Focus Darker My Love, Live @ The Barfly

Article by Colin

Darker My Love are an L.A. based alternative rock band, who come from all over the United States of America. On the 9th of October they played the fourth of a series of live dates at The Barfly, in Camden, North London. Variously, they have previously been members of The Distillers, hardcore-punks The Nerve Agents and, briefly, part of Mark E. Smith’s ever changing line-up in The Fall - Tim Presley (guitar/vocals), Rob Barbato (bass/vocals), Jared Everett (guitar), Andy Granelli (drums) and Will Canzoneri (keyboards) are experienced musicians.

"They are phenomenal live," one associate of the band tells me before the gig. When I speak to Darker My Love, they advise me that they are "due a good show" - this is their fourth in a row, and their penultimate gig on this short stopover in London. They say the first three gigs went bad-good-bad. So, tonight, if the pattern holds we're in for a good one.

The Barfly is fairly small - it certainly can't compare to some of the arena venues Darker My Love have recently played, supporting Portland, IL, rockers The Dandy Warhols. Once the band get on stage, they fill every inch of the space available to them with a roaring, menacing sound that draws you in, and keeps you in. Set opener "Claw & Paws" builds gradually on a steady jam, before erupting into "Blue Day", with its driving groove.

Interaction with the audience is kept to a minimum - the band seems too engrossed in the wall-of-sound they are creating. The steady beat of "Northern Soul" combines with a droning guitar-fuzz, backed by Rob's driving, distorted bass. But suddenly, with "All The Hurry And The Wait", they relax a little - this could very well be their epic song (every band needs one); the playing becomes a little less frenetic. It becomes an extended jam, a chance to loosen up, chill a little, and enjoy the moment.

"All The Hurry And The Wait" soon builds into "Waves", which crashes around the room in a storm of noise, before morphing into "Talking Words". A more mainstream number, "Talking Words" is a 60's psychedelic garage-rock song that chugs along, layered in snarling, menacing, guitars. Together with "Two Ways Out" (resplendent with its Beach Boys-style harmonies), it's certainly the catchiest, most accessible song.

Tim and Rob swap singing duties throughout - at times you feel it would be nice to make out the vocals, swamped, as they are underneath the instrumentation, but why let singing get in the way of the distortion peddle?

It's easy to spot the references in the band's music and style - the swirling, feedback-drenched numbers recall Spacemen 3, The Jesus and Mary Chain and BRMC (it soon becomes apparent, around the fourth or fifth song in, that guitarist Jared, sandwiched between Rob and Tim, has the effortless cool of BRMC's Peter Hayes). The more atmospheric, spacey songs step into the territory of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and the grungier moments lean towards Led Zeppelin (throughout, drummer Andy pounds the skins like a man possessed). It is, as I overhear one audience member say, "Pink Floyd meets BRMC, with John Bonham on drums".

Refreshingly, Darker My Love don't seem to strive for acceptance, in that they are fully focussed on making the music they love and playing to their (expanding) fan base. They leave the stage to rapturous applause and cries for an encore, after closing their set with "Fall".

They'll be back soon to tour in support of their latest album, "2" - catch them if you can. Any band can turn up the volume and stand slightly too close to their amplifiers, but Darker My Love are one of the few bands around who can channel it into something great.