LIVE: THE DARKNESS – Nashville, TN, USA – August 31, 2025

Venue: Brooklyn Bowl Nashville

Date: August 31, 2025

Review and Photographs by: Jacob Smith (https://www.jhs-photo.com)

Brooklyn Bowl was at capacity Sunday evening for The Darkness, and the energy in the building was a very enthusiastic crowd. Justin Hawkins and the rest of The Darkness hit the stage at 9 pm on the dot and didn’t skip a beat. The show ran like clockwork. The first track of the 17-song show was a new one, but guaranteed to be a mainstay in their repertoire with “Rock And Roll Party Cowboy.” They followed that with two numbers from their first album, “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” and “Growing On Me.” The rest of the evening was filled with selections from their new album Dreams on Toast and the rest of their catalog. Lots of long pauses in songs and humorous stories, and jam sessions. I had never seen The Darkness perform and was only familiar with their first album. So this was a rare opportunity for me to witness something great and new. There were lots of audience participation moments in the performance, complete with Justin doing a handstand at one point, scissoring his legs in the air to the beat of the claps. The final song for the main set was the absolute banger “I Believe In A Thing Called Love,” and they ended with riotous applause. They only left the stage for a few moments before coming back and playing an encore of “Weekend In Rome” and finally “I Hate Myself.” This show was beyond what was expected and highly recommended for anyone who loves Glam Rock and straight Rock energy. This really impressed me with the evening. The amount of positivity and excitement shown by all was so impressive with The Darkness. I most definitely will go out of my way to catch them whenever they come through. Instant fan.

Setlist: Rock and Roll Party Cowboy – Growing on Me – Get Your Hands Off My Woman – Mortal Dread – Motorheart – Walking Through Fire – Barbarian – Love Is Only a Feeling – Givin’ Up – My Only – Heart Explodes – The Longest Kiss – Friday Night – Japanese Prisoner of Love – I Believe in a Thing Called Love – Weekend in Rome – I Hate Myself

[Show as slideshow]

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries