The Darkness brought their “Dreams on Toast” tour to San Francisco in support of their 2025 release of that title, packing the historic Fillmore for an evening of rock ‘n’ roll.

Indeed the San Francisco crowd knew were to find the party, filling the general admission floor as Mark Daly and his band kicked of the night.  A charming chap from Ireland with a penchant for whiskey and rock ‘n’ roll, Daly clearly made some new fans with an ample 40-minute set that allowed the Darkness fans to booze it up as they waited for the headliner to take the stage.

Thankfully they wouldn’t have to wait long, as the crew made quick work of the stage for The Darkness to go on promptly at 9 p.m. and launch right into “Rock and Roll Party Cowboy” from their latest release. Indeed the party was on, the San Francisco audience clearly familiar with the new material and read to sing along.

Frontman Justin Hawkins wore a huge pinstripe suit that probably seemed like a humorous idea when he bought it, but it quickly proved to be unwieldy for his on-stage antics as he slid around on the absurdly long pants legs. Eventually giving up after the second song and admitting the poor decision to the room, he proceeded to change into some tennis shoes and roll up his pants. From there, the energy kicked into high gear as the setlist veered towards the band’s breakthrough debut, Permission to Land, and the energy in the room rocketed.

Justin was definitely feeling the vibe with the San Francisco fans, giddy as he led a call-response at the end of “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” and later on trying to orchestrate a ridiculous sideways march during “Walking On Fire” which probably didn’t live up to the vision he had in his head when he concocted the the scheme.  Regardless the mood stayed light as the Fillmore humored Hawkins’ nonsense.

A mid-set a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers” calmed things down for a beat as Justin showed off his best twangy vocals, but it was a brief respite as the band explored their catalog which hit the highlights and unsurprisingly leaned heavily on both Dreams on Toast and Permission to Land.

Like them or not, it’s impossible to deny that wherever they go, The Darkness bring a good time. No doubt there were some bleary eyes around work the next morning.

The Darkness

Mark Daly