With songs like “Get Your Hands off My Woman” and “Growing on Me,” The Darkness excel at delivering big, bombastic tunes that fully embrace the idea that rock ’n’ roll should be a little ridiculous and unapologetically over the top. Their Friday night show at The Phoenix was no exception.
Yet amidst all the big riffs and rock theatrics, there was still room for a bit of tenderness. Frontman Justin Hawkins – who’s found new life in recent years as a YouTuber with his Justin Hawkins Rides Again channel – took a moment midway through their set to pay homage to Toronto with a solo cover of Ron Sexsmith’s “Secret Heart.” It was a rather well done rendition and a heartfelt tribute to the man who Hawkins referred to as one of Canada’s great songwriters. Though if the rather chatty crowd in my vicinity was any indication, the nod to Sexsmith may have been lost on a lot of the crowd.
The song that followed, however – a loose, somewhat ramshackle rendition of Bryan Adams’s “Summer of ’69”- landed with far more impact, inspiring a mass singalong. It brought to mind that scene in Planes, Trains and Automobiles where Steve Martin’s attempt to lead a group singalong with “Three Coins in the Fountain” falls flat, only for John Candy to swoop in with the much more crowd-pleasing theme from The Flintstones. The Darkness followed up with an even more unexpected bit of CanCon, busting out a cover of Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love.” It was massive, over-the-top, and ultimately, a lot of fun.
Touring behind their latest album, Dreams on Toast, the British rockers delivered a confident, energetic set that showcased both new material and fan favourites. Right before playing “Walking Through Fire” off the new album, Hawkins made a point of asking the crowd how many were familiar with the new stuff (while assuring them that there was no pressure to have done so). After asking for a show of hands, he concluded that “a solid one third” of the audience had heard the new album. Not bad.
Before ending off their main set with “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” and returning to the stage for an encore of “I Hate Myself,” the band did find the time to slip in one more off-the-cuff cover, noodling their way through a bit of the traditional folk number “Greensleeves,” seemingly by fan request. It was an unusual but fun choice that, while unexpected, somehow fit perfectly with the band’s anything-goes attitude — because why not follow a glam rock anthem with an old English folk tune?
