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: AC/DC – Hell’s Still Bellin’
AC/DC. Christ. What’s left to say? Everything’s been said, screamed, tattooed on someone’s bicep already. Doesn’t matter. That’s the whole racket, they never changed, never blinked, and more than fifty years later they’re still the loudest gang in the room.
Growing up, they felt ancient already. I am a 2001 kid. Turns out the joke’s on me: they’re still out there, riffing like it’s ’79, refusing to retire into legend status.
Princess Auto Stadium was packed with about 35000 attendees. Everyone was wearing red twinkling devil’s horns. To warm up the night, The Pretty Reckless started with one of the hits “Death by Rock and Roll.” Some support acts play like they’re grateful for the slot. Taylor Momsen played like she owns the stadium. The hair falling forward, somehow the less you can see of her face the more magnetic she gets. Stage presence isn’t something you learn. She’s just got it.
The band didn’t sound like an opener. Every riff landed with the swagger “Going To Hell” and “Since You’re Gone” kept it burning, and “About You” brought it down to something rawer before the lights cut. By the time The Pretty Reckless walked off, the audience were already screaming AC/DC! AC/DC!
Winnipeggers stood stunned through AC/DC‘s whole set. Angus Young, 71 years old still in that signature blue schoolboy uniform and yellow-and-blue cap, ran wild across the stage, duck-walking like no time had passed at all, genuinely, a dream come true to watch in person.
Meanwhile, the rest of the band, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, bassist Chris Chaney and drummer Matt Laug stayed largely in the background, keeping the engine running for Angus and Johnson to tear apart.
The production matched the legend, “Hells Bells” arrived with an actual giant bell hanging over the stage. The setlist ran deep: “Thunderstruck,” “Have a Drink on Me,” “Shot in the Dark,” “Stiff Upper Lip,” “Highway to Hell,” “Jailbreak,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” Almost every song sounded just as good as the album version. The crowd tore their vocal cords apart singing along to “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “TNT.” “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” closed things out with cannons blasting into the night sky.
The house lights came up and nobody moved right away. Smoke still hanging over the stage, ears ringing, horns still lit up red across the stands. Bands this old aren’t supposed to sound this dangerous. They aren’t supposed to still mean it. But AC/DC never got the memo about slowing down, and honestly, thank God for that. I walked out hoarse, deaf, and completely satisfied.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
AC/DC
THE PRETTY RECKLESS
All Photo Credit: Nischal Karki
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Party On, Vancouver: Dogstar Sells Out the Vogue Theatre
The Vogue Theatre was packed wall to wall on September 16 as Dogstar rolled into Vancouver, and the excitement was impossible to miss. New York rock band The Backfires kicked things off with a lively opening set, warming up the room before Bret Domrose, Robert Mailhouse and Keanu Reeves stepped onto the stage. Naturally, hundreds of phones immediately went up when Reeves appeared, because Vancouver was not about to let this extremely Keanu moment go undocumented.
Reeves held down the bass, Domrose took on guitar and vocals, and Mailhouse powered the night from behind the drums. While one member may come with a little more star power, Dogstar quickly felt like a proper three-piece instead of a celebrity side project. The chemistry between them was relaxed and natural, with plenty of smiles, glances and little interactions that made it clear they were genuinely happy to be playing together. Reeves frequently wandered across the stage to jam alongside his bandmates, occasionally making his way toward the front and sending another wave of phones into the air.
Dogstar’s story stretches back to Los Angeles in 1991, when Reeves and Mailhouse first started making music together. Domrose later joined the band, and the trio released two albums before going their separate ways in 2002. More than two decades later, they reunited, returned to the stage and released Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees in 2023. Now, with their latest album All In Now and another tour underway, Dogstar are giving this chapter of the band far more than a quick nostalgia lap.
The set began with “Siren,” immediately setting an easygoing alt-rock tone for the night. Their cover of The Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait” brought an extra burst of familiarity, while “Punch the Sky” landed with the kind of energy made for a full theatre. Rather than pausing for long speeches, the band kept things moving, letting the music and their chemistry do most of the talking. Domrose’s vocals stayed at the centre of the songs, Mailhouse gave them plenty of drive, and Reeves appeared completely locked into the groove on bass.
Yes, people cheered whenever Reeves moved closer to the edge of the stage. Yes, there was an undeniable thrill in seeing the internet’s favourite human casually rocking out a few feet away. But the attention did not stay on him alone. Domrose and Mailhouse were just as essential to the show, and together the trio delivered a performance that felt tight without becoming overly polished. There was still room for the songs to breathe, for the band to play off one another and for the night to feel a little spontaneous.
A fun surprise arrived during the encore with a roaring cover of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” The band shared that they had only performed it live once before, making it a particularly unexpected way to close the night. The Vogue responded accordingly, singing, cheering and soaking up every last second before the trio left the stage.
More than 30 years after forming, and over two decades after calling it quits, Dogstar are back on the road and clearly having a great time together. That sense of fun was infectious, turning the sold-out show into something warmer and more memorable than a simple celebrity sighting. Vancouver may have arrived ready to see Keanu Reeves play bass, but by the end of the night, Dogstar had given the crowd plenty of reasons to stay invested in the whole band.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
DOGSTAR
THE BACKFIRES
All Photo Credit: Heather Horncastle