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: Arkells Close Out Vancouver City Takeover With Explosive Commodore Set
Canadian rock band Arkells wrapped up the Vancouver stop of its “Between Us City Takeovers” run on May 9 with a packed show at Commodore Ballroom. After two smaller warm-up gigs earlier in the week at The Penthouse and Hollywood Theatre, the band landed in the sweet spot Saturday night: a legendary venue large enough for a full-on singalong, but still intimate enough to feel personal.
The evening opened with a set from Ernesto Trombodo, a trombone-playing DJ who quickly won over the early crowd with a loose, energetic performance that leaned into funk, indie rock, and a bit of playful chaos.
Arkells walked onstage to deafening cheers and wasted no time getting things moving. Frontman Max Kerman has built a reputation as one of Canada’s most engaging live performers, and he spent nearly the entire night in motion, dancing across the stage, climbing onto the stage set up, and constantly interacting with fans near the barricade. Even after nearly two decades as a band, Arkells still perform like they’re trying to win over every person in the room for the first time.
The show itself was split into two acts. The first half featured Between Us performed front to back, giving the band space to fully settle into the newer material before launching into a second set packed with fan favourites and older hits. It was a smart format that made the night feel more like an event than a standard tour stop.
Their energy has always been their secret weapon. The songs themselves are straightforward: big hooks, driving rhythms, choruses built for crowds to shout back. Live, though, they hit differently. At the Commodore, tracks like “Boss,” “Leather Jacket,” and “Knocking” became massive communal moments. Nearly every lyric echoed back toward the stage from the sold-out crowd.
The concert was technically in support of the band’s latest album, Between Us, but it never felt like one of those shows where fans politely tolerate the new material while waiting for the hits. Kerman recently explained that smaller and mid-sized venues give new songs space to grow naturally before they move into arenas and festival fields, and that idea made sense watching these tracks unfold live.
The newer material carries a noticeable ‘90s-pop-rock influence, with heavier keyboards and polished grooves that feel a little like vintage Hall & Oates filtered through modern indie rock. Onstage, though, the songs still carried the same punch and warmth Arkells fans expect.
One of the most interesting things about this mini-tour was the stripped-down setup. Arkells often tour with additional musicians and their Northern Soul Horns, particularly for festival appearances, but this run was just the core five members: Kerman, guitarist Mike DeAngelis, bassist Nick Dika, drummer Tim Oxford, and keyboardist Anthony Carone.
The leaner lineup worked in the Commodore’s favour. Without the extra layers, the songs felt more immediate and rough around the edges. There was a looseness to the performance that made the night feel less choreographed and more spontaneous. Kerman joked several times between songs, told stories about the band’s early Vancouver shows, and kept the atmosphere relaxed.
At one point, he reflected on how many stories the Commodore’s walls would be able to tell with the amount of times they played there. The crowd laughed, but it tied perfectly into the spirit of the City Takeovers concept: revisiting the kinds of venues that shaped the band long before arena headlining slots and festival crowds became normal.
That connection between band and audience defined the night. Arkells have never been a cool-from-a-distance type of rock band. Their shows thrive on participation. Fans danced constantly on the Commodore’s famous sprung floor, strangers screamed lyrics together, and phones popped up every few minutes as Kerman (and once accompanied by Ernesto Trombodo) wandered through the crowd during several songs.
By the final stretch of the set, “Leather Jacket” tipped the room into celebration mode. “Leather Jacket.” The night closed with Kerman standing near the side tables of the Commodore with just his guitar, leading the crowd through a massive a cappella singalong.
What made this show stand out wasn’t massive production or elaborate visuals. There were no fireworks, giant video screens, or over-produced transitions. Arkells relied entirely on chemistry, songwriting, crowd connection, and great music.
For a band that now headlines arenas and major festivals across Canada, these smaller “City Takeovers” could have easily felt like a nostalgia exercise. Instead, the Vancouver finale felt fresh and purposeful. Arkells weren’t just revisiting old rooms for sentimental reasons. They were reminding people why they became one of the country’s most reliable live bands in the first place.
And judging by the volume inside the Commodore Ballroom on Saturday night, Vancouver was very happy to welcome them back.
Arkells will be back in Vancouver on July 7 at the new PNE Amphitheatre for the FIFA Fan Festival.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
ARKELLS
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Goldfinger Keep the Pit Moving and the Shoes Flying in Vancouver
On April 17th, the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver felt like a ska-punk time warp, with California punk legends Goldfinger supporting their new album, Nine Lives.
Sullvn got things rolling with a set that didn’t waste any time. Within minutes, hats were flying into the crowd like it was a merch-based game show, and the vibe quickly turned into organized chaos. They brought to the stage Dicky Barrett, former frontman of Mighty Mighty Bosstones for their hit “Raise a Glass”.
Next up was Broadway Calls, proving once again that a three-piece can absolutely shake a room. Their brand of fast, hooky punk tore through the crowd, with songs like “Call It Off” and “Back to Oregon” landing like instant jolts of energy. By the time they wrapped, the room was fully ready for Goldfinger.
Right away, frontman John Feldmann started doing crowd math. “How many of you are under 20?” A few scattered hands. “Over 40?” A lot more hands. He laughed and proudly stated that to still be doing this 32 years later as the best feeling in the world. This wasn’t a band clinging to nostalgia… but they also weren’t about to ignore it.
From there, it turned into the kind of chaos Goldfinger shows are known for, a non-stop blur of songs, crowd surfers, and, of course, the sacred tradition of shoes flying through the air. Somewhere along the way, footwear stopped being optional and started being part of the performance. Pairs were held up like trophies, launched across the room, or lost to the pit entirely. If you managed to leave with both shoes still accounted for, honestly, that’s a personal victory. The setlist leaned into exactly what people wanted. “Here in Your Bedroom,” “Chasing Amy” “Counting the Days”, all the hits, all loud, all sung back at the band like it was a group project. The floor barely stayed still for more than a few seconds, and the security team definitely got their steps in from the steady stream of crowd surfers.
During “Mable,” they pulled fans up on stage to dance, turning the whole thing into a slightly chaotic, very wholesome party. And then… “Superman.” The reaction was instant. Like, no hesitation, full-body nostalgia. The second it started, it felt like half the room got mentally transported back to playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 in their living rooms. Suddenly, everyone knew every word (even the ones they probably didn’t know they knew), and the energy somehow went up another level. It wasn’t just a highlight, it was the moment.
When it wrapped at the Commodore Ballroom, the place was wrecked in the best way – sweaty, shoeless, and buzzing. Still, no one seemed in any hurry to leave.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
GOLDFINGER
BROADWAY CALLS
SULLVN
All Photo Credit: Heather Horncastle