Darkness Spreads Across The Land

[PoolMan]

Yeah, didn't the guy say something like "we deserve to win this because we ARE the best band"? Yikes.

We all have different tastes in music, and you guys can like whatever you want to like, but I'm pretty content to listen to something else.

[Robert]

Lets face it, they only made the new category 'Best in Rock' to give the Darkness an award.

On a similar note...did anyone watch the NME awards?

Something along the lines of 'Musical Innovation Award' goes to....Dizzy Rascal? Who the hell?

[Chris C]

Yes they do really realy suck. They are warping the minds of youth today into thinking they have discovered rock and roll.

[dajaymann]

First heard 'em yesterday. And it sucked. Reminded me of Spacehog if you added the guitarist from Poison to their lineup.

[PoolMan]

Hahahahaha... YES. That is 100% correct, sir. Perfect analogy.

[Uber]

Well, The Darkness came through Houston on Easter Sunday, so being the curious person that I am, I decided to head out to see them with two of my fellow CCB compadres. The show was opened by another UK band, The Wildhearts. They were quite good, if a little harder than my usual fare. Their song "Beautiful Thing You" had a great hook to it, and sounded a lot like a hard rocking Beatles tune with the harmonization of the band's voices. A good opener to the show, that unfortunately many of the kiddies in the audience just didn't appreciate.

The Darkness themselves did a great job with the crowd. I had bought their CD a few months back, and freely admit that it's nothing new. The music is fairly pedestrian, the guitar work uninspired, and sometimes the falsetto just got on my nerves. But I had heard good things about this band's live shows. Being that this was their first time through Houston (an admittedly cynical city when it comes to musical acts), they had to put on a spectacular show or risk the apathy of the crowd. They didn't disappoint. The music was just as I expected it. Unfortunately, they didn't branch out from their CD but a few times. I was actually hoping for a Rod Stewart cover, as he was in town the same night just a few blocks away. But sadly, it was not to be. Up until now, you may think I didn't like the show, and you're wrong. If there is one thing that this band has going for it, it's the showmanship. Justin Hawkins hearkens back to the heydays of David Lee Roth, Freddy Mercury, Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler and other over-the-top frontmen. Is he being original? Not really. But he gave the crowd what they wanted.

Speaking of the crowd, my compadres and I had expected the crowd to be about 60% kiddies and 40% older folks who remember the heydays of the bands that The Darkness emulate. We were really off on that estimate, as it turned out to be about 90% kiddies, most of whom weren't even old enough to have seen Poison live in their heyday, much less Van Halen or Queen. I admit that, at 26 years old, I fall somewhere in between the two target demographics. However, I felt I had a lot more in common with the older crowd, as I could actually understand where this band was coming from. The real danger is the kiddies who attended the show thinking that it was something new and original. Sadly, we burst the bubble of a few folks around us talking about the forerunners of this style.

In the end, it was a very good show. I felt entertained. Was it something I had never seen before? No. But it was something I couldn't get from most of the other rock groups out there nowadays.

Now only 5 more months until the Phil Collins concert....

[DocD83]

By "kiddies," do you mean teens and under? I'm no longer technically a teen but I still find it annoying when people call them children.

[PoolMan]

You'll probably feel different in your late twenties.

Just sayin'.

[DocD83]

Yeah, I kinda doubt that. They're no longer kids in my book if they can knock somone up (or be knocked up).

At any rate, I think "kiddies" is a bit pandering no matter the age, but for all I know it could be a common thing in Texas so I only complained on the teen's behalf.

[PoolMan]

I agree the term "kiddy" is a lot pandering, but I don't change what I said. You'll feel differently later.

[DocD83]

Ask me again in 6 or 8 years...if MRFH is still around...I bet I won't change much in that regard.

Now what I'll bet is another matter.

[Uber]

Kiddies is a term used in my running circles as a person with little or no experience, not necessarily denoting an age. I'm still called a kiddie by some people in these circles.

However, in this specific case, the kiddies in question were mostly teenagers. Sorry, I don't mean to offend. And yes, I agree with Pooly in that you might just feel differently in a few years. But who knows?

[PoolMan]

DocD83 said:

Ask me again in 6 or 8 years...if MRFH is still around...

"If"? "IF"?!? ;)

The reason I say that, Doc, is that at every age from 10 on up, people think they're completely grown up and matured. This is particularly true of teenagers. I know when I graduated from high school I considered myself an adult.

This is in no way an insult to anyone here when I say: it just ain't so.

You will always look at those who are aged a few years behind you and roll your eyes at their inexperience or their naivete. Doesn't make them bad or incomplete people, just means that they're not done growing. I'm 27, and I'm not done growing. I'm sure some grizzled future version of myself will look back at PoolMan Age 27 and think "God, he had it easy. No kids, no mortgage, and he wrote whenever he wanted to for that damn Mutant page. Sissy.". Which is similar to what I think of myself at age 22, when I thought exactly the same thing of myself at age 17.

The nice part is that when you're younger, you're enjoying different things. Not better, not worse, just different. So always just be happy with what you've got.

Eh. I forget what I was talking about.

[Hucklebubba]

DocD83 said:

Yeah, I kinda doubt that. They're no longer kids in my book if they can knock somone up (or be knocked up).

Reproductive capability denotes maturity? I beg to differ, sir. A lot.

[Head Mutant]

If?

You have no faith.

And that is why you fail.