The Darkness Deliver a Joyously Unhinged Performance at The Wiltern

Wednesday, November 12th, 2025 at The Wiltern didn’t feel like just another concert, it felt like a wild, joy-filled celebration of rock ’n’ roll, thanks to British rock legends The Darkness. Touring behind their latest album,‘Dreams on Toast’, the band delivered a night that balanced razor-sharp musicianship with their signature sense of playful, over-the-top bravado.

From the opening moments, frontman Justin Hawkins cemented himself as the evening’s ringmaster. He began the show in a hat before tossing it aside and revealing the bare-chested showman the crowd was waiting for. His command of the room was absolute, punctuated by nonstop banter, knowing winks, and an almost mischievous rapport with the audience.

Hawkins treated The Wiltern like his personal playground. He led several call-and-response exercises, pushing the crowd to hit soaring notes and match his enthusiasm. Midway through the set, he casually dropped into a full handstand and later broke into fist-pumping choreography during “Walking Through the Fire,” all while never losing a beat or a breath.

A standout surprise arrived when drummer Rufus Tiger Taylor stepped out from behind the kit to take center stage, delivering a soulful lead-vocal rendition of “My Only.” Meanwhile, guitarist Dan Hawkins hopped onto the drums, showing off the band’s depth and versatility. Moments like these are what make The Darkness such a uniquely theatrical live act. The curveballs didn’t stop there. The band launched into a spot-on, unexpectedly earnest cover of Jeffrey Osborne’s “On the Wings of Love,” earning huge cheers and even bigger smiles from the crowd. By the time the main set closed with the band’s iconic anthem “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” The Wiltern had erupted into a unified, ecstatic sing-along.

The encore call was immediate and deafening. When The Darkness returned for their final victory lap, it felt less like a closing number and more like an affirmation: they remain one of the most joyful, charismatic, and reliably entertaining live bands touring today. The Darkness don’t simply perform a concert. They host a full-blown rock ’n’ roll celebration, inviting everyone to shed their inhibitions, sing their lungs out, and revel in the magnificent absurdity of it all.