The Darkness

On the night of September 12th at Phoenix Concert Theatre, a mixed crowd of different generations gathered to welcome back The Darkness on the North American leg of their Dreams on Toast Tour 2025. The band hadn’t been in Toronto since 2022, so the atmosphere felt a little like a long-distance relationship finally reunited. 

At exactly 9 p.m., the stage lights turned red, and the retro rock stars appeared, welcomed by the roar of fans pressed against the barricade. They opened with Rock and Roll Party Cowboy from their latest album, Dreams on Toast. Vocalist and guitarist Justin Hawkins strutted out in his usual flamboyant style, while bassist Frankie Pullanin looked like he had walked straight out of a classic rock magazine photo shoot. 

By the time they reached Growing on Me, the band’s trademark energy was full on display - no need for rehearsed choreography, just chaotic rock-and-roll swagger. During Get Your Hands Off My Woman, Hawkins decided shirts were optional and went for a round of crowd surfing, landing safely in the arms of Toronto fans who looked very ready for the task. 

For readers not familiar with The Darkness, here is a quick rock history lesson: The band was born in the early 2000s in Lowestoft, England. Their debut album Permission to Land (2003) hit #1 in the UK, powered by falsetto vocals, monster riffs, and glam rock excess - something like Queen meets AC/DC, with a little tongue-in-cheek humour. 

They stumbled in 2006 and went their separate ways, but like all good rock legends, they reunited in 2011 with Hot Cakes(2012). Since then, albums like Last of Our Kind (2015)  and Pinewood Smile (2017) have kept them on the road, delighting fans who still crave flashy guitar solos and spandex. 

The last Toronto stop was in 2022 on the Motorheart Tour. This time, they returned with their 8th studio album, Dreams on Toast (2025), produced by guitarist Dan Hawkins. The album sticks to their glam/hard rock roots but brings lyrics about time, aging, and poking fun at rock clichés. The album debuted at #2 on the UK Albums Chart, but as always, Toronto fans saved their loudest cheers for the old classics - Growing on Me, Love Is Only a Feeling, Friday Night, and of course,  I Believe in a Thing Called Love. 

 One of the highlights came when drummer Rufus Taylor abandoned the kit, grabbed the mic in a black and orange koi-fish shirt and Adidas shorts, and sang My Only like a true rock ballad hero, while the rest of the band backed him up. 

Then Justin tested the audience’s Canadian music knowledge. Together they covered Secret Heart (Ron Sexsmith), Summer of ’69 (Bryan Adams), and The Power of Love, which Hawkins cheekily introduced as “the best Canadian song ever”, tipping his hat to Céline Dion.

To keep things unpredictable, they even took an audience request, playing Choke on it (first time since 2020!) and, why not, the traditional English folk tune Greensleeves.

Of course, no Darkness show is complete without I Believe in a Thing Called Love. If you’ve ever played Guitar Hero or seen Colin Firth and Hugh Grant brawling in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, you’d recognize it instantly. The whole crowd sang every word like it was 2003 all over again. 

By 11 p.m., fans spilled out onto Toronto streets - some in retro shirts, some still humming falsetto choruses. If you bumped into them, you’d know: they just spent the night inside a glitter-covered time machine called The Darkness. 

Words and Photos: Laura Agudelo Montoya