This year the honorable status of Saturday’s main act befell on The Darkness, who’ve already visited Finland earlier this year.

The band, led by falsetto expert Justin Hawkins managed to persuade the crowd to their side, even though at times their performance did seem a bit lacking. There were also unfortunate problems in the PA system during Get Your Hands Off my Woman.

The Darkness is a band that has no trouble working a stage no matter how big it is. Hawkins rarely stayed still, gyrating his hips like the rotation of the Earth depended on it. And once the beginning stiffness had worn off, his movements seemed to infect the audience, forcing them to mime.

Surefire hits Black Shuck and Love is Only A Feeling from Permission to Land worked like magic, let alone the gold nugget that is I Believe in A Thing Called Love. Newer songs included Bald and English Country Garden.

They even treated the audience to a real classic, AC/DC’s Highway to Hell and the first verse of Thunderstruck before segueing back into their own material. This treatment combined with the massive Saturday evening fireworks seemed to please the Rokki crowd to no end. Judged by the euphoric faces of the people in the first row, this was a visit worth its while.

Text: Sanna Väyrynen
Pictures: Markus Korpi-Hallila and Matti Immonen

16.07 2006 klo 17:09 - In English.