Live Review: Darker My Love @ 9:30 Club, September 22

Teensy little confession here: I was kinda looking forward to seeing Darker My Love more than the band they were opening for. And that’s despite the fact that the Dandy Warhols has been one of my favorite live bands for over ten years now. But something about this group of dudes had me all sorts of fascinated and entranced, and I was counting the days til I could finally have an in-person experience with their sonic psych-outs and killer retro-heavy, rip-roaring riffs.

The day, September 22, finally arrived. After the weekend up in the Catskills for All Tomorrow’s Parties, I somehow summoned up a few more hours’ worth of energy and managed to keep awake for the highly-anticipated Darker My Love set. And may I just say, I sure am glad I did.

It was a set that flashed before my eyes and ears so briefly, and by the time it was over I was craving more, desperately in need of another fix. The projector in the balcony near me displayed swirling liquid, and the simple yet effective idea was a perfect backdrop to Darker My Love’s all over the place sound and tendency to late-60s homages. The band was superb, both affable in banter and impressive in performance. Listening to the increasingly appreciative noise coming from the huge crowd, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one with those thoughts.

The night was made for me as soon as the first notes of “Two Ways Out” filled the air, but the entire set was dynamite. The sharp, attention-grabbing haze of “Talking Words” was particularly excellent as well, but the same can be said for pretty much every other song Darker My Love undertook. It was a blinding flash of brilliance, and it was over far too soon. They and their aural bliss made me forget how tired (and hungover) I was, and anytime a band can do that you know they’ve gotta be pretty darned fantastic. If you haven’t quite figured it out yet, go see Darker My Love. As many times as you possibly can. They’re touring again towards the end of the year, and you can bet your sweet ass I’ll be there. I hope you will be, too.

[photo by Timothy Norris, via the band’s Myspace]