The House of Blues Las Vegas presents… The Darkness with Foxy Shazam and Crown Jewel Defense
Crown Jewel Defense from California opened things early with a short set of their guitar heavy songs that included “Alive Again”. The band brought some home fans with them, and in spite of the early time slot the club was already packed full and the crowd gave them a rowdy welcome as they played through their set and got the night started.
Foxy Shazam then hit the stage in a flurry of twisting and cavorting from vocalist Eric Nally as he and bandmates played a short set knocking out some tunes from their new release and fourth cd The Church of Rock and Roll… If you have never seen Foxy before it is an experience of frantic movement, careening stage show, wailing vocals and guitars, a modern day Mothers of Invention on a diet of pure caffeine. Foxy Shazam played through “Welcome to the Church of Rock and Roll” from the new cd (produced by The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins) and into “Holy Touch”, “The Temple” and “I Like it”. The set may have been somewhat short but the band is loooong on entertainment, nailing “Oh Lord” and “Killin It” before finishing out the show to cheering and crazed fans.
The Darkness had been MIA for the past 6 or so years on the touring scene since the departure of vocalist Justin Hawkins in 2006 and the subsequent hiatus that followed, but now they have a new single just released and a a new cd that is said to be almost complete, and he band is now back with all original members hitting the states and reestablishing their place on the scene with sold out shows , as fans clamor to see the band and hear live their fave songs from the Darkness roster and what the band has in store for us next.
The crowd at House of Blues Vegas exploded when The Darkness came into view and slammed right into “Black Shuck”, with singer Hawkins decked out in red, white and blue leather and taking over the stage as the fans went wild. The Darkness covered a ton of ground with “One Way Ticket”, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us”, “Best of Me” and right into “Get Your Hands Off My Woman Motherf**ker”” as the crowd chanted along to the chorus and things got heated up. Joined by guitarist and brother Dan Hawkins, bassist Frankie Poullain and drummer Ed Graham pounding out the back , Hawkins ripped through the guitar solos and surfed the crowd as the fans carried him all the way around the room (still playing) before he jumped back on stage and the band tore through “Love is Only A Feeling”, ‘Is It Just Me”, “Street Spirit” and more. Wait, did he change clothes? New threads and more music with “Givin’ Up” and “Stuck in a Rut” before finishing the long set with the long awaited “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” as the place went crazy and everyone attempted to sing along before the song ended and the band left the stage.
Chanting followed and the band returned for an encore of “Bareback” and “Love on the Rocks With No Ice” before the lights went down on a phenomenal show. The Darkness will continue with some big festival dates this summer and you can get more bandand tour info, and download the new single “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us” at theactualdarkness.com.
