The Darkness & Mark Daly – Atlanta, GA – 9/2/2025

When I heard that Multi-platinum rock legends The Darkness were making a stop the week I’d be visiting Atlanta, I did the only reasonable think I could think of – I moved my flight to ensure that I’d catch their show. And, with four-day Prog Power USA kicking off today just a couple miles away at Atlanta’s Center Stage, I wasn’t the only one who flew in prior to the show at The Masquerade’s “Heaven” venue last night.

I arrived early to ensure that I didn’t miss supporting act Mark Daly & The Ravens who I’ve been following for several years, and was glad that I did as it was quite the maze of staircases to find the actual venue after getting dropped off on the street in front of an archway and a seemingly boarded up establishment. Luckily, I made a new friend who quickly guided me before confusion set in and I was soon screened and given my credentials before entering the standing-room only “heaven” venue, where fans of The Darkness were already lined up for merch. It was a packed floor, which I imagine would have been completely sold out if had not been for the competition of Yungblud performing last night as well.

Mark Daly took the stage around 7:50 pm setting the stage for a full-throttle evening with fast-paced strobes and the gritty hard rock sound that we’ve come to expect from the band. There set included material from the album Devil’s Arms from One Opportunity Records, which was produced by Grammy-nominated Brian Virtue. Those cuts included “I Wanna Be More” and “Better off Alone” from the album, as well as new material like “This is Love,” the band’s latest single which just had a video drop coinciding with the start of this North American tour.

The cork-based Irish singer/songwriter Mark Daly was joined by James Brown and Cillian Plummer on guitar, Jack Ross from Scotland on bass, and new addition Kyle Hughes from New Castle England on drums. You can read more about the band in our previous coverage of Geoff Tate, Mr. Big and Richie Kotzen, and be sure to visit their website at https://markdalyofficial.com/.

The Darkness guys made quite the impression on me when I first caught them live on the Monsters of Rock Cruise and how could they not from frontman Justin Hawkins taking a mid-set swim in the hot tub on the pool deck to his very public calling-out of the legendary Ace Frehley, cruisers are still talking about The Darkness and can’t wait to see them onboard again in 2026.

Hailing from the United Kingdom, The Darkness kicked off their two-part Dreams On Toast tour just days ago on August 29th in Pryor, Oklahoma with stops in Saint Louis and Nashville before last night’s performance in Atlanta, and they show no signs of slowing down with two full leg’s planned before wrapping up on November 22nd. So, for those who are hoping to catch up with the band soon, there are certainly plenty of opportunities!

The Darkness is singer/guitarist Justin Hawkins and brother Dan Hawkins on guitar, Frankie Poullain on bass, and Rufus Taylor on drums (and briefly on lead vocals). The band’s latest release Dreams on Toast launched on March 28th and draws from their various influences like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, which vividly poured into their sixteen-song set. We knew when the band had to stop for a water break after the intro of “Rock & Roll Party Cowboy” from the new album, that we were in for a fun night!

Highlights included when Jennifer Rush’s hit song “The Power of Love,” which was made famous by Celine Dion, made its way into an extended version of “Get Your Hands Off My Woman.” One can only guess that the band’s original song “The Power and the Glory of Love” from the 2021 album Motorheart has historically been confused with the pop song, but regardless, it was very entertaining hearing Justin belt out the lyrics “I am your lady and you are my man…” in his distinct falsetto voice. And, as anticipated, things were just getting started…

The crowd had plenty of opportunity to join the fun, between singing along to learning a new marching dance with instructions to turn towards “merch” and “the bar” that left us all smiling, and the party the ignited during “I Believe In A Thing Called Love,” when everyone was instructed to put away their phones and just feel the music before closing things out with an encore of “I Hate Myself,” from the new album.

ADDITIONAL DREAMS ON TOAST NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

9/3                  Huntsville, AL          Von Braun Center – Mars Music Hall
9/5                  Norfolk, VA              The NorVa
9/6                  Richmond, VA         The National
9/7                  Washington, DC      Lincoln Theatre
9/9                  Allentown, PA          Archer Music Hall
9/10                New York, NY          Irving Plaza
9/12                Toronto, ON             Phoenix Concert Theatre
9/13                Kitchener, ON          Elements
9/14                Montréal, QC           Club Soda
9/16                Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room at Old National Centre

9/17                Detroit, MI                Saint Andrew’s Hall
9/19                Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
9/20                Milwaukee, WI         The Rave/Eagles Club – The Rave Hall
9/21                Cleveland, OH         Agora Theatre and Ballroom
11/7                Houston, TX             Warehouse Live Midtown
11/8                Austin, TX                Emo’s
11/9                Dallas, TX                The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
11/12              Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
11/13              San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
11/15              Boise, ID                  Knitting Factory Concert House
11/17              Portland, OR            Revolution Hall
11/18              Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
11/19              Seattle, WA              The Showbox
11/21              Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
11/22              Denver, CO              Summit Music Hall

Coverage by Editor and founder Kara Marie Uhrlen on 9/2/2025. All event photos © Kara Uhrlen and The Pure Rock Shop.