THE DARKNESS, MARK DALY In Houston, TX With Photos!

Larry Petro

Managing Editor, Photographer Contributing to KNAC.COM since 2001, Editor since 2012 Houston based

November 11, 2025

THE DARKNESS, MARK DALY In Houston, TX With Photos!

The Dreams On Toast Tour Kicks Off Leg 2 At Warehouse Live Midtown On November 7th

Band Photo Credit: Gareth Parker

All Photos By Larry Petro/Petrofyed Photography

Twice in October Houston was the site of a tour-ending performance, first MICHAEL SCHENKER and then ALICE COOPER/JUDAS PRIEST. This time on November 7th, the Bayou City was host to a tour kick off show, that being the second leg of the Dreams On Toast Tour from UK’s THE DARKNESS. The first leg ran from the end of August until September 21st, including a stop at the 2025 Rocklahoma.

The support act for this leg of the tour was Irish hard rocker MARK DALY. I hadn’t ever seen him perform although my fellow photographer and friend told me that he has seen him prior as an opener for former QUEENSRYCHE vocalist Geoff Tate. That must have been the one time I hadn’t covered a Tate show in recent years. Needless to say I was waiting to see what kind of set he would perform. I was impressed right from the get-go as they launched into their set with a blues-tinged rocking number, “This Is Love”, a song that was just released recently. Besides the impressive start to the show the first thing I noticed was one of the two guitarists, James Brown, who I had seen several times already as a member of Geoff Tate’s touring lineup.

The band was tight and having a blast to be back onstage and kept the pedal down as they followed up the opener with “Devil’s Arms” and then “Better Off Alone”. I left the barricade after the 3rd song thoroughly pleased with how things got going. The 8-song set included 4 tracks from the 2024 release, ‘Devil’s Arms’, including the previously mentioned two of the first 3 songs. Their set ended with “I Wanna Be More”. This was a great way to kick off the evening and I look forward to seeing Mark and his band in the future. Check them out!

https://markdalyofficial.com/
https://www.facebook.com/markdalymusic/
https://www.instagram.com/markdalymusic/

Setlist:

This Is Love
Devil’s Arms
Better Off Alone
Brighter Days
Crazy
Don’t Look Back
Superhero
I Wanna Be More

As I’ve continued to contribute to and manage the KNAC.COM website, the list of bands I’ve caught and photographed has grown considerably and the ones I haven’t has shrunk. I’ve covered some bands like IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST multiple times while others like THE DARKNESS haven’t materialized once until now. I was finally able to cross them off of my list as they continue to tour the States in support of their album ‘Dreams On Toast’, which was released back in March of this year.

Are they heavy metal? No. They’re definitely in the hard rock genre with a tinge of radio-friendly pop thrown in and of course the obvious comparisons to QUEEN thanks to frontman Justin Hawkins and his occasional falsetto crooning. Along with his brother and guitarist Dan Hawkins, bassist Frankie Poullain and drummer Rufus Tiger Taylor, who just happens to be the son of QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor, the band continues to enjoy a solid following, both abroad and in the United States and it was quite evident from the start how excited and thrilled they were to be back on the road again. And as an added bonus for us photographers the band brought along some of their own lighting which made for a nice experience for us in the barricade.

The solid crowd at Warehouse Live Midtown had come for a rock ‘n’ roll party and that’s what they got right from the start, both literally and figuratively as THE DARKNESS launched Leg Two of their tour with “Rock And Roll Party Cowboy” from the ‘Dreams On Toast’ record as Justin Hawkins appeared onstage dressed in a rust colored suede cowboy outfit complete with a hat. The rock ‘n’ roll party was on as the band rolled through the next song “Growing On Me” and then “Get Your Hands Off My Woman”. Hawkins was all smiles as he engaged with the crowd, holding the microphone for them to sing (which they gladly obliged) and even taking a fan’s cell phone to film the band and the crowd, all just during the first 3 songs.

The set was a solid mix of songs from primarily two albums, the aforementioned ‘Dreams On Toast’ (“Mortal Dread” and “Walking Through Fire”, for example) and their smash album ‘Permission To Land’ (“Givin’ Up” and “Love Is Only A feeling”), performing 6 songs from each. Hawkins continued his engagement with those in attendance, including bringing his guitar down to a fan or fans in the front of the barricade to allow them to strum. Drummer Taylor got his chance at vocals for the track “My Only” and by the time “Friday Night” came around the crowd was in the palm of Taylor’s hand as the eagerly sang every word including the chorus. Of course the song that put them on the map, “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”, was last before leaving the stage. The show concluded with another new tune, “I Hate Myself”, which included snippets of a LED ZEPPELIN number (and it escapes me exactly what song it was) and then a portion of the Tommy James & The Shondells’ “Crimson And Clover” before leaving the stage for the night. The crowd started to filter out, completely satisfied with what they had witnessed.

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

Encore:

I Hate Myself

This leg of the tour continues through November before wrapping in Denver, CO on the 22nd. If you’re on the West Coast and they come near you, check ’em out and have a rock ‘n’ roll party!

Remaining Dates: