The Darkness were again back in London on a sellout night at OVO Wembley Arena. Promoting their recently released album, Dreams On Toast, the notorious band of flair and fury have been cavorting their rock greatness across the world for twenty-five years. The usual lineup of Justin Hawkins (lead vocals and guitar), Dan Hawkins (guitar), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Rufus Tiger Taylor (drums) took to the stage and blessed us with nothing but sheer brilliance.
The Darkness
OVO Arena Wembley, London – 29 March 2025
Words: Monty Sewell
Photography: Robert Sutton
Swerving our way to the front of the arena, it was a Saturday night when being anywhere else but there just did not make sense. The Darkness last played at Wembley back in 2023, when they joined Black Stone Cherry for a joint headline tour. Of course, having attended the event, seeing them return to a monumental crowd of Darkness fans chanting for them was a pleasure to behold.
The band opened with Rock And Roll Party Cowboy. Hailing as their first released single of 2025, the track proves once more that when it comes to writing flat-out rock party songs, The Darkness is a clear champion. It was the perfect opener. A gigantic lit up ‘The Darkness’ sign crowned the vast stage as we were embedded in the feeling of a Las Vegas sized show for the ages.
Jumping from this colossal new anthem to a classic favourite, Growing On Me, Justin Hawkins prowled across the stage with the smile of a man undoubtedly cast as one of the great showmen of our time. Every mouth in the arena began singing along.
I have to say, for a band notorious for its rock ‘n’ roll party ways back in the day, their audience is nothing but gloriously respectful. Everyone is here to simply drink well, rock out, and scream at the top of their lungs to songs they have loved for the past twenty-plus years.
Get Your Hands Off My Woman sparks a mass jump around as Hawkins’s falsetto fever catches on. As good as always, his vocals are created for arena-sized venues, each high-ended wail ringing out above the instrumental with enough G-force to catapult us into the far regions of space and time.
Mortal Dread is from their latest record before Motorheart and Barbarian. The Darkness’s ethos has always been a good time with meaning, and as the band courses through its incredible discography, each highlight is a testament to its long-standing reign.
I think I can speak for many when I say The Darkness have never been the kind of band to play their newer material with anything less than a resounding cheer from their audience. It is just damn good stuff all round. Walking Through Fire receives this approval from the arena before they play one of the best break-up songs in the game, Love Is Only A Feeling.
Though Dan Hawkins is seen as the quieter one of the hugely successful writing, playing brother duo, his guitar work speaks volumes. Basking in the Wembley light, Hawkins performs with a perfect riffing pound, right down to the T. This kind of chemistry between both guitarists is something money can’t buy as both axe wielders intertwine without fault.
The great thing about seeing The Darkness is that we all know the songs; we all love the songs. What we are here for is the performance of a lifetime, which they continue to give us time after time after time. Surprises are rife, and one of these moments comes after Heart Explodes.
Drummer Rufus Taylor steps down from his podium and onto the lead vocals to sing My Only. Pictures of his dog, Don, begin to appear on the screens on either side of the stage. If we were expecting anything from tonight, it was not to see and hear Taylor sing an emotional ode to his four-legged friend. I am not ashamed to say it was probably the most emotional part of the show for me. Also, Taylor killed it on vocals. More of that, please.
Whilst I was definitely not wiping a tear from my eye, the band launched back into full-on mode with Japenese Prisoner Of Love. In between shredding his guitar, Justin Hawkins entertains us with his usual antics of onstage handstand foot claps and inhumanly high jumps.
Having been sober for over a decade, the rockstar has never been on better form and stands as a true testament to not being messed up to embody the entire essence of rock ‘n’ roll. Who needs booze when you are this good?
One question I got after the show was, “I expect they didn’t play their Christmas song, though?” Well, they did—at least the first half of it. But it hit just as hard as hearing it through any chilly December. I doubt you’d hear that Mariah Carey song in the midst of spring and still chuck your hands up in glee.
It comes after Friday Night, which, let’s be honest, can be played on any day of the week and still make you want to chuck on some leather and create some contained, cathartic chaos.
There is a brief interlude from their songs as they play Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin. If there were ever a vocalist who could hit those notes as well as Robert Plant, it would be Justin Hawkins. Hearing and seeing that classic track played at Wembley Arena was a moment those who were not around to see Zeppelin play will never forget, I’m sure.
Coming to the end of their set, Justin Hawkins takes a moment to speak to his audience with a message that resonates with the masses: “We are about to play our most famous song. But in a world where we document everything, for just this song, can we ask that nobody gets their phones or cameras out to film? Please just enjoy the moment.”
The thousands cheer and get ready for—of course—I Believe In A Thing Called Love. Ecstatically illustrious, the feeling of 12,500 people bouncing in unison to a song that will go down in history as a pivotal moment in modern rock is indescribable.
Afterwards, within moments of The Darkness leaving the stage, they return for their encore of Weekend In Rome and I Hate Myself. Justin Hawkins crowd-surfed for the final number as Poullain, Dan Hawkins, and Taylor ramped up the instrumental for the final showdown. Together, the band is unbeatable in its dexterous unison and fun.
We leave the arena feeling an overwhelming sense of satisfaction coupled with a yearning for more. The Darkness are the best of the best, pioneers and advocates for everything we love in rock. As (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life plays through the speakers and we all hustle out of the venue, I have to say, we really did.
I was there, close enough to the front to take part in the crowd surfing, and I bloody loved it. So many great moments from Justin – the headstand, the Freddie Mercury style call and returns, the choreography for Walking Through Fire, the chat about phones before I Believe (there was still a girl just on front of me filming it!!), the flowers thrown into the stage at the end of Weekend in Rome, the chat about Mumford and Sons.
That’s the first time I’ve seen The Darkness and it was one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to. I will certainly go see them again!!
Only downer on the night was some idiot getting too visitors with his moshing. It came close to blows, thankfully his mate dragged him out.