WORDS AND IMAGES RHYS GROVER
An incredible night of tight costumes, incredible guitar and some lively on stage antics at New Century Hall, Manchester
The Darkness have been a staple of the British rock music scene for over 2 decades now, and have risen to an incredible level of popularity recently, with frontman Justin’s incredible TikTok videos where he dives into some Darkness tales, and commentary on some tracks by other artists too. They’ve had some incredible hits in the time too, and one in particular always makes an appearance at this time of year, (as do Darkness tours, I imagine not by coincidence), which is the Christmas hit, ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)’.
The support for the night was a wonderful hit of punk rock, delivered by Bad Nerves. I’ve heard of the band from being in and around the music industry, but this performance piqued my interest in them massively. They’re definitely having a close eye kept on them over coming years. They’ve been established now for around 5 or 6 years, and their stage presence paired with their wonderful musical skill is a joy to behold. They bounce and jump around the stage like seasoned professionals, and the frontman is just a captivating whirlwind of punky goodness.
It was the perfect warm up for the fans to be ready for what The Darkness had up their sleeves, and the reception the crowd gave Bad Nerves was nothing short of fantastic. You could tell how much it meant to the band, and their short set included many shows of gratitude from the band toward the crowd. It’s certain now that a few of the crowd have become fans of the band, and this tour is going to do them a world of good.
The Darkness came on a 9pm, and everyone was on pins as they took to the stage. It’s an odd experience for us photographers too, as we are waiting in the wings for the confetti cannons to go before it’s safe for us to enter the pit. New Century Hall has played host to some brilliant gigs this year, and it’s a stunning venue, the perfect venue for a band like The Darkness too. The fans are close to the stage, and Justin can bounce of their incredible energy. As the confetti canons wrap up, we enter the pit just in time for the small pyro display as The Darkness tear through their opening numbers.
It’s a special occasion for the band being able to tour to celebrate 20 years of their debut, and most popular, album, but this night in Manchester was that extra bit special for the band, as they celebrated guitarist Dan’s 43rd birthday. The crowd got to partake in the celebrations too, with a rendition of happy birthday taking a place early in the set. This was near enough the only track of the night that wasn’t from their ‘Permission To Land’ album, as they delivered all 15 tracks beautifully throughout the evening, with a couple of surprises thrown in their for good measure.
As the set was drawing to a close, a cover of Radiohead’s ‘Street Spirit (Fade Out)’ was a great surprise for fans, and after thy performed their incredible Christmas tune, another surprise cover was waiting in the wings. This time it was a raucous cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’. The fans loved both songs like they were a Darkness original, and Led Zeppelin made a return to the setlist for the final track of the night, as the Darkness’ own ‘Love on the Rocks With No Ice’ was finished off with a quick spin of Zep’s ‘Heartbreaker’. This was all after they had a move around on stage, and Dan took place on the drums, Rufus Taylor took up the bass and Frankie grabbed an acoustic as they gave the fans ‘I Love You 5 Times’
The Darkness touring at this time of the year has become a standard, almost a Christmas tradition for their fans, and each and every time, they get better and better. Justin hones his on stage antics and whether he’s diving through the air doing the splits, or doing a hand stand on the drum riser, you can’t take your eyes off him, or any of the band for that matter. His outfits leave little to the imagination and normally feature some deep cutaway for him to show off his chest hair.
SETLIST
1- BLACK SHUCK
2- GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY WOMAN
3 – GROWING ON ME
4 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY
5 – THE BEST OF ME
6 – MAKIN’ OUT
7 – GIVIN’ UP
8 – LOVE IS ONLY A FEELING
9 – STUCK IN A RUT
10 – HOW DARE YOU CALL THIS LOVE?
11 – STREET SPIRIT (FADE OUT)
12 – HOLDING MY OWN
13 – FRIDAY NIGHT
14 – CHRISTMAS TIME (DON’T LET THE BELLS END)
15 – IMMIGRANT SONG
16 – I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE
ENCORE
17 – I LOVE YOU 5 TIMES
18 – LOVE ON THE ROCKS WITH NO ICE
FOLLOW THE DARKNESS
FOLLOW BAD NERVES
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago
