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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".
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| 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).
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| 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.
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