Brighton Centre, 27 March
As a reincarnation of The Darkness, Stone Gods had a lot to live up to without the theatrical Justin Hawkins on board. Tonight they opened for the mighty Velvet Revolver, and XYZ reporter Nats Spada prayed for no shimmering cat-suits.
When Stone Gods appeared it was obvious that guitarist Dan Hawkins and vocalist Richie Edwards felt right at home on a larger stage. Launching into ‘You Brought a Knife to a Gun Fight’, the well-built vocalist bellowed “Brighton! Are you with me? We’re going to have a party!” The crowd seemed apprehensive. Maybe they were still trying to make their minds up about the ex-Darkness musos. However, this didn’t seem to put the four-piece off, and they strutted around the stage as if they owned it, Edwards dedicating ‘Night of the Living Dead’ to a guy wearing a Led Zeppelin t-shirt. Judging by the screaming made by the audience of diehard, old-school rock fans, the band’s ballsy, Maiden-esque riffage stuck more than a chord.
In connecting with the crowd, Stone Gods possessed something that the headliners lacked. Edwards chatted constantly between songs, eliciting riotous chanting and clapping from the crowd. After a break from the live circuit, their honest sense of enthusiasm is likely to have made a fan out of every punter here tonight. The Darkness may be long defunct but Stone Gods, as their name suggests, are here to stay.
Words by Nats Spada
Photos by Chris Kelly
