The Darkness Light Up Montreal with Old-School Rock and Roll

On Sunday night, British glam rock veterans The Darkness rolled through Montreal as part of their “Dreams on Toast” North American Tour. They’re on the road promoting their eighth studio album, and fans packed the iconic Club Soda for a night of old-school rock and roll with their signature touch of glam.

First on the bill was Ireland’s very own Mark Daly, along with a full backing band. Mark Daly and his band played unapologetic garage rock and roll. His voice was reminiscent of Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam or the late Chris Cornell, and their music gave off heavy Led Zeppelin vibes. It was clear what their influences were, and the Montreal crowd was absolutely vibing with them. It was their first time in the city, and they were visibly shocked by the great response from the Montreal crowd. In an act I rarely see for an opening band, about halfway through their set, the classic “Oee oee oee” chants blasted through the venue. Daly, a bit in disbelief, said, “This is the first time that’s ever happened to us. This is insane. Thank you,” before finishing their set. They all grabbed a shot of whiskey and toasted the Montreal crowd. “You know how we Irish people don’t like to drink at all,” he joked, “but this is a special occasion.” It was a truly great opening act that I hope to catch again soon.

At 9 p.m. sharp, the stage flooded with smoke and red light, and in came The Darkness. Dan Hawkins (guitar) and Rufus Taylor (drums) came out first, arms raised and clapping to the cheering crowd, followed by Frankie Poullain (bass). Seconds later, their iconic frontman Justin Hawkins rushed in, rocking a full-on cowboy outfit: a black embroidered button-up shirt, slim black pants with metal studs down the sides, and, of course, a cowboy hat. He strapped on a grunged-up orange neon Stratocaster, and the rock and roll party aptly started with “Rock and Roll Party Cowboy,” the first single from their new album.

The band sounded fantastic and well-rehearsed throughout the night. Specially obvious during the second song of the set, “Get Your Hands Off My Woman,” a track I know front to back from their first album, Permission to Land. Hawkins’ signature falsetto just makes you want to go, “Hell yeah!” with every note. It’s pure glam rock and roll, something we no longer get to see very often, especially in mid-size venues.

The set list felt very well-crafted by a band that seemed to know most of the audience grew up listening to Permission to Land and that’s what we wanted to hear. They would play a couple of new songs, then go back to a banger from their first album like “Givin’ Up” and their iconic power ballad “Love Is Only a Feeling.” The band would then move on to play newer stuff like “Motorheart” or “Mortal Dread.” It was an unspoken exchange between the band and the audience: “We’ll give you what you want, but we’ll also play what we want in return.”

Even on the lesser-known songs, Hawkins knows full well how to command an audience. During “Walking Through Fire” he ran the audience through a line dance, doing a two-step to one side of the venue, then the other. I have to admit, seeing a bunch of metalheads line dancing on a Sunday night at a rock show wasn’t on my bingo card, and it’s the kind of energy the frontman is able to transmit to a crowd with ease, even after all these years.

Throughout the night, The Darkness had some great surprises to hype us up. They played a cover of “The Power of Love” by our own local treasure, Celine Dion. That, of course, might have been the loudest the crowd was all night. If you want a Montreal crowd to go crazy, just play Celine Dion; it will never fail. They also played a cover of “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen, which also never fails to hit at a metal show, with Hawkins hitting every note originally sung by the legend Freddie Mercury with ease.

The highlight, of course, was closing their main set with “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.” The song that gave them international recognition back in the early 2000s is a must-have on every glam-metal playlist around the world. We all sang along with Hawkins, who could not stop smiling through the entire song.

It was a night of pure rock and roll bliss. The Darkness proved they can still command a crowd, bringing their timeless glam-rock sound to a city ready to embrace both the nostalgia and the new. The Montreal crowd was more than happy to be a part of it, leaving no doubt that the band still has a great following on the other side of the world.

Check our our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!

THE DARKNESS

MARK DALY

All Photo Credit: Andres Amaya