THE DARKNESS – DREAMS ON TOAST
For some years, The Darkness have been viewed as one of the chief standard bearers of British classic rock. Their new album, Dreams On Toast, only serves to reinforce that status. Dreams On Toast is everything that one would hope and expect from a Darkness album: great tunes, astonishingly good playing, humorous and ironic lyrics, and, oh – did I mention the great tunes???
For the first few seconds of the album’s opening, I must confess that I’m slightly taken aback: there’s a mangled chord sequence that is very reminiscent of John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band’s Cold Turkey. Thankfully, the opening track Rock And Roll Party Cowboy is nowhere near as bleak as that particular Lennon classic. Rather, it’s a celebration of rock ‘n’ roll and its associated lifestyle. Many rock icons get a name check, including the Marshall stack and “double Jack”. Not only that, there’s also some impressive guitar gymnastics courtesy of Dan Hawkins.
Track number two also initially worries me: the title I Hate Myself suggests a disturbing degree of self-analysis. Thankfully, it’s somewhat simpler than that. It’s a rollicking rock ‘n’ roll romp of a tale about a relationship that the song’s narrator has inadvertently wrecked. There’s no happy ending here, but quite frankly, the song sounds more like a celebration than a lament. There’s some terrific drumming from Rufus Taylor, with a few of those drum rolls that sound as if they’re speeding the song up when really they’re just beefing up the song’s tension. There’s a great guitar solo, Stonesy sax and piano that Nicky Hopkins would have been proud of. This is terrific stuff – and it’s only the second track!
There are very few bands that could write a paean to the flatulence-causing qualities of baked beans, but The Darkness get away with it. The country-tinged Hot On My Tail features Justin Hawkins apologising to ‘everybody’ throughout the song. Whatever he’s suffering from, it must be pretty hideous!!! Never mind. The pill is sweetened by some nice honky-tonk piano with an answering guitar lick. Mortal Dread is propelled by a distinctly AC/DC-flavoured riff. This will get arena crowds bouncing. Don’t Need Sunshine is a piano-led ballad and is not the only song on the album with lyrics that could be read as being critical of modern life: “I don’t need an app to show me how far I ran”. Has Justin Hawkins possibly entered that ‘grumpy old man’ phase? There’s no shame in that if he has.
The Longest Kiss is highly reminiscent of Bring Back That Leroy Brown by Queen. So much so, in fact, that it must be an homage. Indeed, one of the guitar solos has the same tone used by Brian May. An homage it may be, but it’s done incredibly well. The Battle For Gadget Land again questions the values of modern life. It’s certainly thought-provoking: why do we need all of this stuff? Do we need to be surgically attached to our smartphones? However, to take our minds off all this, there’s a monster of a riff and a gobsmacking guitar solo.
Cold Hearted Woman is another country-tinged offering. The Darkness are good at this. Sounds like they’ve spent time in Tennessee. When the song enters the chorus, it sounds like Justin is about to use a word other than “cold”! Thankfully, he doesn’t. The lyrics are very witty, and the backing vocals are surprisingly delicate. There’s a sweet guitar solo to close, too. Walking Through Fire is an unashamed love song to rock ‘n’ roll and is none the worse for that. As you would expect from such a song, there’s some awesome guitar soloing. Album closer, Weekend In Rome, is a surprisingly gentle finale. It almost sounds like a spoof love song as the orchestral backing swells towards the end. However, it’s quite apt, as it sounds more than anything like the closing song of a 1930s Hollywood movie.
Dreams On Toast is notable for the variety of material that it contains. It rocks. There are country songs and ballads, even a finely orchestrated ending. The album is an exercise in brevity. None of the tracks outstay their welcome: the longest track is the outrageously rocking Rock And Roll Party Cowboy, which clocks in at 4 minutes 28 seconds. Everything is pleasingly succinct. The songs make their point and finish. Nothing is wasted. There’s nothing in the least bit self-indulgent here. It’s all killer, no filler. This is an album meant to be played live, and I can’t wait to experience it in concert!
The Darkness headline tour continues this week through the UK, swiftly followed by a further 21 dates across Europe. Full dates and last few remaining tickets are available here https://www.thedarknesslive.com/.
The remaining UK dates are listed below:
THE DARKNESS 2025 UK HEADLINE TOUR DATES
24/03 – Bristol, Beacon Theatre (SOLD OUT)
25/03 – Portsmouth, Guildhall (SOLD OUT)
27/03 – Leicester, De Montford Hall (SOLD OUT)
28/03 – Cambridge, Corn Exchange (SOLD OUT)
29/03 – London, OVO Arena Wembley (SOLD OUT)
31/03 – Manchester, O2 Apollo (SOLD OUT) *
01/04 – Newcastle, O2 City Hall (SOLD OUT) *
*rescheduled date
