The Darkness North American Reunion Tour – REVIEW

After a six year hiatus The Darkness came to The Metro in Chicago during their North American Reunion tour. With them also came Foxy Shazam and Crown Jewel Defense. You can check out our review after the break!

With only thirteen dates scheduled, it was beyond words and an absolute pleasure to have Chicago on the list of stops for The Darkness US Tour. The Metro, a classic venue on Clark street in the Wrigleyville district of Chicago undoubtedly sold old within mere days of the announcement that The Darkness would once again be taking stage.

Crown Jewel Defense, a Central California band self-described as ‘pop metal’ opened up the show. Extravagant stripped pants and leather vests donned, body glitter and ‘guyliner’ applied, CJD hit the stage with enthusiasm and prowess. Unfortunately, the Live Gods was not on their side tonight. Technical difficulties plagued much of their opening song as guitars became unplugged and wireless microphones were battery-less. After rebounding from the early hiccups in the set, CJD jumped back on track playing their blend of catchy choruses and straightforward chugging verses without any further issues. Best way I can describe their sound is if pop punk was written by adults (verses the usual skate shoe and New Era hat teens so abundant withing the genre currently) married with the mediocre parts of the 80’s where the line between country and glam rock was thinned. Think Good Charlotte meets more-modern-than-not Bon Jovi, with a splash of Papa Roach radio rock elements. The lead guitarist, whose name I couldn’t catch on account that the band’s wikipedia page has been recently deleted, does proficiently tear out a ripping solo or two. Though, I do feel that the band’s live guitar tone was very suffering and sounded squashed. All in all, I would recommend looking into Crown Jewel Defense if any of the aforementioned bands are your thing as it never hurts to at least check out a new band. Personally, my excitement level peaked at ‘toe tap’.

After a quick set change, Foxy Shazam took stage and dropped all 1100 jaws at once. Taking their name from an idiomatic phrase for ‘cool shoes’ from lead singer Eric Sean Nally’s highschool, Foxy Shazam is an impeccable combination of flamboyant song writing, catchy rock hooks, and pure unadulterated musical charm. Huge room-filling harmonies add warmth and color to over the top musical theatrics. Nally takes complete ownership of every note from middle-C to the highest ivory with an incredible vocal range. Sonic textures are gracefully added in by keyboardist Schuyler White and trumpeter Alex Nauth. Their live show is an absolute display of energy and theatrics. I don’t think I’ve ever seen more impressive mic stand tricks, keyboard stands, and guitar wizardry out of a band that isn’t The Chariot. Opening songs with snippets of Gary Glitter and ending them with Whitney Houston, (coincidentally, the announcement of Ms. Houston’s death was a few hours after Nally completely the chorus of I Will Always Love You at the end of their song Holy Touch). Breaking out into a mid-song jam cools the crowd and slows the pace down for a much needed second or two. Nally calls for drummer Aaron McVeigh to bring the song back in after a highly unorthodox 28-count, then ripping a crash cymbal from its stand and placing it on his head as McVeigh rides it to the end of the song. Being named one of the “100 Bands You Need to Know” but Alternative Press was no mistake. I highly highly recommend checking out Foxy’s latest release The Church of Rock and Roll and thank me later.

“The Darkness is back?!” is the most common reaction I got when I told every single person I knew on Earth that I was going to be seeing them live, in the flesh. And in a venue as small and intimate as The Metro, how could I not brag? A six year hiatus set The Darkness back from touring and writing on account of singer/front man Justin Hawkins admitting to a rehabilitation clinic for health concerns. The Darkness, of course made famous by their first release Permission to Land, selling 720,000 copies domestically and 1.3 million just within the UK. The albums third single “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” became the flagship song and was named number 87 on VH1’s Top 100 Greatest Rock Songs as well as induced more singalongs at parties that I’ve been to than Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. To spare you from a superlative description of what their sound is, all I’m going to say is The Darkness is the definition of what rock and roll should be made of. They are what Spinal Tap could have been if dealt a better hand. Their live show is an off-the-wall circus of wailing guitars, fat Zepplin-like drums, and killer rock vocals. The twin guitar attack was kept alive and well tonight with Justin and brother Dan trading leads back and forth like good brothers should; it had been far too long since I’ve seen someone play a guitar behind their head. Their tone is a prime example of exactly how a Les Paul should sound, and after hearing how well the band played live and how close it sounded to the studio version of the songs proves exceptional musicianship from the Suffolk quintet. Every song, from the set opener Black Shuck, to the very last falsetto note was sung along by the crowd with every bit of emotion as Justin put into each one. Mid set, the new single “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us” swooned the crowd and gave reassurance that the yet to be titled upcoming album due this Spring is going to be just as much of a regalement as the two previous efforts.

You could have fooled me by not calling this a ‘reunion tour’ because The Darkness played as if they haven’t spent a single minute on hiatus. Their stellar performance was everything that I had hoped for after waiting 7/+ years to see them live. Foxy Shazam caught me completely off guard and has shocked and awed their way into my rotation definitely. Crown Jewel Defense certainly has potential and I’m curious to see what they come out with next. To quote Foxy Shazam singer Eric Sean Nally, “I know rock and roll is dead, but that doesn’t mean we can’t dance with its ghost” and what a hell of a dance it was.

Information about the review…
Tour: The Darkness North American Review Tour
Bands: The Darkness, Foxy Shazam, and Crown Jewel Defense
Reviewer: Shaun Andruchuk
Date: February 11, 2012
Venue: The Metro in Chicago, IL