I don’t know about you but for me, The Darkness’ song ‘Christmas Time’ is as much a part of the festive season as mince pies, The Grinch and copious amounts of mulled wine. So, to prove how much they absolutely adore Christmas and their fans, The Darkness held a one off festive gig at indigo at The O2, called Darknesstival. So many people have asked me how I liked the concert and honestly it’s so hard to put in to words how absolutely AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME it was.
The atmosphere before the show was electric. People had really gone to town on their outfits for this event – there were endless amounts of people wearing band merch tops, ass well as people wearing tinsel and ball balls for accessories. Everyone was truly embracing The Darkness Christmas spirit! After much anticipation, the audience went in to an excited frenzy as the band descended onto the stage. The lead man, Justin Hawkins, leapt on to the stage wearing a gloriously eccentric white and gold sparkly bodysuit and threw himself straight in to the bands first song of the night ‘Black Shuck’.
From the beginning and throughout the show the band had the audience on their feet and very much involved in the show. From impersonating different accents to getting the audience to sing particular lines, the band made sure everyone played a part in the evening. The audience interaction was so electric, that everyone was completely in awe of Hawkins presence. His oozing enthusiasm was so infectious that he kept fans captivated for the whole two and a half hour set. I honestly don’t think I have sung so much in my life!
One of my favourite moments of the show was when the band spiced things up and switched up their instruments for one song only, ‘I Love You Five Times’. Justin played the synthesiser, Frankie played the guitar and Dan played the bass. In doing so they showed the pure musical talent of the whole band; if you didn’t know otherwise, you would be none the wiser that they were not playing their normal instruments.
The whole show was honestly amazing and it seems wrong to say that I had a favourite part. But the end of the gig was so festively brilliant that I can’t help but call it my personal. After the band had performed their most well known track ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’, they left the stage and indigo was suddenly turned into festive extravaganza. The whole stage was covered in lights, decorations and snow. Snow fell from the ceiling! Everyone jumped to their feet in excitement as Hawkins and the band reappeared on stage dressed in inflatable festive outfits to sing their famous Yuletide song ‘Christmas Time’. The venue was filled with so much happiness and festive joy. It truly got everyone in the Christmas Spirit.
The evening came to a close with the band finishing on one of my personal favourites ‘Love On The Rocks’. With everyone up on their feet, Hawkins thanked fans for an incredible evening and for years of endless love and support.
I honestly can’t think of a better gig to have to got me into the Christmas spirit. The Darkness’ performance oozed so much passion. It was truly magical and I am beyond excited for their new upcoming album.
