Pictures by Scott Smith (03/02/23 - first direct Arena, Leeds)

Words by Amy Gee (04/02/23 - Wembley Arena, London)

My first London gig in ages did not run smoothly! Rail replacement coaches, a hostel booked for the wrong night and the Metropolitan line not running meant by the time I finally got to Wembley stress levels were a little high! I managed to inhale an overpriced, incredibly dry vegan hotdog and get to my seat just in time for darkness to fall on the arena and Danko Jones to thunder on to the stage!

Now don't get me wrong I enjoyed Danko Jones. They were full throttle from the off with loud guitars and heavy, sometimes overbearing bass that felt like it was grinding through to your soul but their sound was a little too generic. They lacked that wow factor, the crowd looked underwhelmed too. They’re quite catchy and I found myself singing along to songs I'd never heard before by the second chorus but they were just missing something to make them stand out.

Despite being Canadian they had an Americana feel with a rock n roll vibe. Their crowd interaction was good although often came across as slightly too self assured. Their noise was big and filled the semi full arena well. The singer kept referring to the gig as the "rock n roll show" which I found kinda funny.

The Drummer was the highlight for me, his drumming was melodic, interesting and he looked like he was having the time of his life!

Their sound varied in tone slightly adding elements of groove rock and grunge but overall tended to be quite samey. While I'd not rush out and buy the whole Danko Jones back catalogue based on their set I would definitely go and watch them again as I know from experience bands you're on the fence about the first time you see them often click if you watch them for a second time. They were a nice opener but failed to really get the crowd psyched up.

Moving on to The Darkness. Now, let's not beat around the bush here. I fully expected to hate them and have unhappy ears throughout BUT they really surprised me. Admittedly I'm still not a fan of Justin Hawkins' shrill high notes which we'll get to later in the review but I was shocked just how much I loved their set.

There was an abundance of glam riffs, larger than life personalities and the most impressive stage show I've ever seen with lights and fire at every opportunity.

The stage was filled with raucous, frantic eccentricities, a montage of musical mayhem and some very impressive scissor jumps!

Playing through the first few songs at full pace Justin thanked the photographers as they were leaving and quipped that they should draw six packs on all of them as that's what Photoshop is there for before turning his attention to someone in the crowd who was trying to talk to him. He throw them a plectrum and then told them to "shut the fuck up".

Launching into 'One Way Ticket' which is a big time, classic rock anthem with screaming guitars and big on stage visuals. I was surprised just how much heat I could feel from the flames sat way back in the arena on the top levels. The people at the front must have been rather toasty!

Justin proceeded to take his shoes and socks off during a break between songs and throw them into the crowd to which the crowd responded by shouting "jeans" he didn't oblige which I was glad about!

At times the set took a turn into something more sinister with an air of dark cabaret about it. That was what struck me about The Darkness; they were so much more than I thought, more than cheesy tongue in cheek Christmas songs and proper authentic rock band with something real to say.

My absolute highlight was 'Solid Gold' a song for anyone who's ever had musical ambition detailing how much the industry leeches off talent with its line "never gonna stop shitting out solid gold" a dig at how you're only somebody when you're making someone else money. It’s a glamorous track, super catchy, big on attitude and highly pretentious which suited its theme well.

Now, we're on to a segment where the crowd loved it but unfortunately I didn't. The overbearing high notes of 'Love Is Only a Feeling' which didn't feel fit the tempo of the rest of the evening, 'Givin' Up' which saw the crowd in full song so I assume it must have been a single and the one I was dreading 'I Believe In a Thing Called Love' nope, nope, nope! Crowd around me jumped to their feet and went crazy but I didn't like it back in 2003 and I still don't! Way too high pitched for me, although I did sing every word! During the set I came to the conclusion as I followed along with the set list from Leeds the night before, I much prefer their newer material where Justin doesn't insist on vocal acrobatics than their "Permission to Land" era.

Prior to playing 'Thing Called Love' Justin told the crowd to put their phones away and take part in the concert they'd paid to attend. Most people obliged but one person near me filmed the entire song which I got incredibly annoyed by. We were sitting so far away I'm sure the recording was shit and they'll probably never watch it!

Finishing on 'Love on the Rocks No Ice" they announced it was their last song but not to worry because it's about 15 minutes long. It was a cacophony of sounds; gritty, bluesy, sludgy, a real array and showcase of what they can do. Perfectly self indulgent with lots of fire, behind the head guitar playing and Justin going right down into the crowd on a motorised trolley thing whilst still playing. It was a confident, pretentious and epic end to what had been a bloody good set!

One observation I did make is they played 7 songs from "Permission to Land" but only 5 across the rest of their back catalogue, I'm hoping it's because the record turns 20 this year and not because they're running their career off past glory.

A between set visit to the little girls room revealed a lot of people leaving after The Darkness which both shocked and saddened me. Why would you pay fifty odd quid to go to a gig and leave half way through. Even if you don't like a band recorded you might enjoy them live as I did with The Darkness.

Anyway, rant aside it was time for Black Stone Cherry, a band I'd not seen live since Hard Rock Calling in 2012 where they blew me away. Since then I've always credited them with being one of the best bands I've ever seen live. I was expecting big things and they didn't disappoint. Although I must confess they've fallen off my radar a lot in the last decade so I was pretty unfamiliar with their newer stuff.

Entering from behind a silver screen to Sam Smith's 'Unholy' they blasted straight into 'Me and Mary Jane' which was electric and saw the crowd in full voice.

Black Stone Cherry are professional and polished while still retaining that raw southern edge. High energy from the off with every song an anthem. The band might be big rock stars playing to 10,000 people but they are humble and thankful which I always appreciate from musicians. It doesn't matter how big they are or get, they're still just a bunch of lads from a small town in Kentucky grateful for the path life's led them down.

They have all the moves and stance from the rockstar imagery of one foot on a platform to classic low to ground head banging. Elevated drums ensured the drummer got a staring roll too!

There were howling riffs, tender moments, catchy hooks and big choruses. I did notice apart from one small pocket of moshers mid crowd everyone was fairly static, fans are clearly getting too old to rock!

'Southcreek' was a blast with the crowd piping up for the "yeah yeah" part. 'Blind Man' comes in with a bit of an industrial feel which features fairly often throughout, spliced with a funky groove before ending on a dirty, doomy finale. The stunning 'In My Blood' brought the pace down with a country twang growing into something more beefy with a bluesy, Americana viibe. It's an epic song to hear live with a darker feel, plodding, pensive with lots of protesting drums before mellowing into the outro.

The reception for new single 'Out of Pocket' was a bit lukewarm with most of the crowd appearing unfamiliar with it despite it having been out a while.

Between songs the band's interaction with the crowd was great. Telling the story of their first time playing the Astora in 2007 when the promoters didn't even know they were coming. They beamed that after 16 years of performing in the UK they couldn't believe people were still coming to watch them. Exclaiming they would never get tired of saying thank you.

My favourite 'Like I Roll' was absolutely perfect, it was incredible in 2012 and it still is now. Chris' voice hasn't matured or changed at all. It's rocky, laid back and sublime. 'Cheaper to Drink Alone' was another highlight with its bold chords, big attitude, killer chorus and catchy hooks. It included an incredible drum solo. So often the guitarists get their moment of indulgence while the drummer gets forgotten so it was nice to see John take centre stage and flex a bit. The solo was mellow then frantic, intense, immense and absolutely mind blowing with lots of impressive drumstick throwing action!

Before 'Things My Father Said' Chris thanked anyone in the crowd who'd watched them at the Royal Albert Hall and received the track so well as it had helped him "get over some stuff". The song has a very different tone, slower, emotional and painful before booming in with the grandeur of the chorus. It was incredibly beautiful and I liked the fact the crowd got to sing a full chorus back to the band. Truly stunning.

The mood was brought back up for 'White Trash Millionaire' and 'Blame it on the Boom Boom' which are great crowd pleasers although they still don't summon many people's inner mosher! I don't think the crowd's energy even came close to matching the bands which was a shame.

I reckon I spent more time watching the bloke near me play the air drums during 'Lonely Train' than I did watching the band! He was having the best time! 'Lonely Train' was gritty, a bit grunge infused and featured lots of mid song drum and guitar acrobatics before kicking into the chorus and then back into musical chaos for the set finale.

Band went off, lots of people left, few half arsed cheers for an encore before they came on to play a cover of ELOs 'Don't Bring Me Down' which was a bit disappointing. I'm not a fan of covers so to have this one end what has been an incredible set was a little underwhelming. I'd rather have had that mid-set and an original to end. The band announced "London you were amazing" before some musical mayhem, then BOOM, gig done!

To summarise it was an incredible gig. Danko Jones didn't rock my world but were pleasant enough on the ear. The Darkness surprised me so much and stole the show in terms of visuals while Black Stone Cherry were everything I knew they would be and more. My only downside, I chose to sit so it was easier to take notes and gigs definitely aren't the same where you're sat on your arse! Next I'll be in my usual gig spot by the barrier!