The Darkness announce biggest UK headline tour in 20 years
The Darkness are heading back to the UK’s biggest rooms for a full-blooded victory lap. The band have announced a December 2026 arena tour billed as a celebration of the very best of their catalogue, promising a set packed with greatest hits and deep-cut favourites drawn from across two decades of flamboyant, riff-heavy rock.
Framed as their biggest headline run in 20 years, the tour will take in seven arena dates across the country and culminate in their first ever headline show at London’s The O2.
A career-spanning set built for the arenas
Few British rock bands have leaned into excess with as much style or commitment as The Darkness, and this tour looks set to embrace every glorious part of that legacy. According to the announcement, fans can expect songs spanning all eight studio albums, from their seismic 2003 debut Permission To Land through to 2025’s Dreams On Toast, which reached No.2 on the UK Official Albums Chart.
The promise is an “encyclopaedic” set list, which feels fitting for a band whose catalogue swings so easily between absurdist glam, hard rock bombast and towering singalong choruses. In other words, exactly the kind of material that belongs in an arena.
Brothers Osborne and A join the bill
Making the package even bigger, all dates will feature support from GRAMMY-winning American country rock duo Brothers Osborne, alongside UK rock favourites A. It is a lineup that suggests the nights will be big on hooks, volume and pure crowd-pleasing energy from top to bottom.
The Darkness 2026 UK tour dates
Dec 8 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
Dec 9 – Leeds, First Direct Arena
Dec 11 – Manchester, AO Arena
Dec 12 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena
Dec 13 – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
Dec 15 – Brighton, Brighton Centre
Dec 16 – London, The O2
TICKETS ON SALE NOW HERE
More The Darkness on Punkinfocus: Live review: The Darkness Hit New Heights on Dreams On Toast Tour (April 2025) · Live review: THE DARKNESS LIGHT UP THE DOME! (December 2019) · The Darkness announce Crock of Hits and Moth Club launch show (September 2026) · The Darkness Set for Monumental Return with 2026 Arena Tour (November 2025) · The Darkness – ‘DREAMS ON TOAST’ Album review (March 2025)
