Show Review: The Darkness with Diarrhea Planet at The Regency Ballroom, 3/31/2018

Rock is dead, people say. They say this because EDM and hip-hop headliners rule the festival stage, and when a rock band is seen anywhere on stage, it’s always dismissed as a legacy act. When people say this, they’re stupid. , but Iif they need convincing, here comes a tour that gives a big giant fuck you to the concept. For rock isn’t dead, and The Darkness is here to stick their big giant riffs in your face in the name of rock and roll. Continue reading “Show Review: The Darkness with Diarrhea Planet at The Regency Ballroom, 3/31/2018”

Show Review: The Darkness with The Headlands at The Regency Ballroom, 10/11/2015

Justin Hawkins of The Darkness
Justin Hawkins of The Darkness

By now — 15 years after their formation — everyone going to see The Darkness in concert should have a pretty good idea about what to expect, which explains how frantically excited your average Darkness fan is to see their heroes onstage. Current-day concert staples, like visuals and projections taking the lead over physical antics, or an attempt to make all of one’s instruments as virtual or digital as possible, are absolutely abandoned in favor of a glorious, visceral display of rock-and-roll shenanigans. There are wild solos, there are hair flips, there are leaps and bounces off of the drumset, and everything about the gig feels absolutely alive. Neither a smallish crowd, nor a Sunday night timeslot (typically less favorable with the work week looming shortly after), could deter the Suffolk quartet from rocking just as hard as they have ever done, and it was delightful to witness.

Continue reading “Show Review: The Darkness with The Headlands at The Regency Ballroom, 10/11/2015”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 10/9/15-10/14/15

While Leif and his posse may not have actually worn 'em, they are fun to wear.
While Leif and his posse may not have actually worn ’em, they are fun to wear.

Do you know what today is? It is Leif Erickson Day here in the USA. Let us celebrate explorers as well as arbitrarily-horned helmets.

Also, the Litquake festival begins in San Francisco! A solid day for a book about explorers.

After that’s done with, let’s look at the concerts coming up this week in the Bay Area. Skol, let’s preview! Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts: 10/9/15-10/14/15”