I believe in a thing called The Darkness! Welcome back. The English rockers brought their guitar wailing and falsetto to a very sold out crowd at the House of Blues on Sunset last night (Sunday). After a 5 year hiatus Justin Hawkins reunited with his brother Dan Hawkins and the rest of the original band members (Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums)) and put on a show almost too big for the HOB. Several wardrobe changes, 1 trip around the main floor on a roadie’s shoulders, a new mustached look, and 2 hours full of old hits and new material left a breathless crowd spilling out onto Sunset Blvd. on a Sunday night in Hollywood.
Justin Hawkins in his best USA vest!
The show was highlighted by killer tracks from The Darkness’ second album One Way Ticket to Hell … and Back! including title track and an ear splitting rendition of “Hazel Eyes.” The eager crowd was obviously waiting for the band’s biggest single all night, and the entire venue erupted into a live sing along from literally the first chord of “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.” The show didn’t end on that high though. The band came back out for a raucous crowd involved encore that included almost 15 minutes of instrumental.
The big mystery of the show is what happened to guitarist Dan Hawkins. He disappeared several times during the show for long periods of time, including almost 10 minutes during the encore. No explanation was given. Maybe he was sick, maybe he had several urgent telephone calls back stage, or maybe after 5 years off he just got tired! We’re not sure yet but I personally would like to know what happened, and I’ll update this post when I do. Despite his long sojourns he was still great when he was onstage, and the band continued flawlessly throughout. That’s what you expect from a professional rock and roll band
Check out the music video for the Darkness’ newest single “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”
Sunday night’s show wasn’t all about the Darkness though. The opening act Foxy Shazam almost stole show before it even started. Frontman Eric Sean Nally’s high pitched wails and Prince-like performance fit perfectly with a crowd prepped for the Darkness. Foxy puts on more than just a rock and roll concert, they put on a rock and roll performance. By the end of their set they had destroyed almost every instrument on set, including the keyboardist playing the last song by stomping on his standing keyboard and yelling Fee-Fie-Foe-Fum! Foxy by themselves are a band to see anywhere in LA, so keep an eye out.
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