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With three costume changes, audience sing-a-longs and a triumphant procession over the shoulders of the crowd, the only thing missing from this homecoming gig was a cry of "he's behind you".
 | | Justin in outfit number one |
It may not be Lowestoft, but The Darkness treat any stage like their life-long home. This concert was meant to be a return to The Darkness's original stamping ground, but a lack of suitable venues in Lowestoft saw it pushed ten miles up the road into Great Yarmouth.
The home fans were out in force though, including staff and pupils from Kirkley High School, the alma mater of Justin and Dan Hawkins and drummer Ed Graham.
You know you've made it when you can get your ex-teacher singing falsetto obscenities to a crowd of hundreds. And your grandmother. And the rest of the audience. Swearing: it's big, and it's clever kids.The set covers most of the platinum-selling debut album, Permission to Land, as well as an outing for the forthcoming Christmas single, Xmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End).
 | | Dan, a rock guitar master |
Criticism of The Darkness has focused on their reverence or reliance on rock giants such as AC/DC and Thin Lizzy, and the music certainly pays homage to those behemoths.
But accusations of irony or a tongue-in-cheek attitude are unfounded. The Darkness's enthusiasm for poodle-haired, leather-jacketed rock is genuine, even if it does occasionally verge on self-parody.
Admittedly, the lighters are being waved. Admittedly, Justin requires three Spandex catsuits in one evening, but it's their showmanship which lifts them above your average rock band. The Darkness acknowledge how ludicrous and pompous rock can be, but go ahead and do it anyway. Two encores and several catsuits later, the audience of competition winners and invited guests leave the Marina Centre, ears ringing.
Rock is dead. Oh no it isn't.
Disclaimer: All photographs are credited to Oli Moorman and are copyright of BBC Suffolk. The reproduction of them in any form is strictly prohibited. See BBC Terms and Conditions. |
