Gig Review: Black Stone Cherry and The Darkness, First Direct Arena, Leeds

Many bands joke they’re hot stuff, so it is only fitting that The Darkness have taken that adage to a particularly literal level. Last month, they had to temporarily abandon their performance in Liverpool after their pyrotechnic rig set fire to the venue.

On the latest show of this co-headline jaunt with Kentucky rockers Black Stone Cherry, they have to prevent a teenage fan invited on stage at Leeds’s First Direct Arena from barbecuing themselves on the flame jets.

There’s something wildly retrograde in the era of the postmodern pop-show spectacular about this pairing and their old-fashioned chops. Here come two bands backed by stacks of amps and and the odd drum riser rather than any technological tour-de-force production. It’s alien in its simplicity, a throwback night of chunky riffs turbocharged by championship-winning facial hair and burly tattoos.

By conventional measures – chart success, homegrown advantage – most would assume The Darkness would close out festivities. Instead, they saunter on first, and proceed to cram as many power chords into an hour-plus set as they can.

Though not the commercial force they once were, the Lowestoft four-piece’s high-camp bombast continues to prove giddily entertaining, a glam-metal love-letter to seventies-era Queen and Thin Lizzy.

Frontman Justin Hawkins, cycling through wardrobe changes, still has the voice to knock stone-cold ballad Love Is Only a Feeling out of the park, and the cocked eyebrow to match vintage cock-rock pastiche One Way Ticket too.

He ends the set with the double punch of I Believe in a Thing Called Love and Love on the Rocks with No Ice, winding his way through the crowd atop a security guard while shredding solos. It’s gloriously addictive fun.

In comparison, Black Stone Cherry play their mix of Southern-fried guitar stompers straight up with even less fuss.

Two decades into their career too, they offer up a 70-minute set that ticks off all of their albums, plus their unnamed upcoming eighth record with recent single Out of Pocket.

It's practically all killer with little filler, a parade of brawny anthems served up with swagger.

Opener Me and Mary Jane sets the tight magic; Like I Roll and Things My Father Said offer satisfying release.

Just when they look to have wrapped up with the crunching Lonely Train, they re-emerge for a romp through Electric Light Orchestra's Don't Bring Me Down to close things out. Rock and roll is indeed king.