The Darkness (2)

Leeds Festival 2004 review

By Guy Powell | Published: Thu 2nd Sep 2004

Friday 27th to Sunday 29th August 2004
Bramham Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS23 6ND, England MAP
£105 for weekend (sold out), any day £45 (still available)
Daily capacity: 55,000
Last updated: Wed 4th Aug 2004

In just a year, and with only one album, The Darkness have fought their way to a headlining slot that many bands spend their whole lives striving for. For bands with crazy perms, headlining Reading and Leeds is the pinnacle of their career and a driving force from day one. Yet without a proven track record, The Darkness are here.

There’s a fairly good chance that if The Darkness were out of tune and off their heads that the fans wouldn’t criticise it – a lot of the crowd seem taken by the band in a very “pop” way. The thing is – that’s a shame for Justin and the rest of The Darkness as it gives them a false sense of security at the top – pop can be very fickle.

Playing through all of their material, the crowd eat out of the bands’ hands – as Justin struts around the stage like a peacock you can’t deny that not only are they great musicians but that they are also a well-oiled performance machine. Put simply – the crowd love them and have reason to.

They’re not the future of rock and they’re not going to be future legends – their eventual fall will, sadly, be as swift as their rise. For now, however, The Darkness are a band that muse be seen as they certainly know what they’re doing when it comes to pleasing a crowd.
review by: Guy Powell


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