Michelle Shiers on April 14th, 2016

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Riverside was the fifth stop in The Darkness’ “Back To the USSA” tour, and once the U.K. quartet took the stage, they came out running.  Frontman Justin Hawkins noted that the management advised them to cancel the show due to somewhat light ticket sales but he retorted, “We will put on the show of their lives and Riverside will rock out accordingly! So fuck you and fuck your cancellation!”

And they certainly lived up to their promise.

They opened their set with “Barbarian” from 2015’s “Last Of Our Kind” and then back in time to “Growing On Me” from 2003’s debut “Permission To Land.”  By the third song, a young fan was hoisted up and instructed to yell “This is a fucking mudslide!” into the mic. The excited youngster was also gifted Hawkins’ medallion necklace.

Known for their rock theatrics and Hawkins’ operatic falsetto wail, the Darkness strutted through song after song, fans at the front throwing their arms up each time the frontman pranced at the stage edge.  Whatever space was left from a few missing bodies was filled with the Darkness’ inherently outsized performance.  At one point, Hawkins explained that it was bassist Frankie Poullian’s birthday and lead the audience in a rendition of “For He’s a Jolly Good fellow,” later learning that he was two days too early. Still, the fans didn’t mind any excuse to sing along.

||| Photos by Michelle Shiers

The Darkness were backed by large light fixtures, occasionally spelling out four letter words that highlighted steely solos and campy showmanship.  Hawkins, gesticulating like the Jim Carrey of glam-rock, was as long-winded talking between songs as he was belting out his high notes while folding the set list into a paper airplane to fly at the loudest fan.  They moved through “Stuck In a Rut” from their debut, followed by everyone bouncing as Hawkins explained, “The ideal thing for me is if I can just see everyone bouncing, even before the music starts. Dave! Cast light upon the bouncers! This is wonderful. But be aware that if you’re not bouncing I can see that you’re not bouncing.”

That set the audience up for closing slingshot hit “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” with the whole of the floor becoming their unhinged 2003 selves. The band returned for an encore finally ending the night with “Love On The Rocks With No Ice.” Despite the heat and sweat radiating from the stage, it was refreshing to find that the Darkness still don’t take themselves too seriously as they continue to resurrect and imprint on the shining pomp-rock some of us have come to know and shamelessly love.

The Darkness were supported by like-minded U.K. glam-rock trio RavenEye.