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It’s safe to say that the past couple of years have been incredibly hectic for The Darkness. Kicking 2023 off with a co-headline UK stadium tour with Kentuckian southern rockers Black Stone Cherry, then appearing at the absolutely stacked BST Hyde Park lineup with Guns n’ Roses in July (which I reviewed here) and finally, touring the world for their Permission to Land 20th anniversary tour in the winter – it seems like they haven’t stopped for a single breath.
In addition to this, they were busy recording their 8th studio album, Dreams on Toast! So, to celebrate the album’s release day, what better place is there to be than the wonderful city of Cambridge? Tonight, the Lowestoft Legends play a sold-out Corn Exchange as part of their massive UK tour, where thousands of eager fans will pack out the building to hear some of that good ol’ fashioned rock and roll.
Here to kick things off in spectacular fashion are iconic Northern Irish giants Ash, who waste no time in launching straight into Goldfinger as if their lives depended on it. Their eclectic blend of alt rock and pop-punk is exactly what the crowd needs before their headliner, so that they can get moving and grooving as a little pre-Darkness workout.
When they play through Braindead, taken from their latest album Race the Night, everyone in the room seems to struggle in directing their gaze anywhere else but towards vocalist/guitarist Tim Wheeler, as he well and truly mesmerises the crowd with an insane guitar solo, making it look easy as fuck. Any budding guitarist in the crowd tonight will surely be taking notes from him!
They then dive into a fun and bouncy cover of Harry Belafonte’s classic track Jump in the Line, which is actually going to be their next single, out on April 2nd! It seems only fitting that they play this, as bassist Mark Hamilton is quite literally wearing a “Shake, shake, shake Senora” shirt.
The boys finish off their set with 2 mammoth tracks in the form of Girl from Mars, which gets the crowd moving and singing along, and the anthemic Burn Baby Burn, which sounds just as good live today as it does on the original recording from 2001. After my inner 12 year old stopped freaking out over them playing both tracks live, they exited the stage and got a deafening response from the hall. And this was only the support act, so it’s going to take some beating to top that.
Once the crowd had time to relax for a few minutes and get some more drinks in, the lights went down and ABBA’s track Arrival (of all songs) played out over the speakers. As soon as the stunning Swedish vocal harmonies found their way into people’s ears, The Darkness’ logo shone a bright gold colour onstage, which looked just as biblical as you could imagine it was. The band took to the stage and sunk their teeth straight into album single Rock and Roll Party Cowboy, which is exactly what it says on the tin – unabashedly high octane heavy rock that makes you want to party.
After tearing through the classic Growin’ on Me, vocalist Justin Hawkins takes a moment to reflect on the past month of touring across the UK, including “a couple of nights down in Ipswich” which gets a collective boo from the audience. The band laugh at each other as they realise they’ve opened up a whole can of worms, before Justin responds with “…which was a bit of a sleepy affair… it was fucking awful!” He then goes on to exclaim that he’s “calling this our homecoming show” which seems very fitting considering the fact that, on the same tour that sees them sell out Wembley Arena, this small-in-comparison show feels more intimate and cosy, a rare occasion where you’ll be able to see the band in this setting.
It’s also worth noting that tonight’s show is a pyro-less affair, meaning that anything and everything that falls under the pyrotechnic umbrella is prohibited due to the venue’s size. But that doesn’t mean any atmospherical value or qualities have been lost, though, as they prove that they can still put on an amazing show, pyro or not!
The new songs are amazing – a personal favourite of mine from both the album and the show was The Longest Kiss, a track that is so drenched in 1970s-era Queen that you’d be mistaken in thinking it came straight off A Night at the Opera. With its sharp piano inflictions over a steady beat and its Brian May-infused guitar solo, it makes up one of the most intriguing and exciting songs they’ve ever made. And as they introduce fellow new track Walking Through Fire, Justin reflects on the band’s latest independent release, and how Dreams on Toast is up against 2 major artists in the UK charts – one being Ariana Grande (“did I pronounce Grande right?”) and a certain folk group called Mumford and Sons who, it seems, he very much rather dislikes. After all, he did call a certain ex-member of the band an “alt-right, banjo wielding, goose stepping, neo Nazi cunt” before leading the Cambs crowd into a chant of “Fuck you, Mumford and Sons!” So, you know, it’s probably nothing…
In a surprising turn of events, drummer Rufus Tiger Taylor (son of Queen’s Roger Taylor) jumps up from behind the kit and takes Justin’s microphone to serenade the crowd with My Only, a seemingly unknown song that Rufus sings over a backdrop showing pictures of him and his dog. The audience listen closely and some hold the person next to them, as he sings “When we’re together, my troubles fall away / Whether it’s forever, or just one more day / As long as you’re with me, I’ll tend your every need / And the grass will never be this green again.” However, this isn’t the only time that Rufus steps away from the kit, so keep reading…
After the rapturous response that the iconic I Believe in a Thing Called Love gets, the band leaves the stage, and the crowd naturally yells out for an encore – or, more specifically, “10 more songs!” They did, however, only play 2 as the main set was stacked enough as it is, and they began with Weekend in Rome, with Rufus taking the mic once again (told you!) to deliver the song’s spoken word excerpts, as Justin blissfully sings everything else. This song is a perfect example of how funny the 4 piece are, and how strong their showmanship is too – because as the beautiful string section kicks in, various stagehands throw dozens of flowers towards Justin, in a hilariously picturesque moment that gets a big laugh from the crowd.
To finish the night off, they tear through an extended version of I Hate Myself, which is drenched in 70s punk and 60s rock and roll. And when I say extended, I really mean extended, as they play the outro at least 3 times in succession, each time speeding it up that bit more. Pure punk perfection.
There are no more songs, no more theatrics, and no more rock and roll – for the band have well and truly left the building after that final A chord. They delivered one hell of a set, putting 110% into everything, and their next stop is less than 24 hours away, selling out a little venue called Wembley Arena. Perhaps you might have heard of it? After releasing a fantastic album and undertaking an impressive and thoroughly enjoyable tour, the future seems very bright for The Darkness.
All future live dates from The Darkness can be found HERE.
Review – Joe Richardson
All images – Callum Scott Photography, Edinburgh, March 2025
