frankie Poullan now sporting an enormous afro styled hairdo -
it looks like a badger has died on his head.
Encore time saw Justin Hawkins astride a white tiger, which was
propelled around the edge of the stage and yet more fireworks and
smoke bombs. `Get Your Hands Of My Woman' was swiftly followed by a
brief snippet of Band Aid's `Feed The World', complete with Bono
impression by Justin Hawkins and then the finale of their Xmas hit if
last year, `Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)'.
The Darkness show no signs of losing their appeal just yet but
that second album I fell will be their make or break. As a live act
they get better each time, although it's a bit like Van Halen and
Dave Lee Roth in that Justin Hawkins has all the limelight, whilst
the band are fairly anonymous playing away behind him.
Review: Jason Ritchie
Alternative View
Manchester Evening News Arena, 2 December 2004
The Darkness absolutely rocked the place. They had such stage presence. Justin is an amazing entertainer as well as having an incredible voice.
Anyone who loves wild, lively rock concerts I'd recommend it. (Josie Tetler)
