Reviewed on Friday November 13
Stepping out with a confidence born (presumably) from having toured with The Darkness for a few weeks, the five-piece Apes were an impressive start to a night of rock. Extremely tight and perfectly loud, they kicked off with aplomb, frontman Ben Dowd leaving the biggest impression as he Steve Tylered his way through track after track. The Aussie natives have an impressive sound and stage presence, and are well worth a look-in.
They’d be the first to admit, though, that they are but tiny pilot fish to the glam rock behemoth that is The Darkness. Justin Hawkins stepped out oozing confidence in a black-and-white-striped suit emblazoned with his own name (lightning bolt for the S), the lights fired up and we grasped our one way tickets tight as the pit closed in.
Every single member, down to killer new drummer (and freakin’ 24-year-old) Rufus Taylor, was a paragon of charisma, led by the swaggering Hawkins, who gradually undressed as the setlist progressed. His antics had every last audience member enraptured, from leading sing-alongs and critiquing our efforts to hit his falsetto heights, to riding a security guard while soloing, to handstanding and clapping with his feet, to hurling an overexcited punter from the stage.
And the hits! Permission To Land dominated proceedings, with a healthy slice of the new album Last Of Our Kind and a few bangers from the albums in between. ‘Get Your Hands Off My Woman’ had the front row nearly break through the Enmore’s floors. But the greatest moment of the night was one that even the band didn’t expect…
As bassist Frankie Poullain, the embodiment of the ’80s, brought out his cowbell and drumstick to beat out ‘One Way Ticket’, so too did a dozen members of the crowd. Astonished, Hawkins had them all lifted onstage to hammer out the backing track. One woman in particular looked as if it were the single greatest moment of her life.
Their tongue-out-of-cheek banter, colossal riffage and fantastic audience rapport make these guys one of the best live rock acts around. No other ticket can guarantee a night on par with The Darkness. Rock is not dead.
