Darkest Hour
The Garage, London
30 January 2011

A typically miserable winter evening was epically shaken to its very core by the first bands of the night – Purified in Blood and Born of Osiris, who both storm the Garage”s modestly sized stage. Both bands are reasonably well recieved by the audience and each successfully add to the anticipation for the main acts still to come – Protest The Hero and, of course, Darkest Hour.

Protest the Hero bring a touch of oddly (considering they are actually Canadian) cliched Americana to proceedings, mainly in the form of annoying frontman Rody Walker. Constantly bantering with the crowd, in between faux bursts of modesty and predictable ”humour”, he really didn”t seem to suit the intricate musical talents displayed by the rest of the band. A technically sound, progressive outfit Protest the Hero seem to be, bar a few innovative riffs here and there, far too similar to any number of heavy/melodic bands on the scene at the moment.The audience, however, thought otherwise as Protest The Hero gathered the biggest crowd of the night and, if the gaggle of groupies in waiting by the ladies toilets are any thing to go by, this would be largely down to their charismatic ahem frontman. Yep, the meathead I”d just been bad mouthing …

Darkest Hour played a decent set of old and new material. Although the crowd had dispersed a tad before the end of the gig, and an impromptu slower track midway through their set undeservedly heralded an unpresidented stampede for a quick ciggie out front, the American five piece still managed to maintain the pace set earlier in the night, by their up and coming tour buddies. Utterly immersed in their performance and wonderfully old school, Darkest Hour rightfully justified their spot as top act of the night. After some fifteen plus years in the business it would seem they are finally getting the recognition they have been so patiently waiting for.

Review by Maria Kilby