LOVED TO DEATH: HAMBURG’S EMBRACE FOR ‘THE DARTS (US)’
IN a part of Hamburg less frequented by tourists, THE DARTS (US) thundered their way through an 18-song set as part of the mammoth ‘Snake Oil’ tour, a tour which has criss-crossed continents and visited the type of venue shamefully shunned by their peers.
And despite concerns regarding the curse of the ‘Monday night gig,’ a raucous, yet highly appreciative audience of well over 100 greeted the band as they took to the stage on one of the hottest September evenings Germany’s second city has ever experienced.
“We’ve had some sold out shows which are great, but it doesn’t really matter how many people you play in front of, you still get and give a great energy from the crowd,” said band founder, vocalist and Farfisa player extraordinaire, Nicole Laurenne.
“It’s true, we have been travelling and touring now for almost two years and who knows, we may even be back in this direction (Europe) later again this year.”
In a venue reminiscent of London’s ‘100 Club’ – only with better sight-lines – the gig contained a mix of old favourites with a tease or three taken from next year’s new album. After almost 200 ‘Snake Oil’ performances the band must be exhausted, but it never shows, songs are continually delivered with nothing less than 100% commitment, more often than not, at 100, breathless, miles an hour.
Before next year’s tour to accompany the new album, for the remainder of this month the band visit Sweden, Norway, Germany, and Belgium before concluding the ‘Snake Oil’ era with a celebration gig in Paris on September 24th. (Details below.)
“We have plenty of things lined up, we always have,” added Laurenne. “The US tour dates in November are booked in and there’s a possibility of some dates in Japan and Mexico next year, there’s a lot happening.”
The Darts (US) have now completed their touring apprenticeship. A brighter future begins to form on the horizon. The exhausting groundwork is complete, and it was almost mystically appropriate that on the banks of the mighty Elbe, one felt the tide of music’s fortune beginning to turn for the hardest working group of garage rock & rollers out their right now.
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