Fortitude Valley: I first saw The Darkness at 210 Brunswick Street, when The Arena was still one of The Valley’s hottest live music venues, before it became The Roxy, then a pile of a rubble, and now soon-to-be apartments available for rent (pictured below).
It was during a time when I was writing for a Brisbane street press called, Rave Magazine, which would later become the inspiration to create, YELO.
While the music rag threw free tickets at me to all the best Brisbane live music gigs, my ex-husband and I saw a host of early 2000s alternative rock shows, that ultimately cemented that era in music as a very happy time for us.
I distinctly remember saying The Darkness show was my all-time favourite, serenading my former hubby with songs such as “I Believe in A Thing Called Love” and “Love Is Only A Feeling“.
Their songs even featured in our wedding music.
Despite our loss in love, and in the heritage of The Arena, the music it provided would ignite some wonderful memories for a young, loved-up, music-loving couple, as I’m sure it did tens of thousands more.
And thankfully venues such as The Fortitude Music Hall, where they perform next year, have stepped up to fill a void left behind by several lost music venues, in particular Festival Hall (see below).
It’s not surprising it’s been 20 years since The Darkness released, Permission to Land, as I now have two grown babies, age 10 and 12, and a subsequent divorce (sorry it couldn’t have been a happier tale) – but one thing that remained is our family’s passion for music, only spurred on by epic concerts as such.
The band will perform, Permission to Land, in its entirety, plus a string of B-sides and rarities.
Igniting the mainstream rock scene with their trademark falsetto, spandex, guitar riffs and theatrical live shows, the band’s album topped the UK charts almost overnight, surpassing five times platinum, and selling over 1.5 million copies in the UK alone.
It’s no wonder the high-vibe album, full of quintessential British flamboyance, swept The Darkness into a whirlwind of global success, sharing the stages alongside rock icons such as Queen, Guns ’n Roses, Black Sabbath, Def Leppard, and the immortal, Kiss.
Prepare to have the sounds, fashion and extravagance of classic hard-rock resurrected, when The Darkness hits Australia.
Fans can expect a bucket-list rock show experience when The Darkness descends on Fortitude Valley Music Hall on Wednesday, February 7.
Picture: The Fortitude Music Hall, built in 2019, drew inspiration from art deco theatres and venues that existed in Brisbane, such as Festival Hall, yet were torn down in the 1980s. The venue also came to fill the void of other smaller live music losses such as The Arena. The team behind The Triffid, Secret Sounds (The Falls Festival & Splendour in The Grass) and Live Nation (of iconic venues worldwide such as House of Blues and Fillmore Theatres) were responsible for its fruition.
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