Glam metal legends The Darkness came to Los Angeles on March 15th and set the El Rey Theatre ablaze. This was just a few dates into a massive 34-date North American tour that takes them to the west coast, the midwest, the southwest, the south, and finally the east coast.
The story of The Darkness begins with their 2003 album Permission to Land. It hit number one in the UK charts and produced many memorable singles – none bigger than karaoke classic “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”. Since then, the group has released six albums; their most recent being 2021’s Motorheart.
Motorheart and Permission to Land made up the bulk of the setlist Tuesday night, providing a nice clash of old classics and new bangers. They opened with “Welcome Tae Glasgae”, the first track on their new album, and an absolute 3-minute ripper. It was a great way to engage the audience immediately. From there they raced through a couple Permission to Land tracks and still managed to touch on favorites from the other 4 albums.
The crowd at the El Rey knew their stuff. Looking around, you could see those in the pit mouthing the words, playing air guitar, and banging their head along to every tune. Having such pulsing rock music in a classically gorgeous venue was a beautiful and hilarious juxtaposition.
The Darkness came back for an encore and everyone knew the one song they HAD to play: the now 20-year-old all time classic “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”. The place went crazy; the falsettos even crazier. It was a sight to see all these fans rock out who’ve been around since the early 2000s.
The Darkness continue their tour on the west coast and into the rest of North America through March into April. Full list of dates below:
Mar 16: The Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA
Mar 17: Roseland Theater Portland, OR
Mar 18: The Showbox Seattle, WA
Mar 20: Vogue Theatre Vancouver, CAN
Mar 22: The Palace Theatre Calgary, CAN
Mar 23: Union Hall Edmonton, CAN
Mar 25: The Park Theatre Winnipeg, CAN
Mar 26: Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
Mar 28: The Rave/Eagles Club Milwaukee, WI
Mar 29: The Majestic Theatre Detroit, MI
Mar 30: Park West Chicago, IL
Apr 01: Pop’s Nighclub & Concert Venue Sauget, IL
Apr 02: The Truman Kansas City, MO
Apr 03: Granada Theater Dallas, TX
Apr 05: Mohawk Austin, TX
Apr 06: Warehouse Live Houston, TX
Apr 08: Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, TN
Apr 09: The Masquerade Atlanta, GA
Apr 10: The Beacham THeatre Orlando, FL
Apr 12: The Ritz Ybor Tampa, FL
Apr 13: Culture Room Fort Lauderdale, FL
Apr 15: Neighborhood Theatre Charlotte, NC
Apr 16: Jergel’s Rhythm Grille, Warrendale, PA
Apr 18: Webster Hall New York, NY
Apr 19: Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, CAN
Apr 20: Town Ballroom Buffalo, NY
Apr 22: Asbury Lanes Asbury Park, NJ
Apr 23: Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, PA
Apr 24: Royale Boston, MA
Photos and Review by Andrew Ameter | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!
