Concerts Reviews
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
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: aespa Close North American Tour With a Futuristic Spectacle in Vancouver
My K-pop education continued on October 11 as aespa brought their SYNK : COMPLæXITY Tour to Rogers Arena in Vancouver. After seeing TWICE in January and IVE in August, this was my third concert foray into K-pop. I was excited to see how aespa would compare, and the answer was a little different from my first two experiences. Where TWICE brought the fun and IVE delivered its own polished pop spectacle, aespa leaned into futuristic visuals, heavy electronic production and choreography that rarely let up.
With no opening act, the stage belonged entirely to Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning. Vancouver marked the final stop of the North American leg before the group heads to Europe in January, making this the last chance for fans on this side of the Atlantic to see the production for a while.
There had been some concern about Giselle’s participation after she left the stage five songs into the group’s October 9 show at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Thankfully, she was back in Vancouver. Both she and Winter mentioned having a cold, but you wouldn’t have known it from their performances. Neither appeared to let it get in the way, and both delivered strong performances throughout the night.
The show opened with “LEMONADE,” immediately filling Rogers Arena with heavy bass, electronic beats and futuristic visuals. The production was massive, but the sound mix occasionally worked against the group. At points, the bass threatened to overpower the vocals, which was frustrating when four singers this capable were onstage.
“Switchblade” and “Whiplash” kept the momentum going before aespa reached back to its 2020 debut single, “Black Mamba.” The choreography remained sharp, and the group’s ability to move between demanding routines and vocal passages without losing its composure was impressive. “WDA (Whole Different Animal)” brought a harder hip-hop edge, with Giselle’s rap standing out against the heavy production.
The concert was divided into five acts, with cinematic video segments building on the group’s fictional universe. The story occasionally felt like a lot to keep up with, particularly for someone who hasn’t followed every chapter of aespa‘s mythology. Still, the visuals gave the show a clear identity. The production had a narrative thread running through it.
The second act offered a welcome change of pace. Karina introduced “Count on Me” on a piano, leading into a softer arrangement that let the members’ voices take centre stage. “Camouflage” and “Angel #48” continued the dreamier stretch. These moments were a reminder that aespa doesn’t need a wall of bass and flashing screens to hold an audience’s attention.
The solo and duet stages were among my favourite parts of the night. Giselle and Ningning brought a relaxed feel to “Lollipop,” while Karina and Winter took a more energetic approach with “Serenade.” Each pairing had its own character, making the performances feel distinct rather than like variations on the same routine.
The four solo performances gave the members even more room to show what they could do. Ningning’s “I Love You But I Gotta Let You Go” built from restrained verses into soaring high notes, while Karina’s “16 Bit” relied on a more understated, moody delivery. Giselle showed a softer side on “BYEB4HELLO,” moving beyond her usual rap role, and Winter’s “Saddle Up” put her choreography and stage confidence front and centre.
These performances made a strong case for the individual personalities within aespa. The group’s sleek, coordinated image is part of its appeal, but seeing the members step outside that format made the concert more interesting.
The heavier material returned with “Armageddon” and “Bite,” followed by a run of choreography-driven performances including “Next Level,” “SHAKIN’” and “Supernova.” The dancers added scale to the show, and the synchronized routines looked particularly effective against the digital scenery. By this point, the production had made its point: aespa knows how to turn its music into a full arena experience.
The pre-encore dance challenge was a fun change of pace, with cameras scanning the crowd and giving fans a chance to show off their moves on the big screens. The segment ended with an (shy) audience singalong to “Roll” before aespa returned for “Yeppi Yeppi” and “’Til We Die.”
As someone still getting to know K-pop, I appreciated the range. The spectacle was impressive, but the quieter songs and individual stages stopped the night from becoming one long sensory overload. The sound mix could have been better, and some of the storyline went over my head, but those were minor complaints in a show packed with strong performances.
TWICE got me curious about K-pop, and IVE gave me another reason to keep exploring it. aespa made a convincing case for sticking around. Their Vancouver show was loud, visually striking and full of personality, with four performers who could hold Rogers Arena’s attention even when the production threatened to steal it. That’s a solid way to close out a North American tour.
Upcoming Aespa – SYNK : COMPLæXITY’ World Tour Dates:
01/14 – Manchester, United Kingdom @ AO Arena
01/16 – London, United Kingdom @ The O2
01/19 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
01/22 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Avicii Arena
01/24 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena
01/26 – Berlin, Germany @ Uber Arena
01/29 – Milan, Italy @ Unipol Dome
01/31 – Barcelona, Spain @ Palau Sant Jordi
02/02 – Paris, France @ Accor Arena
More information here.
Concerts Reviews
LØLØ Brings her ‘God Forbid a Girl Goes on Tour’ to the Pearl in Vancouver
LØLØ brought her second headlining tour – aptly named “God Forbid a Girl Goes on Tour” – to Vancouver this week, a first for the Canada-born artist. We’ve been a fan since we first heard “Death Wish” back in 2021, which seems like it was yesterday, and we aren’t going to overthink that right now. That being said, we’ve been waiting a long time for this night, and what a show!
We’ve been frequenting The Pearl more and more lately, and like so many others this show was sold out and packed wall-to-wall. There was a small mob for the first opener of the night, Dawson Gamble, and the floor was packed by the time Con the Artist took the stage. When LØLØ appeared, it was all plaid miniskirts and devil horns from the stage to the merch booth.
When the lights went down, LØLØ’s voice boomed over the speakers, narrating excerpts from a journal. LØLØ is not a choreographed, over-polished pop princess. Like so many artists that grew their audience from nothing, she does her best to connect with individuals in the audience. She takes her time, holds their hands, and during one memorable song, brings them on stage to dance.
“I think that people don’t want perfection,” she told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “They just want to see a live show and a special moment.”
LØLØ was very upfront about her adventures online, finding her voice, and time spent during COVID, and from the vibe you have to assume the audience had been there with her the entire time. From “The Floor is Lava” to “Faceplant,” all the hits were covered and sung along to. Speaking of which…
Must Hear Songs by LØLØ (In Our Humble Opinion):
• “death wish” (Single, 2021)
• “Hot Girls in Hell” (falling for robots, 2023)
• “u turn me on (but you give me depression)” (falling for robots, 2023)
• “Let It Go” (A Whole New Sound (Disney), 2024)
Fun fact: LØLØ was featured on a 2024 Disney punk album alongside Simple Plan, Magnolia Park, and Yellow Card, to name a few iconic bands. Check out her version of “Let It Go” from “Frozen.” It’s unexpected and a lot of fun.
LØLØ ‘s first moment of viral fame was her cover of “Hey There Delilah,” updated and sung from Delilah’s perspective. Pulling Con the Artist back on stage for a duet gave the crowd a wonderful, heartfelt moment that was honestly quite touching. Not everyone’s favorite song, but a lovely moment for everyone in the audience.
LØLØ, with several incredible songs in her library and with a stack of “Warped Tour” appearances already in the books, seems poised to breakthrough to the next level. She’s electric on stage, and animated, and we can only dream of the day she is given more space to play. Until then, another highlight concert of 2026, and something to think about until her next visit!
LØLØ Setlist:
• the devil wears converse
• pretty little wreck
• god forbid a girl spits out her feelings!
• THE FLOOR IS LAVA!
• debbie downer
• me with no shirt on
• the punisher
• 2 of us
• u turn me on (but u give me depression)
• faceplant
• Hey There Delilah
• death wish
• delusional darling
• junkie
• DON’T!
• dumbest girl in the world
• wish i was a robot
• hot girls in hell
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery. Thanks for attending the show with us and for checking out our review!
LØLØ
All Photo Credit: Jason Martin