The Darkness, Wellington NZ, 2022

The Darkness

21st October 2022
The Hunter Lounge, Wellington, New Zealand.

Review by Scott Weaver. Photography by Bruce Mackay.

The Darkness are back. Not that they really ever went away last playing this very venue back in 2017. They’ve knocked out two new albums since then. ‘Easter Is Cancelled’, which due to the pandemic was eerily prophetic, and their latest ‘Motorheart’.

I arrived early to catch the support, Mini Simmons from Auckland. Being unfamiliar with their material I was expecting maybe a small ‘KISS’ influenced ensemble. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find a stylish and charismatic band with similarities to Primal Scream at their blusiest best. They rocked hard, so much so that frontman Zak Hawkins broke his tambourine which then ended up in the crowd.

The Darkness arrived on stage to the sell-out crowd and launched into ‘Motorheart’. The opening riff could have come from many of the NWOBHM bands of the 80’s. The chorus is reminiscent of Queen and if Queen can sing about being in love with their car why not a tune about intimate relations with an android.

The Darkness have been accused of being a bit of a novelty band. However, they are serious talented musicians with fantastic hooks. They just happen to have a sense of humour and inject a healthy dose of fun into their performances.

‘Black Shuck’ off their first album with its AC/DC like riff was next up with the elder Hawkins brother leading the call and response from the crowd. Justin Hawkins is a true renaissance man. He can certainly sing, dance (after a fashion) and he’s no slouch on the old six string. He is also making inroads as a YouTuber. His channel ‘Justin Hawkins Rides Again‘ is well worth checking out. The way he encourages crowd participation throughout the whole gig is yet another of the man’s many talents.

This is not to take anything away from the rest of the band. His brother Dan is the Malcom to Justin’s Angus. Both are phenomenal guitar players. Rufus Tiger Taylor’s drumming was equally impressive, playing with a remarkable amount of energy as expected from his pedigree. And Frankie Poullain may very well be the coolest bass player on the planet.

They play the majority of ‘Permission to Land’, it is a strong album with next to no filler, interspersed with a smattering of bangers from their other six albums. The other two songs from “Motorheart’ went down well with ‘Welcome Tae Glasgae’ in particular travelling better than it had any right to.

When they came to play their massive hit, ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ a member of the crowd was invited to film the entirety of the song from the stage. The crowd all bouncing in unison and happy faces everywhere. The encore was still yet to come.

After a short break with costume changes. They played their festive song,’ Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)’. Remember ‘Mini Simmons’ broken tambourine that ended up in the crowd? A lucky lady from the crowd was invited to provide the sleigh bells with said tambourine.

Final song of the night was an extended rendition of the brilliant ‘Love on the Rocks with No Ice’. This had Justin leave the stage on the shoulders of his guitar tech. He had joined the band for a song on acoustic guitar earlier in the evening. I didn’t catch his name when Justin introduced as one of the most talented guitarists he knows. High praise indeed coming from a man who had just recently performed with Wolfgang Van Halen at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts.

Justin was carried from one side of the venue through the crowd to the other while continuing to play guitar and sing. He couldn’t get his head under the stairs at the right side without dismounting. Climbing back onto stage sans guitar he continued singing without missing a beat until he was reacquainted with his instrument. A consummate professional throughout.

What a frontman, what a band! I’m still smiling.

Were you there at The Hunter Lounge for this high energy rock gig? Or have you seen The Darkness perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Motorheart
2. Black Shuck
3. Growing on Me
4. Welcome Tae Glasgae
5. One Way Ticket
6. It’s Love, Jim
7. Givin’ Up
8. Heart Explodes
9. Barbarian
10. Love Is Only a Feeling
11. Friday Night
12. Japanese Prisoner of Love
13. Solid Gold
14. Get Your Hands Off My Woman
15. I Believe in a Thing Called Love
16. Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End) [encore]
17. Love on the Rocks With No Ice [encore]

_{Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.}

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