The Darkness
Support: Mark Daly & The Ravens
The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
Wednesday, November 12th, 2025
Review/Pics: Will
Hello The Darkness My Old Friend. On Wednesday evening, Justin, Dan, Frankie and Rufus returned to their home away from home – The Wiltern in Los Angeles. The Wiltern has hosted the band for at least their last three treks through the City of Angels, and by the reaction of the crowd, they are ALWAYS going to be welcome.
Irish Rockers Warm up The Wiltern
First up this evening to get the crowd pumped was an act I wasn’t familiar with, Mark Daly and the Ravens. The band are (mostly) from Ireland and did a fantastic job of getting the crowd primed and ready for the Headliners.
Mark is… Mark, and The Ravens are: James Brown (Lead Guitar), Cillian Plummer (Rhythm Guitar), Jack Ross (Bass) and Kyle Hughes (Drums) who has toured with Bumblefoot and most recently, Richie Kotzen.
As expected from an Irishman, Mark’s banter was on point and had the crowd laughing. “This is our new song that just went to number 1 on the Irish rock charts. *crowd cheers. Well I don’t know if that’s true, but sure it only takes like 5 likes to get there” *laughter ensues.
Mark showed his appreciation to the LA crowd for showing up for an opening act: “It doesn’t happen back in Ireland” and in return gave the crowd 45 minutes of some gritty rock that will definitely stick in people’s memories.
Their songs were catchy, Mark sounded fantastic, the band was tight and the crowd were eating them up. Someone to definitely keep an eye on.
Good craic indeed!
The Darkness are Elusive No More!
The Universe seemed to have it in for me when it came to The Darkness in LA. As I mentioned, they have toured these parts regularly and every time I’ve been out of town. (Luckily the WillToRock team was there). But not this time Universe!
I finally caught the band on the 2024 Monsters of Rock Cruise and was blown away. I vowed to change whatever plans I had if they were ever in my vicinity. And here I am on Wednesday night once again witnessing a band that can’t help slather a smile on your face.
What is it about The Darkness that makes them so compelling? You choose: Their catalog of catchiness? Their tongue-in-cheek cheekiness? Justin’s ability to curse as easily as breathe? Their courage to unironically launch into Jennifer Rush’s “The Power Of Love“?. It’s all of that and more.
Their arrival was announced as always by…Abba’s “Arrival” which played as the band took their place on stage. They then launched into “Rock and Roll Party Cowboy“, the opening track from their latest album Dreams On Toast. It was clear the loyalists had done their homework as the crowd immediately started singing along.
Meet The Darkness
Justin Hawkins is up there as one of the most entertaining frontmen around. He’s part Freddie, Part Mick, Part Wind-up Toy, and commands an audience like no one’s business. A fantastic guitar player which is often overshadowed by his vocals. He’s still brandishing a perfect falsetto that hasn’t faltered in over 25. He looks fantastic. His fully tatted torso was proudly on full display through most of the evening.
Guitarist, Dan Hawkins filled the Wiltern with riff-driven rhythms and headbanging. He gets to act like the relatively sensible one while Justin brings the crazy. The incredibly dapper Frankie Poullian on bass was powerful and mesmerizing. Great crowd interaction and pick throwing. (I can’t help think of Rainn Wilson’s character (David Felton) in “Almost Famous” when I see Frankie). The hard hitting Rufus Tiger Taylor (We all know by now he’s Roger’s son, right?), like his father, is a beast behind the kit. Also adding guitar and keyobard assistance was Ian Norfolk.
One of the many highlights of the evening was when Rufus came to the forefront to sing “My Only“, A Dreams On Toast Bonus Track. Dan grabbed the sticks and slinked behind the kit on what was a really beautifully sung song. (I believe it’s about his dog?) I get it.
Permission to Dream: Granted
The setlist was by dominated by their first and last releases, Permission To Land (2003) and Dreams On Toast (2024). Six songs from each of those albums were littered through the evening while the rest of the set was comprised of cherry picked fan favorites.
Those included, among others, “Barbarian“, “Motorheart“, “Heart Explodes“, “Japanese Prisoner Of Love“. During “Walking Through Fire“, Justin instructed the crowd to walk, with fists alternatively lifted, to the left, and then to the right during the chorus. The crowd were willing and eager to participate. The main set ended with their biggest hit, “I Believe In A Thing Called Love“. Most of the audience even obliged when they were asked to put their phones down and just dance to the song. Most…
The band exited the stage and returned shortly, with Justin wearing what I believe would be described as a Zoot Suit. The two song encore included “One Way Ticket” and set closer, “I Hate Myself“
Setlist:
Encore:
Related Links:
Death Cult/The Cult – The Shrine Expo Hall – 10/30/25
Bruce Dickinson – The Wiltern – 10/5/25
Judas Priest – YouTube Theater – 10/15/24
Bush / STP / The Cult – 9/1/18
