Article Draft 3

“This place is smaller than I remember”. That was the first thing that went through my head as I stepped into the Bath Pavilion on November 16^th. I had been there to see Smashing Pumpkins 4 or 5 months ago, and was probably too drunk to remember much. But nonetheless, my first thoughts weren’t the best, so nothing would impress me. But I was certainly not in store for what was to come. There were 300 or so people stood around the hall buying their pints before the bands came on, it had quite a calm feel to the room, and not many people looked like die hard fans. About half an hour in the lights came on and everything changed in an instant, with pints flying everywhere and screams coming from every direction at the simple sight of a tech man and light. It was obvious the crowd wanted to rock, and were ready to go crazy.

Another 15 minutes went by and the crowd was still screaming, but this time, they had something to scream about! The River 69s had walked onto the stage and had set up. They started off with “A Dream of Life” and that almost calmed the fire that was the audience, but finished it off with “Hello People” and took utter control of everyone. Their final song “Forced to Quit” was almost upsetting, as the crowd did not want them to stop, but nonetheless, one-step closer to the Darkness!

                  Almost ten minutes later, the drum kit had been replaced by one with the words “Smash Face” on them. The screams grew and grew as the crowd was largely fans of hard core, and Smash Face is exactly that. The band came on and started with a cover of “Ace of Spades” and the crowd was going wild. A small but volatile mosh pit had formed and it was only the first song! The pit only got bigger through their second and last songs “Angel of Hell” and “Break the Floor”.

They finished off with a loud bang and the crowd couldn’t be more ready for what was next.

                  Chants were growing as did the tension. People wanted the Darkness, and that is what they got. The lights went down and a commentator started speaking, “The band who brought you a four times platinum album are back! And they are mean! They are the Darkness!” I couldn’t hear a thing as everyone screamed as four figures holding hands walked onto the stage. The separated to their instruments, and a guitar riff started in the darkness. The drums and singing kicked in, as did the lights. Everyone was going crazy as they started with “Goodbye Everybody” and continued to go through their newest album “Hot Cakes”. After they had finished that, Justin Hawkins turned into a massive diva, taunting the crowd to be louder. “If you don’t make some fucking noise, we’re out of here”. Once he deemed the crowd loud and ready enough, he hit out with their most iconic song, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”, shortly followed by the smash hit “Christmas Time”. The crowd was going wild as the songs continued and never stopped singing along, following the iconic high notes of Justin Hawkins. It ended almost as fast as it started, with Justin saying a final “Than you for not being shit” and then leaving. The looks on the fans faces told me they were satisfied, as the hundreds started to leave.

                  All in all, if the Darkness is around your neck of the woods, go see them. You will not regret it. £30 for a night to remember for years is a bargain! Experienced festival and gig goers will love to join in with the singing dancing and moshing, and newbies will get a great chance to see a gig at it’s finest!

This is my 3rd draft of my article. I have completely changed it. The concept has changed from remembering a band, to a review of a gig. I have some good photos of a gig, so a review woulf fit them perfectly.