Page 54 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 109

BV109 pg 54-57 The Darkness.qxp_BV109 pg 54 18/12/2023 16:42 Page 1

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THE DARKNESS – WOLVERHAMPTON CIVIC HALL, 16.12.23
2023 marked the 20-year anniversary of The Darkness’s debut album, the chart-topping ‘Permission To Land’, which
has sold over 1.9 million copies to date, catapulting the band into superstardom soon after its release. And what better way
to round off the current year than by taking the renowned album on the road, to perform every track at sold-out venues.
It’s our first time back at Wolverhampton Civic Hall since it reopened after extensive renovations. And, following an im-
pressive set by Essex punk rock ‘n’ rollers Bad Nerves, The Darkness’s show commences. The album is mostly performed
in the order of the album’s original tracklisting, with ‘Black Shuck’ opening, before ‘Get Your Hands Off My Woman’ and
‘Growing On Me’, although the massive hit single and fan favourite, ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’, is kept until the end
of the set. The band do not disappoint, with inimitable frontman Justin Hawkins wearing a red and black catsuit and bassist
Frankie Poullain looking particularly swish in a multicoloured glittery suit. The Darkness definitely make the effort in all areas,
whether it be how they look, their lighting, the
stage show, songs and beyond. “It’s the first
show in a run of about five or six where I
haven’t had to stop the first song to encourage
you fucking idiots to stop filming it,” the front-
man remarks following ‘Black Shuck’. He gives
four reasons why fans may want to film the
show on their “shitty phone with a shitty micro-
phone” – the fourth being because they are
c*nts! ”Keep your phones in your pockets,” he
orders, before the rollicking ‘Get Your Hands
Off My Woman’. Justin’s vocals are as extraor-
dinary as ever, reaching heights many singers
can only dream of, and the band’s sound is
equally as dynamic. “We’re here to celebrate
the 20th anniversary of our first album, ‘Per-
mission To Land’,” Justin says, highlighting the
band’s backdrop, which is the album cover,
minus the naked lady. “Where’s the naked
lady?” a fan calls out. “It’s 2023. We’re not al-
lowed to do that anymore,” Justin replied.
“Also, we’re not very comfortable with it.” A few
seconds later, he asks, “Anyone want to volun-
teer to be the naked lady?” A male fan ends up
getting on stage and takes his T-shirt off, much
to the amusement of the audience. He cavorts
on the stage during ‘Growing On Me’ and, at
the end, does a high jump off the drum riser si-
multaneously with Justin.
Justin talks about some of the heavy sub-
ject matter on the album, including his relation-
ship with drugs. “Eventually, it was me, and I
ruined everything for the rest of the guys,” he
admits before the stonkin’ ‘Givin’ Up’. The set
is full-on entertainment from start to finish, with
the crowd singing along, swaying arms and
clapping in time to the infectious beat. With a
couple of covers and the band’s 2003 Christ-
mas hit ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells
End)’, it’s a pure gold setlist. Justin dons a
cheap Christmas Santa hat, there’s confetti
and falling sparklers, plus, with panto season
in full swing, the frontman can’t resist getting
the audience to boo at the names of the previ-
ous and next gig’s city.

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