When I first saw this gig
announced I thought I need to go as I really have got into Black Stone Cherry
in the last few years. Then with it being a joint headline tour with the
Darkness, I thought Craig P and Campbell would also be into this as they like
the Darkness and Campbell likes Black Stone Cherry. So, they were up for
it too. Unfortunately, Craig P couldn't make it to this one in the end.
But parkrun buddy Craig could make it so the three of us descended on the OVO
Hydro having demolished our tea at Clyde Built before the gig got under way.
Danko Jones was the support. A 3-piece rock band from Canada who fitted the bill perfectly. The lead singer was very charismatic and engaged the audience well. I think they were on for about 30 minutes but had a jam-packed set which set the scene well for The Darkness.
I think most people in the UK will have heard of The Darkness after their big hit "I believe in a thing called love" and some other singles too. They never really hit the heights I expected after that, but they are still going and judging by tonight’s performance pull out all the stops to produce a great show. There was fire and lead singer Justin Hawkins not only displaying his fine vocal range but also his acrobatic skills (at one point he did a headstand). One of those sets you go away from and think "They have more good songs than I thought".
The Darkness were on for just
over an hour. Then there was a half hour break then over to Black Stone Cherry
to finish off the night. I really enjoyed their set as they plunged
through all their hits including my personal favourite "Blind
man". Interestingly they only played one song off their latest album
"Human Condition" but it has been out since 2021 so this is really
the tail end of that album cycle. Also, this gig is not purely for Black
stone cherry fans. Sure, there would have been fans of both fans here
tonight but also there was an opportunity for the bands to expose their music
to the other bands fans. So, you want to play all your big hits in order
to do this and also slightly shorter sets than solo headline tours.
Overall, another cracking night which was enjoyed by all.
