The Darkness at The Glass House Oct. 9 photo: Lauren Ratkowski
Lead vocalist, Justin Hawkins began the night in a flashy black and white striped suit.
He ended it in his underwear.
With the temperature hovering close to 90 degrees Friday night at The Glass House in Pomona, British rockers The Darkness powered through the opening show of their first North American tour since 2012.
The absence of an opening act did little in hampering the mood of the crowd and as soon as the band graced the stage all was well.
The Darkness, comprised of Hawkins, his brother Dan (lead guitar), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Rufus Taylor (drums), got things started off with a lively performance of “Barbarian”, the opening track of the group’s latest album Last of Our Kind.
At the conclusion of the song, Hawkins began to slowly peel off his shirt in acknowledgement of the stifling heat.
“It’s fucking hot in here isn’t it?” Hawkins declared. “We are the mother fucking Darkness!”
Hawkins’ colorful onstage antics alone would be well worth the price of a ticket. His vigorous energy and over the top dance moves are not only entertaining but at times downright hilarious. There could’ve been a dozen people in the audience and you get the feeling he still would have brought the same fire and tenacity to his performance. As a front man, Hawkins understands his role and runs with it.
Even when he draws a mental blank and forgets the lyrics, as was the case with one of the band’s newest songs “Roaring Waters”, Hawkins managed to turn the potentially awkward situation into a humorous one.
“What’s the first line?” Hawkins asked the crowd. “I recently turned 28 so it might be my age.”
Complementing the band’s boisterous guitar solos and soaring falsettos was an effectively produced light show consisting of a wide range of different colors.
The Darkness concluded the main set with “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” arguably their most well known song. Following a brief five-minute break, the band returned to the stage for a three-song encore performance.
While Hawkins reappeared for the encore dressed in a plain white t-shirt, he quickly shed it along with his pants by the start of the final song of the night “Love on the Rocks With No Ice.”
Extending the song well beyond its six minute track listing, Hawkins hopped onto a movable platform and pointed to a member of the stage crew who subsequently pushed him through the crowd. Donning nothing more than a pair of boxer shorts, Hawkins marked the end of the show with what was surely a first, and possibly last, for many in the audience–a wandering underwear guitar solo.