LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: THE DARKNESS AT OVO ARENA WEMBLEY, LONDON 29/03/2025
Full photo gallery here
In 'The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows' John Koenig coined the term anemoia- the feeling of nostalgia for a time that you never knew, or indeed that never even existed. Over their eight albums, The Darkness have cultivated the musical version of anemoia, dragging the listener through an uncanny valley of familiar but slanted glam rock.
Ash opened the night with an impressively punchy performance. The golden trio of 'Shining Light', 'Girl from Mars' and 'Burn Baby Burn', expertly placed around the set to keep the energy elevated and anticipation high. After three decades Ash haven't lost any of their palpable love for the music they write and crowds they get to play to. That level of genuine appreciation for the career they continue to enjoy radiated the room and got most feet off the ground, especially during a brilliant version of 'Jump In The Line'.
This isn't the first time The Darkness have played Wembley having supported Hollywood Vampires in the arena back in 2018 and co-headlining with Black Stone Cherry in 2023. Tonight, however it is all about the enigmatic quartet and their sold out 'Dreams on Toast' album tour.
Strutting out onto the stage and straight into the 'Rock and Roll Party Cowboy' - the opening track from the new album, you get a sense of a new Darkness classic being born. Having only been fully released the day before, new album tracks could've been given a bit of a pass for not whipping up the crowd into as much of a frenzy as more well-worn favourites but there seemed to be no such apathy in the room.
"Let me look upon you." frontman Justin Hawkins requested as the house lights came up after 'Growing On Me'. The audience tonight undoubtedly skewing towards a more mature age bracket but with the kids being represented too.
"I remember my first beer," remarked a guy in his 50's as he watched a much younger man violently throwing up in a stairwell off the side of the arena.
The whimsy of The Darkness's music, style and performance is undoubtedly what keeps eyes on them across generations. They are seriously unserious about pretty much everything (aside from their hatred of Mumford and Sons) and this was demonstrated no more perfectly than during the moment where drummer Rufus Taylor got on the mic to sing 'My Only' while pictures of his beloved Boston Terrier - Don, circled across the big screens. This moment an ideal example of how The Darkness manage to perfectly straddle the line between having fun and being madly impressive as performers. Taylor's vocals soaring and sincere captivating the entire room.
The ever popular 'Friday Night' gave way to the even more popular 'Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)', although only briefly after the first chorus morphed into Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song' then finally landing on 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love', preluded as always by Hawkins imploring everyone to put their phones away and enjoy the moment. The frontman has the respect of the room always - similarly to the school teacher we all experienced that could silence a class with a single look, Hawkins commands the crowd in such a way you are compelled to comply despite the temptation to grab a sneaky video of one of the most famous songs of the early 2000's.
Finishing up with an encore of two new album tracks - 'Weekend In Rome' and 'I Hate Myself', Hawkins surfs, or more accurately swims, around the crowd, displaying backstroke, doggy paddle and breaststroke techniques before landing back on the stage to appreciate the thundering applause of a crowd that most definitely is left wanting more. A newer struggle for The Darkness now surely, is picking setlists with such a strong catalogue of well-loved songs in their ever-expanding arsenal.
Words: Imogen Bird
Photos: Florelle Servageon
Full setlist below:
1. Rock and Roll Party Cowboy
2. Growing On Me
3. Get Your Hands Off My Woman
4. Mortal Dread
5. Motorheart
6. Barbarian
7. Walking Through Fire
8. Love Is Only A Feeling
9. The Longest Kiss
10. Heart Explodes
11. My Only
12. Japanese Prisoner Of Love
13. Friday Night
14. Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End) / Immigrant Song
15. I Believe In A Thing Called Love
16. Weekend In Rome
17. I Hate Myself