Kevin Bronson on October 28th, 2012

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By Chris McRitchie

U.K. quartet the Darkness often inspires spirited debate over where to draw the line between parody and reality, and what makes a band too cheeky. There was no time for such discussions on Wednesday night at Club Nokia during a show that was broadcast live on AXS TV. Everybody was too busy having fun.

The foursome has an obvious affection for Thin Lizzy, AC/DC and Queen. They wear it on their sleeves like a badge of honor – or, in guitarist Dan Hawkins’ case, on his chest, as he actually sported a Thin Lizzy shirt during the show.) The Darkness came on stage to the “Boys Are Back In Town,” setting the tone for featured blazing Marshall stacks, Les Pauls and Thunderbirds.

• ||| Photos by Carl Pocket

Opening with “Every Inch Of You” off their new album (and first release in seven years) “Hot Cakes,” the band wasted no time kicking the rock into gear. Wearing a white leather racing suit, singer-guitarist Justin Hawkins pranced about the stage like a true rock front man. Engaging the crowd at every opportunity, kicking picks to the fans with his heel, he set a fun tone for the show early in the set.

Bassist Frankie Poullain was dressed in what could’ve been Ace Frehley’s alternate costume from the “Destroyer” tour. With his fro and headband banging, he held the bass and backing vocal duties down while the Hawkins brothers did their thing, which is quite a bit.

Justin let his guitar loose at will, with Dan picking his spots a bit more. Justin put the guitar down from time to time engage in various theatrics – strutting with the mike, leg kicks and even a headstand were all in his repertoire. His falsetto was in fine form. Drummer Ed Graham was solid as rock, keeping things steady when they started to get loosey-goosey, which they did. Maybe it was the pressure of the live broadcast?

At one point, Justin asked “How come things don’t go well when you really want them to?” He was referring to pick-kicking; the rock show was just fine. If you’re not teetering towards the edge, you’re not doing it right.

The songs from “Hot Cakes” sounded great, with “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” “Everybody Have A Good Time,” “Concrete” and “With a Woman” being the standouts. Their version of Radiohead’s “Street Spirit” gives the band instant cred – a metal version if there ever was one. I would like to think that Thom Yorke smiled in private when he first heard their version.

Of course, they played the past hits. “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” and “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” garnered the biggest response of the night. garnering the biggest response of course. I liked the fact that they played “Thing Called Love” in the actual set and didn’t save it for the encore; I thought it showed a true respect for the fans. “One Way Ticket” sounded great, minus the snorting sounds intro from the record.

The Darkness kept the energy high, and the mixed crowd (metal heads in Motorhead jackets, frat bros in button downs, rockers, music geeks and even the long haired dude from TMZ) seemed to get it. Los Angeles is known for its indifferent crowds, and Hawkins pulled out every trick in the book to fire them up. Then again, if you can’t get it going for a front man in a grey striped bodysuit (complete with black leather cod piece and leather string tail), I don’t know what to tell you.