Noticing the increase of leopard prints and spandex around the Ulster Hall on 4 December you’d have been forgiven for thinking that the Louie Spence fan club had rolled into town. Hair spray, eye liner and tight pants were in abundance. And then there was the girls. But no, Brit glam-rockers The Darkness were here for the final date of their UK reunion tour, the “Every Inch of UK (and Ireland) Tour.”

BY CONOR KERR

Supporting them were our very own Million $ Reload. Playing songs from critically acclaimed debut “Anthems of a Degeneration,” the band came out swinging and even threatened to cast their own shadow over the headliners following them. The sound engineer had given them a great sound which helped their cause, but it was the force of the music and their presence on stage which made it all the more exciting to watch them. Lead singer Phil’s voice filled the venue and I can only give him the greatest compliment I can, and compare him to the late, great Bon Scott. The band itself had a swagger and sound reminiscent of Mötley Crüe or Guns N’ Roses as a listen to songs like “Living In The City” or “Tattoos and Dirty Girls” will surely show. This band should be huge and we’ll hopefully see them headlining their own show at the Ulster Hall sometime in the future.

But as the dust settled from that set, it was time for the newly reformed, kings of glam-rock. Opening their set with album opener “Black Shuck,” we were in for a treat. The band seemed re-energised with the line-up back to its original form. The hits followed one after another, going straight into “Growing On Me” and “One Way Ticket, before reaching the compulsory ballads in the middle of the set, first with lead singer Justin Hawkins performing “Holding My Own” solo on acoustic guitar, and then “Love is Only A Feeling.” In the midst of this we are treated to two costume changes from Justin, as he emerges in some tight one-piece catsuits that Freddie Mercury would have been proud of. There is a bit of a sing along, and a “Who’s the loudest” competition as Hawkins tells of how loud the Dublin and Cork audiences were, the very mention of which received some well-meant boos. The more upbeat sing-along tunes followed with “Friday Night,” “Is It Just Me” and the insanely catchy “Givin’ Up” before ending the first part of the set with a pleasant surprise performance of arguably the best Christmas song EVER, “Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End).” Coupled with the fact it had begun to snow earlier in the evening, it was the perfect setting to hear that song. The encore began, initially some Olé Olé’s from the crowd, (and a new catsuit) with jam-piece “Bareback”, which then moved swiftly on to mega-hit “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” which really got the crowd moving and the ground shaking. The gig ended with seriously rocking slab of hard rock in the form of “Love On The Rocks With No Ice,” including a highlight of the show – Hawkins riding the shoulders of a bouncer/roadie through the middle of the crowd playing a guitar solo.

Overall it was a return to form for a refreshed line up. They seem to, or at least try, to give off a more serious vibe, but the catsuits, the handstands, and of course the music mean that nothing is ever taken too seriously. The band play together as tightly as ever and Hawkins has lost none of his infamous vocal range. Our ears ringing, voices strained from attempting far too many high notes, it was more than worth it. The Ulster Hall hasn’t rocked that hard for a long time, and with a promise from Hawkins of more shows in the future, we’ll do it all over again.