live music review: the darkness, anu bar, 10 may 2012

Look, I’ll admit it from the get-go – I’ve always had a profound love of The Darkness. With the hair, and the outfits, and that fantastic falsetto – frankly who doesn’t love them?

So it was with some excitement that I rocked up to their gig at ANU Bar on a cool Thursday evening. The place was full to the brim with enthusiastic punters, and the air was humming with the tension Canberra crowds normally give off when a bigger-than-average band is soon to take the stage – we’re not used to having the big names in our humble city.

First up were local band Fun Machine, who proved that they weren’t to be intimidated by a glam-rock audience. They took us through an energetic set replete with sing-a-longs and over-the-top costumes, and provided the perfect warm-up to what was about to happen.

By the time The Darkness hit the stage, the crowd was going crazy.

Launching into ‘Black Shuck’ straight away, the band had the audience doing their best crazy dance moves, and set the tone for what was a hugely energetic, fast-paced set. Playing a mix of songs off their two albums, and giving a taste of what to expect from their forthcoming record, The Darkness proved that they haven’t lost the touch in any way.

Frontman Justin Hawkins voice is still as high and strong as ever, and combined perfectly with his mad guitar skills.

The highlights of course were ‘I Believe In a Thing Called Love’ and also ‘Dancing On a Friday Night’.

Although there wasn’t as much crowd interaction as I was expecting, there was certainly enough long hair, bare chests and rock ‘n’ roll poses to make up for it.

It was a night of pure over-the-top rock, and Canberra could not have loved it more.

By Mara Khan