Live Review: The Darkness – Motorheart Tour – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

You know it’s nearly Christmas time in the UK when The Darkness are on tour and this year is no exception. Embarking on their ‘Motorheart’ Tour to celebrate the release of their latest album, The Darkness find themselves back in Shepherd’s Bush for two nights of sold-out mayhem. It promises to be a night full of old school rock and merriness so here is everything that went down on night one at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Opening the night on extremely short notice was Kris Barras Band who set up for an acoustic set. This stripped-back performance wouldn’t be without impact however as right from the off ‘Heart On Your Sleeve’ had fans engaged and as the set went on, the room felt electric. Fans were enchanted by ‘Dead Horses’ and found themselves dancing along to the rhythms and singing along to the chorus of ‘My Parade’. Sometimes opening with an acoustic style can really struggle to get the crowd going however this was an exception to the rule, as by the end of the set, the entire room was picking up little phrases and singing along as best they could. On such short notice, Kris Barras Band did an exceptional job!

As the room grew silent, the lights went out and The Darkness was met with a collage of cheers as they shot straight into ‘Welcome Tae Glasgae’. As if by magic, the entire room was entranced and not a single person was idle. Keeping the energy going, ‘One Way Ticket’ saw the crowd singing back at the band with everything they had while ‘Growing On Me’ brought the oomph that The Darkness is known for with their infectious riffs. After such an action-packed start, the band dropped ‘Motorheart’, the title track of their latest album which went down well with the fans even if some of them were not familiar with it.

Following that was a bombardment of hits. ‘Open Fire’, ‘Sticky Situations’ and ‘Givin’ Up’ kept the London crowd engrossed in the performance and the night just seemed to flow smoothly from track to track. ‘It’s Love, Jim’ made the room feel like an old school dance while ‘Black Shuck’ and ‘Heart Explodes’ settled the night down a tad. From here, the night gradually built up to the ultimate climax.

‘Friday Night’ was always going to be a hit with the fans and ‘Get Your Hands Off My Woman’ was the match that lit the fuse known as ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’! The way the entire room sang in unison still gives me goosebumps and it was clear that the fans and the band were loving every moment of it. The band walked offstage and returned dressed in Christmas themed costumes to perform an encore of short renditions of Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ and Cliff Richards ‘Mistletoe & Wine’ before the white confetti shot down from the ceiling as they finished their set with ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)’. One last sing-song to send the London crowed home jolly and merry.

Overall, the entire night was quite the thing to behold. The Darkness still rocks harder than most bands on the circuit now-a-days and it’s clear to see why they have such a devoted fanbase. Everything from the hits to the lesser-known tracks where loud and fans ate up every last bit off it. If you ever get the chance to catch The Darkness live, take it!