Tag: The Darkness

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2012: A Year In Pictures, October and December

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Johnny Hallyday, Beacon Theater, Oct. 7, 2012
 
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Blake Mills, Terminal 5, New York, NY, Oct. 16, 2012
 
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Fiona Apple, Terminal 5, New York, NY, 0ct. 16, 2012
 
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Fiona Apple, Terminal 5, Oct. 16, 2012
 
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Beast Patrol, The Studio at Webster Hall, October 19, 2012
 
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Alex Greenwald and Z Berg, JJAMZ, The Studio at Webster Hall, Oct. 19, 2012
 
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Alex Greenwald and Michael Runion, JJAMZ, The Studio at Webster Hall, Oct. 19, 2012
 
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Sweatheart, Terminal 5, New York, NY, Oct. 22, 2012
 
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The Dirty Pearls, Terminal 5, New York, NY, Oct. 22, 2012.
 
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Justin Hawkins / The Darkness, Terminal 5, New York, NY, Oct. 22, 2012
 
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Jeffertitti’s Nile w/ Father John Misty, Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, Oct. 24, 2012
 
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Katy Goodman, La Sera, Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, Oct. 24, 2012
 
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Father John Misty, w/ Jeffertitti, Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, Oct. 24, 2012
 
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Lindi Ortega, Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY, Oct. 26, 2012
 
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Mike Ness, Social Distortion, Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY, Oct. 26, 2012
 
Apparently I didn’t go to any shows in November, either.
 
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Sheena Ozzella, Lemuria, Webster Hall, New York, NY, Dec. 2, 2012
 
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Ceremony and stage diver going in to the pit, Webster Hall, New York, NY, Dec. 2, 2012
 
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Titus Andronicus, Webster Hall, New York, NY, Dec. 2, 2012
 
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Animal Collective, Terminal 5, Dec. 5, 2012
 
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Casey Neill, 68 Jay Street Bar, Brooklyn, NY, Dec. 8, 2012
 
IMG_8261 A small fraction – there are nine of them! – of Industries of the Blind, Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY, Dec. 21, 2012

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2012: A Year In Pictures: Dec. 2011- March 2012

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A series of highlights, as well as a chronological accounting.

At the beginning: shows I went to after I had completed last year’s year-end roundup but before the end of the year.

 
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Naked Fiction, Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 30, 2011
 
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we are the Last Men On Earth, Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, Dec. 30, 2011
 
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Pollux, Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, Dec. 30, 2011
 
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Wounded Lion, Brick & Mortar, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 31, 2011
 
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White Fence, Brick & Mortar, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 31, 2011
 
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Fresh & Onlys, Brick & Mortar, San Francisco, Dec. 31, 2011
 
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Thee Oh Sees, Brick & Mortar, San Francisco, Dec. 31, 2011
 
And now, 2012, starting my first show of the year at the Lakeside Lounge:
 
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Mud, Blood & Beer, Lakeside Lounge, NY, NY, January 5, 2012
 
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Crown Jewel Defense, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 4, 2012
 
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Foxy Shazam, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 4, 2012
 
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Justin Hawkins, The Darkness, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 4, 2012
 
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The Darkness, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 4, 2012
 
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Built By Stereo, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 17, 2012
 
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TESLA, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 17, 2012
 
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Iridesense, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, March 10, 2012
 
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Saw Doctors, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, March 10, 2012
 

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Postcards from the Pit: The Darkness / The Dirty Pearls / Sweatheart, 10/22/12

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This show fell into the time period I refer to as “Halloween or Tuesday?”, in which, due to New York’s ah, vibrant populace, it is sometimes hard to tell if the person / group of people wearing what appear to be costumes are on their way to/from a Halloween party, or if they customarily rig themselves out in, say, top-hats, tails and corsets just to make a quick run up to the store.

So when Sweatheart came out in their vaguely Medieval-looking outfits, you could probably see the Hmmm thought bubble floating above the crowd. I wasn’t really sure but was willing to come down on the side of Halloween. (I was also wondering what The Darkness would come up with as Halloween costumes.)

As soon as the next band came on, though, it became apparent that we were not at a Halloween show, and snakeskin bodystockings, furry cuffs and monk robes were just Tuesday for Sweatheart. (Or Sunday night, as the case may be.) I appreciate that kind of ridiculousness in a band. They had excellent tunes, too, raunchy and hilarious in equal measure and driven by big crunchy riffs. And to top it all off they had a puppet playing the keyboards:
 

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The Dirty Pearls were next, and they swung the pendulum back a hair or two in the direction of Very Serious Heavy Metal. They also had great tunes, including a particularly good ballad. (Heavy metal love songs are my weakness, yes they are.)
 
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And then it was time for The Darkness. I really love The Darkness. They have all of the things I love(d) about glam metal – sing along choruses, shredding, big riffs, ridiculous outfits – and they manage to, I don’t know – revive? celebrate? acknowledge? – the genre in a way that’s playful, knowing, and funny but not mocking. Attending their show is a genuine joy, from overhearing serious discussions about Poison in the line to joining the crowd in singing along to a A Thing Called Love.
 
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Video: Valentine’s Day Grab Bag

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Because we’ve all got that one, you know the one I mean: it never works but you always want to think it will. And they always know exactly when to call.

Joshua Kadison Jessie LIVE

 

Sometimes it goes so, so well, for a while:

http://youtu.be/0peTfMOdDoo

 

Other times, you end up going all the way down the rabbit hole:

Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

 

When it finally crashes and burns, you have to remember, you are still a rock star, with rock moves:

 

Though not everyone is so into all that DRAMA.

BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL - THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS ( Complete Original Video )

 

Though, okay, maybe a LITTLE bit of drama is fine:

Joshua Kadison - Painted Desert Serenade

 

Just enough to get your pulse going:

Nicki Minaj - Super Bass

 

And maybe lead to shenanigans in public:

John Legend - P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)

 

Especially if it ends  happily ever after:

Christina Perri - Arms [Official Music Video]

 

Because against all odds and in defiance of experience and good sense, I do believe in a thing called love:

THE DARKNESS - I Believe In A Thing Called Love [Hammersmith. Nov 2011]

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Postcards from the Pit: The Darkness / Foxy Shazam / Crown Jewel Defense, Irving Plaza, 2/4/2012

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This past Saturday night I went to the third show of The Darkness’ current North American tour, which is their first visit to these shores after a six year hiatus. It was an amazing evening; one of the many highlights of my time in the pit was the multiple occasions the dudes around me started air-guitaring along with the band.

The setlist was a mixture of old and new songs, and included the entirety of their first record, Permission to Land. Highlights: One Way Ticket, Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us, Get Your Hands off My Woman, Love Is Only A Feeling, Everybody Have a Good Time and, of course, in I Believe In a Thing Called Love. If the new tunes are anything to go by, the record they’re working on right now is going to be a banger. I can’t wait to hear the rest of it.

And now, some pictures, starting with the first opener, Crown Jewel Defense, who have a record out.

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Next up was Foxy Shazam, who have become somewhat ubiquitous (omnipresent?) in my concert-going adventures in the last couple of years or so.

The first time I saw them was during their own headlining tour, where the first show I attended concluded with Eric Nally literally half-naked and swinging from the lighting rig on the ceiling.

But more recently I’ve caught them as an opening act for Panic! at the Disco and Courtney Love. In all instances, they have put on a SHOW (all caps totally appropriate) and the audience reacted with either enthusiasm or bafflement (Panic!) or else just plain bafflement (Courtney Love).

This time around, they won over a restive crowd within one song. The dudes around me especially appreciated Eric Nally sticking his head into the drums, and also his mid-song headstand. (I’m fond of that move myself.) I got approximately three decent pictures of them, though at this point I think all y’all know what they look like.

Anyway, here is a Eric Nally singing while bathed in moody green light:
 
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And then it was time for The Darkness. Here was where everyone (including me) really got going and started jumping, singing, and waving their hands in the air. There were one or two crowd-surfers, and at the end, someone on the balcony climbed down onto a riser and jumped into the crowd. It was complete chaos, and it was glorious.
 

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IMG_5003Justin Hawkins and Frankie Poullain

 

IMG_5020Dan Hawkins, Ed Graham is behind those drums, and Justin Hawkins

 

IMG_5022Dan and Justin Hawkins jamming out on the drum riser.

 

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Justin Hawkins playing his guitar behind his head.

 

IMG_5039Dan Hawkins, Ed Graham is (still) behind those drums, and Justin Hawkins.

 

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IMG_5049And then Justin Hawkins took his jacket-shirt thing off.

 

IMG_5051The tattoo on his stomach says “Lowestoft”, which is where they are from. It’s a town on the east coast of England, and Wikipedia tells me it’s also the most easterly point in England.

 

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I just like this one. Isn’t his moustache dashing?

 

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He donned a special fancy hat for Holding My Own.

 

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I think this costume change happened while I was trying to avoid being trodden upon by glamazons.

 

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The new costume again in color, because I like the purple light in this one.

 

Every once in a while I get a shot that I think “now that is a damn beautiful picture of [insert name here]” in an almost abstract way, as if I had just stumbled over it and not, you know, taken it. This is one of those pictures:

 

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