The Darkness, they were an odd band weren't they? Operating around the period of 2003/2004, it was a time when indie music was at a low with bands getting signed more on their fashion sense than musical ability. If you could pull off the skinny jeans and hat look, then you were on to a winner. And hailed from somewhere ?trendy? like Camden.
Instead of targeting the traditional market of angst ridden teenagers, The Darkness decided that they?d bring back the seventies in to everybody?s lives. Did we want that? Not particularly. Hair metal and over the top antics weren't that exciting.
A few people took interest in the band with the majority of the fanbase being elderly people having a mid life crisis and reverting back to their youth. The band split in 2006 and five years later, they've returned with threats of a new album and touring.
Don't worry, The Darkness aren't going to be turning up to your local venue anytime soon. Instead, they have booked up to play the UK?s most dire festival, Download. Filled with people wearing dark denim with security chains so they don't lose their wallet and mobile phone, this look is topped off with leather jackets with sewn on patches by their mums featuring happy band logos like ?Mega Corpse Punch?, ?Satanic Ball Blender? and our favourite from group from Norway, ?Black Pig Pudding Revenge.?
The festival has a habit of repeating the same crusty acts year after year, forcing new hopefuls to rot in tents miles away where real the action is. Anyone sill booking AC/DC or Iron Maiden must have forgotten that the majority of audience are fifty year old bikers who still live at home and have seen their heroes a billion times.
Therefore, The Darkness will go down a treat as scores of people can embrace the sound of weak metal as a man sings like he's got string wrapped round his testicles while a roadie pulls hard.
Various members of The Darkness have been in other musical projects including the badly named Hot Leg and The Stone Gods. Reading between the lines, we take it that all of the money has dried up after their surge in popularity when they won a couple of Brit awards.
Lead goon from the band Justin Hawkins said:
“The main thing for us is to make sure that musically we turn the experience into something positive again. We’ve been remembering why it was so much fun in the first place, just four men making loud music in a room.?
Grr, how manly does that sound? Just a group of buddies hanging out, strumming some chords and rocking out without a care in the world. Of course when the various members did this in their other groups, it didn't feel right. Kind of like drinking non alcoholic beer. The intent is there, but the end result is rubbish. Therefore a pointless reunion to generate a quick amount of money seems the most logical option to us.
we're going to go grow our hair and mould it in to a perm so we can rock out with rocks biggest novelty, The Darkness. Peace out.
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EssBen says
” Music Fans Living In The Past”
That would be me then…..GUITAR \m/
I promise if I go and watch them, I will only enjoy them in a suitably ironic manner :D
Cookie Monster says
Well, the the singer guy was on Top Gear, and posted a rather good lap. That led me to thinking – as sometimes happens – “Wasn’t there some doings that Hecklersplat wagged on about involving The Darkness?”. That, in-turn, led me to use the Google Tube and watch a live recording of these Darkness folks singing a song that I recognized (or rather, squealing a chorus that sounded top-40 familiar, or so my neutered cat told me).
My humble review is as follows: when were the seventies again? How many people have that as a first thought after watching these guys for the first time, and how many are honest enough to state the obvious?
Moving on… I admire any person who can pull-off spandex (or whatever wonder material that is) thingies that purposely show male nipples, not that I’m into that, I’m just sayzin (not that there would be anything wrong with being into that). To then take said nipples and perform a little guitar solo on top of a piano whilst the stage page, or whatever the hell she is, ducks for uncertain cover is a stroke of genius. I had flashbacks to David Lee Roth as he was last week, but with decidedly less wrinkly nipples and ingested bong water.
To compare and contrast, I then watched both an early and late Guns n’ Roses live video. After some tears, and some laughter, I decided that The Darkness achieves the coveted standard of Meh Cookies, mostly based on the absence of Slash. Then I watched some live Led Zepellin videos and have, as a result, regained my appreciation for the truly artistic display of male nipples (not that you’re that into that). I was then forced to downgrade The Darkness from Meh Cookies to I Get the Energetic Irony and Pure Enjoyment Therein That They Have Achieved With This Catchy as Herpes Shit But Meh Cookie Crumbs All the Same. Judging by his enthusiasm, this puts me on the same line of thought as the bassist and his herpes.
To be serious; based on my first impression, this was pop rock done very, very well. I’ve had the chorus (damned if I can pick word out of it) and guitar riff in my head all day now, so good on them (HELP MEEEEEEE).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFtywrOTnHw
After you have read this, I must relate that I am unable to refund the time spent reading my pointless non-contribution to the state of the universe.