The Darkness at the House of Blues

Cleveland, Ohio
April 24, 2016

• Unique ● Incomparable ● Entertaining ● Engaging ●

The Darkness, a unique and awesome band from the UK

The Concert
I had the good fortune to attend The Darkness concert at the House of Blues in Cleveland as part of the band’s Back in the USSA Tour. Admittedly, I had not listened to The Darkness recently, but was beyond pleasantly surprised. I was completely entertained by the performance, the band’s talent and distinctive sound, and Lead Singer Justin Hawkins’ comedic interaction with the crowd and strong encouragement of audience participation. Several times, Justin passed the microphone to various members of the audience to answer questions, and there were more guitar picks thrown into the crowd than I could count.

From Left to Right: Dan Hawkins, Justin Hawkins, Rufus Tiger Taylor, and Frankie Poullain at HOB, Cleveland

The Band
Hailing from the UK, The Darkness formed in 1999 and produced multiple hits in the 2000s, including I Believe in a Thing Called Love and One Way Ticket to Hell… And Back. In the band’s latest album, Last of Our Kind, you’ll hear Lead Singer Justin Hawkins’ legendary vocal range, accompanied by Guitarist, and Justin’s brother, Dan Hawkins, as well as Bassist Frankie Poullain. On the tour, Drummer Rufus Tiger Taylor joined. Interestingly, Taylor is the son of Queen’s drummer, Roger Taylor.

The Following
To say that The Darkness has quite a dedicated fan base is a complete understatement. It was easy to observe that the fans at the concert were completely enthralled and entranced by the show, and very dedicated to the band. The audience was singing every, single word. Being exposed to the engaging performance coupled with the audience’s noticeable love of the band, I was completely entranced, too.

Oli Brown, RavenEye

The Opening
I would be remiss if I did not mention the opening act, RavenEye, also from the UK. A “power-rock” trio, this band put on one hell of show, complete with fantastic songs and a screaming crowd.

The Reminder
Either we’re trying to fit in, or we’re trying to stand out in some way. Whether or not this is actually the case, I have the impression that the members of The Darkness are simply “doing their thing” and being themselves; not trying to be unconventional or unique, they just simply are. Perhaps a clichéd statement, “be true to yourself” is the message that I found myself receiving from the band’s performance. Most likely, the band did not intentionally send this message, but I heard it nonetheless. Other than the fabulous music, this reminder message was a great takeaway.

Your takeaway? Download Last of Our Kind on iTunes and add The Darkness to your concerts-to-see list. You won’t regret it!