The Darkness – Rough Trade, Nottingham – Wednesday 11th December 2024
It may still be a couple of weeks until the 25th December, but for Darkness fans Christmas has come early (Easter is, still, cancelled) as they get a chance to enjoying seeing their favourite band play songs from their forthcoming album Dreams On Toast live for the first time at a limited series of intimate performances across the UK including Rough Trade, Nottingham.
It’s my first time at Rough Trade for a gig, to say it is a compact venue is an understatement. The Darkness probably haven’t played venues quite this small for ages. They’ve been on the comeback trail for a while now but their new album – if it meets expectations – and an upcoming arena tour should put them back at the top of British rock music.
Either side of the Nottingham date the Darkness performed at London’s Rough Trade East on the 10th December and at Rough Trade Liverpool on the 12th of December offering die-hard fans who were quick enough to get their hands on the limited number of tickets a chance to see the band playing live in intimate venues ahead of their huge arena tour in 2025.
This is a slightly tricky review to write because due to the tiny size of Rough Trade and the international superstardom of The Darkness, the venue was packed, perhaps a little too full, which meant that lots of fans had to stand in bar area with greatly reduced sight-lines to the stage, myself amongst them.
The venue has the names of many bands who have played there over the years including those that you will likely have heard such as Sleaford Mods, Black Honey and Feeder as well as many you may not have of which I list a few of the most inventively named for your entertainment – Sex Toy Vending Machine, Wizards Can’t Be Lawyers, Sunflower Thieves and I Told You I Would Eat You.
Of course the purpose of band like The Darkness gigging at intimate venues such as Rough Trade is, of course, to test out new material before they unleash it on the masses at larger venues on more expansive tours.
Honestly, my preference is always for smaller venues, that offer a much better atmosphere, and are packed with real music fans, not just people who go to a gig to say they’ve been to a gig. Tonight we’ve got fans wearing colourful outfits and Darkness t-shirts, sharing experiences of the band with one another and singing along, at least to a couple of songs that have already dropped on Spotify and YouTube such as the upbeat, Queen inspired The Longest Kiss with a great piano intro, and the punk inspired I Hate Myself.
Justin chats convivially to the crowd, as always telling them to put their phones away to enable them, and others, to enjoy the live music experience. They begin with Rock and Roll Party Cowboy and Mortal Dread which sounds like it could have been written by Pulp. Justin jokes around when Rufus snaps a cord on the drum pedal and they squeeze in an extra track, Hot on My Tail, played acoustically whilst the drum is hastily repaired. This pleases the fans who can now boast that they heard an extra track over the fans that saw the matinee show. Battle For Gadgetland is perhaps the weakest track, critically speaking, but Walking Through Fire could be the best and Justin convinces the crowd to do a bit of audience participation – marching as best they can in the confined space. They happily oblige.
They play The Longest Kiss which is the only track that everyone already knows so they do their best to sing along, before Justin ponders what to play next. The fans think that the band is about to tear into some classic tracks, but Justin states that they are only playing new material tonight. Rufus teases the opening drum section from Don’t Let The Bells End. Everyone laughs. They don’t play it. Everyone is sad. It’s Christmas! They end the set with the punk inspired I Hate Myself, and as quickly as they arrived, they are gone.
If you saw them tonight at Rough Trade and want more, or if you’re reading this review wishing that you’d been there, the Dreams On Toast UK headline tour is a run of 17 shows cumulating with a huge night at London’s OVO Wembley Arena on March 29th. And if The Darkness weren’t enough to whet your appetite the guys will be supported by indie-rockers Ash who who first supported The Darkness on their legendary Permission To Land Tour over 20 years ago. I saw Ash at Rock City last year and they were brilliant so that tour is a must have ticket as far as I’m concerned, even if I have to travel to Leicester to see it.
These four guys exude warmth and are full of energy and love for their fans. They’re tremendously talented musicians and despite the humour that runs through almost every song and their jokey demeanour, they’re deadly serious about their craft.
The gig seems to have got a very positive reaction, despite only stretching to around 30 minutes. The new material has clearly impressed the hugely partisan audience, some of whom have travelled a long way to see their favourite glam-rockers.
Here’s current single, I Hate Myself:
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