The Darkness
Special Guests: BAD NERVES
Venue: Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow.
Date: 11th December, 2023.
Review & Photos By: Dave Buchanan
I believe (in a thing called love) that I categorically should have seen The Darkness live by now. But no. I even bought Permission to Land in one of them real record stores, all those years ago, (I’m not saying how many years ago, in an effort to make me feel less ancient), and yet, our timelines have somehow never crossed. This year, however, has been absolutely packed with great tours travelling through Scotland, so when The Darkness announced the Permission to Land anniversary tour, I just knew I had to be there to see it in person. It’s an album that holds up exceptionally well, despite it being released 2 decades ago, and I only hoped that the boys would put on a performance of a lifetime to make it worth the wait. But first, to tonight’s only support band, BAD NERVES!
BAD NERVES
Essex Power Pop Punks, BAD NERVES, had the daunting task of opening to a sold out room of Darkness fans. But, with absolutely no apprehension in sight, BAD NERVES took to the stage and charged through their 30-minute set with all the confidence in the world. Bringing in the old with the new, BAD NERVES have a heady blend of classic 70s punk nostalgia, à la The Ramones, with a newer, more hooky streak more akin to something like The Strokes or Wine Lips. Not a new blend of sounds, per se, but the band made it look effortless, and delivered their set of 2-minutes bangers (synchronised split jumps included) with plenty of welly.
The songs kept coming thick and fast, with not much more than a 4-count in between tracks. New single, USA, went down a treat, with one particular fan giving chants of “U.S.A.!” before the track even started. They brought their set to a close with the one-two punch of the catchy, yet equally furious, Mad Mind, and debut album closer, Dreaming.
OK, you could argue it’s nothing you haven’t heard other bands try before, but goddammit, do these Essex boys know how to write a hook! BAD NERVES execute their desired style incredibly well, and the tracks are bitesize enough to not overstay their welcome, but potent enough to get stuck in your head for days after 
(3.5 / 5)
The Darkness
With absolutely no introduction needed, The Darkness take to the stage looking like they are right at home, and open their set with an open love letter to the crowd – Welcome Tae Glasgae! And then, it was time for Permission to Land, in full.
The blitzkrieg of riffs and falsetto vocals began by initially mirroring the album, and a three-way delight of Black Shuck, Get Your Hands Off My Woman and Growing on Me thundered through the Barrowlands PA system. Now, you’d think that those three absolute stone-cold bangers would unquestionably lift the energy in the room, right?…it seems Glasgow needed a touch more foreplay tonight. Justin tries his best to evoke a response by giving the Edinburgh crowd, from a few nights earlier, plenty of praise for their energy, to which the Glasgow crowd responded accordingly *cue the boos*.
The set continues with a slightly alternative running order, but one that allowed the band to hold back on dropping bigger tracks like I Believe in a Thing Called Love until later in the set. A clever move. But hey, these guys are professionals. Outwith the mighty Permission to Land in full, we’re treated to a very metal version of Radiohead’s Street Spirit, and a snippet of Led Zep’s Immigrant Song. And no show in December would be complete without their 2003 Christmas hit, Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)!
The band sound incredible throughout, never missing a beat, with Justin’s incredible range, and charismatic stage banter, second to none. Special shoutout goes to percussive powerhouse Rufus Taylor behind the kit, though, making sure each song sits perfectly in the groove, keeping the band steady as a rock.
After a quick costume change (into silk robes), the band give us an encore of a very different version of I Love You 5 Times, with Dan on drums, Frankie on acoustic guitar, Rufus on bass and guitar tech Ian Norfolk on keys. It all gets a bit too comical for some, and a bellow of “What a load of shite!” passes by, as a few fans exit. I mean, it’s a fucking Darkness show?!? Did they not expect a bit of tomfoolery?
The night is brought to a close with one of the albums longer tracks, Love on the Rocks with No Ice. A track that provides plenty of rock n’ roll swagger from the band, including some killer solo work. But Justin Hawkins doesn’t do anything by halves…he proceeded to climb onto the shoulders of a security guard to do a round-trip of the venue, whilst still shredding on guitar to the closing track. A great close to a great night. Yeah, the crowd could have been more enthusiastic at points, but that didn’t prevent the band rockin’ out at full force for an hour and 40 minutes.
I get the feeling that The Darkness don’t plan on slowing down any time soon, and would highly suspect they’ll be back at the Barrowlands to celebrate Permission to Land on its next anniversary. I, for one, will happily watch them do it all over again…nae bother! 
(4.5 / 5)
