The Darkness at Bristol Beacon (24.3.2025) with special guests Ash.
Despite owning just one Darkness record – the 2003 album Permission to Land, 99p from an Oxfam shop in Poole – this is now my fifth time of seeing them live. Rocking entertainment every time. Tonight’s gig is just 15 months on from my last Darkness gig here at the Beacon blogged here.
Once again, aside from the opportunity that gig buddy Plymouth Dave presented, the support act gave it the extra appeal to lure me to Bristol. Last time new boys Bad Nerves and this time a return to the boards of Ash, old favourites of mine back across the turn of the century, to sound old.
We are in for the end of the soundcheck, a Q&A session, stage set up tour with the added touring band member and a pic beforehand. There about 20 people in for that and one lucky chap gets to play guitar with the band for a song of his choice – he was brilliant.
Special guests, Ash, from Northern Ireland, are still the original three from their 1992 formation: main man Tim Wheeler on vocals and usually with his distinctive Flying V guitar; Mark Hamilton on bass and Rick McMurray on drums and backing vocals.
From our front of side balcony perch I recorded a few songs on my pocket zoom camera, including the new single, a cover of Jump In The Line – link is to my You Tube channel.
The other was, by chance, another newer one: Braindead from the last album Race the Night (2023). I tend to just try to record a couple if it’s easy and unobtrusive and leave it if I mess up or bodies walk passed etc. Justin Hawkins gave a briefer speech and dressing down of phone waving video takers than he did last time but I thought I’d just stick with a few Ash ones if he didn’t like it…it’s his ball.
The official Ash video of Jump in the Line is pretty sensational – best band video I’ve seen in ages. Take a look: Jump in the Line official video on YouTube.
With eight studio albums to choose from, there are so many songs and not enough time but I sense that Ash may be testing the water for a headline return.
Free All Angels, their second album is the one I got most familiar with and Burn Baby Burn and Shining Light are great to hear live again. Debut LP 1977 was the source of four of their nine song set tonight, Girl From Mars the highlight.
They seem so much rockier than I remember – powerful drumming, ripping guitar and that loud and clear bass you get from a three piece band.
Brief but thoroughly enjoyable and a big crowd, in early, to appreciate it on this Monday night.
The Darkness
This tour accompanies the release of the new album Dreams on Toast, with associated baked beans imagery merchandise. The set includes six songs from the new LP but there is still room for five from my only Darkness recording, Permission to Land. This is an obvious personal bonus.
Justin Hawkins is just so smart, so witty and so talented. Every time I’ve seen them he seems to be in control of the audience. He’s not averse to just stopping mid-song to comment on something or someone in the audience.
He has the audience chanting about the QR code to download an extended version of the new album and mock marching to either side of the hall.
Tonight he’s in all white and, after acknowledging he has been a bit ill, launches into extended speculation as to whether the crowd wanted to see him ‘shit himself’ on stage. He didn’t.
Amid the antics the show absolutely rocks. Great guitars with thunderous energy coming from Rufus Taylor on drums (Queen’s Roger Taylor’s son, in case you didn’t know). He is one of the best and gets off the kit to lead the vocals on a few songs.
Last couple of songs of the main set are crowd pleasing belters – Friday Night and I Believe in a Thing Called Love. They return to cheers with two songs from the new album which is perhaps a surprising way to end but smiling faces as we all shuffle out afterwards.
[If anyone fancied a recording of the gig, downloads were made available for £5, here on The Darkness website.]
Gigs with Ivan 