The Darkness are a living, breathing, touring machine with a reputation for explosive gigs. They're coming to the end of a remarkable, whistle stop tour, supporting a diverse range of acts such as Robbie Williams, The Rolling Stones and Iron Maiden, as well as countless other high profile gigs around the world.

So how would they cope playing a smaller (some might say more intimate) venue like the BIC? Would they rise to the challenge, or would their sparkling spandex and bedazzling boots be far too big to play such a venue?

As the curtain fell, and an array of picture phones were poised at the ready. Justin literally kick started the evening and continued to rock throughout the night with his boundless energy and dazzling theatrics.

An instrumental opened the show, which gave everybody a chance to warm up; this semi-tranquil atmosphere was soon shattered as they stormed into Black Shuck.

With only one album to their name, their choice of set list was somewhat limited but that didn't matter one iota to the fans. I Believe In A Thing Called Love, Get Your Hands Off My Woman and Friday Night all received a rousing reception.

The standout track of the evening was Love On The Rocks With No Ice, which lasted a full 10 minutes, and incorporated Justin performing a guitar solo whilst perched on the shoulders of a security guard, who then paraded him around the entire venue, in amongst the screaming fans.

The final encore incorporated their new Christmas single - Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End), which included numerous sweets, crackers and glitter raining down on the crowd.

The concert was as much a visual spectacle as it was musically, with countless fire and glitter explosions, as well as a set filled with tinsel, lights, and not forgetting the over-sized ball balls attached to the drum kit. All that was missing was a Christmas tree, for which Justin is the star twinkling on top.

Justin endured four costume changes, all at a speed that Destiny's Child would be proud of. One costume even bared a striking resemblance to Bagpuss! Justin stole the show with his charismatic, enigmatic performing skills, which incorporated him playing the guitar behind his head, with his teeth - in fact, anyway apart from the traditional.

Halfway through the concert, Justin signalled the band to stop and wouldn't carry on until he saw every thumb in the air. With all the plaudits they've received this year, and the concert marking the day of their album selling 1 million copies, I think they've had a few thumbs up this year.

Audience participation was clearly the order of the day, however the crowd seemed to have difficulty reaching the extraordinary high falsetto range that Justin possesses with ease. It is a shame that he didn't have a wireless microphone, as you could tell that he was itching to go roaming around the stage.

This was a highly anticipated gig where tickets were highly sought after- some changing hands for over £100 on the black market, and how it was worth it!

All in all, they fully lived up to their reputation and I challenge anyone to go to their gig and not have a good time. The Darkness, Permission To Land - Granted!

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