Darwin's Wrapped! 2025

2025 has been a defining year for Darwin's Rejects - a year of growth, graft, loud stages, quiet wins, and one unforgettable night in April that set everything in motion.

As the year winds down and the gigs for the year have finished, we've taken a deep dive into the data behind our gigs using SetListWizard (an app Alan created - once a geek always a geek) - but behind every graph and percentage is a story - one we're excited to share.

🌟 April: A Night We'll Never Forget

Martin grabs the photo of the year!

On 26th April we stepped onto the stage at Rough Trade Nottingham to launch our debut album, Unnatural Selection.

And the room was full. Sold Out.

Wall to wall with people who came to hear our songs. Wow!

That night was more than a mere album launch - it marked a shift in momentum. It gave us belief, visibility, and, above all, the feeling that these strange, heartfelt, fiery songs of ours genuinely resonate. Every gig afterward has carried a little of that spark.

🌍 Where This Year Took Us

Across eight counties, we pushed out perhaps not as far as we have before from base camp - but from Sheffield's northern cityscape to the edges of the West Midlands, from Doncaster down to Warwickshire we travelled a bit whilst spending a lot of time in our East Midlands stronghold..

Nottinghamshire led the way with 43% of our gigs, whilst Derbyshire, Warwickshire and Yorkshire also became mainstays of our 2025 journey.

But this year's data revealed something else too - and it's important to us to acknowledge it... whilst we covered a comparable number of gigs compared to previous years...

A Slightly Tighter Radius Than Previous Years

Compared with past gigging seasons, our geographical spread was a little more limited. Not by design, but by circumstance.

Some familiar touring areas didn't feature as much in this calendar year, not for lack of trying. Between venue closures, changing promoter landscapes, rising costs and increased competition for slots, the map ended up looking more condensed than previous years.

Still, every dot on that map carries a memory:

• A crowd shouting Walk Away back at us

• A festival field bouncing to Bumblebee

• A tiny stage in a pub where half the room accidentally became backing singers

• A community venue where the applause seemed to shake the ceiling

Analysis shows the locations. We remember the faces!

🔥 The Songs That Defined 2025

With 277 songs performed and 34 distinct tracks making appearances. Our setlists were replete with familiar favourites and ever evolving.

Our most-played songs of the year were:

• Borderline - 23 plays

• Bumblebee - 22 plays

• Rollin' Road - 22 plays

• Walk Away - 21 plays

And speaking of Rollin' Road...

🚀 Our Go-To Opener

Some songs introduce themselves.

Rollin' Road introduced nearly all of our gigs, and by extension introduces us!

(And indeed, introduces our album!).

It opened 83% of our shows - 19 times in total. It's the ignition spark, the curtain-raiser, and the one track that never seems to miss.

We experimented with other openers once or twice... but somehow we always found our way back!

🧭 Growing Into An Originals Band

One of the year's biggest milestones was the rise of original material in our sets. Some months hit 100% originals, most hovered above 70%.

It wasn't deliberate at first - it happened naturally, through audience reactions, our own confidence, and the momentum of releasing the album. The dip in September coincides with a few beer festival / village party type events which were more cover-heavy.

By the second half of the year, it felt like we were finally stepping fully into the musical identity we've been subconsciously shaping since our first rehearsal in Russ' front room all those years ago.

📅 Gig Activity: Peaks, Valleys and Reality

We wrapped the year with 23 gigs ( 27 sets) - a number we're incredibly proud of. But we want to be open about the journey behind that graph.

Like many independent bands, we've felt the challenge of securing bookings in a live scene where:

• Venues are closing or cancelling events because of low ticket sales

• Promoters are stretched

• Costs are rising

• Competition for slots is fierce

Some quieter months weren't through lack of trying.

There were emails, follow-ups, cancellations, last-minute plans, and long stretches of waiting.

In truth, it can be quite demoralising at times.

The narrower geographical range this year reflects that reality too - a landscape where opportunities sometimes cluster rather than spread.

But every show that did come through made the effort worthwhile.

From electric festival stages to intimate rooms where you could hear the mandolin strings ring out clearly - each gig reminded us why we keep going.

It remains as important as ever for fans to push their favourite artists - whether that be us or other performers - to promoters and venues, and where it's practical (because times are tough) buy tickets in advance when it's possible. So many events in the scene ended up cancelling due to poor advance ticket sales this year.

👥 The Artists Behind The Setlists

SetListWizard also revealed something we secretly hoped would happen:

Darwin's Rejects topped our own charts with 205 plays, appearing in 100% of our gigs, and making up nearly 75% of the songs we played.

We still love our covers - Levellers, The Waterboys, The Cranberries and others are part of our DNA - but this was the year our originals truly took centre stage.

It's a strange and lovely feeling to see your own compositions at the top of your "Most Played Artists" list by such an overwhelming margin.

📊 The Year in Numbers

• 277 songs performed

• 34 unique tracks

• 23 gigs (27 sets)

• One sold out album launch we'll be talking about for years

• This is what Alan's rudimentary attempt at AI commentary thought about 2025:

  

❤️ Thank You

To everyone who came to the Rough Trade launch - you changed the trajectory of our year, and every single person we've played infront of in 2025, or invaded your playlists or CD players.

To the venues and promoters who opened their doors, to the supporters who travelled near and far, and to the friends and family who help so much behind the scenes - Ella, Michelle, Martin, Stuart, Nicola and so many others - thank you for carrying us forward.

To the audiences who sang, danced, shouted, cheered, and made our original songs feel alive - you made this year more than just data points.

2025 was the year we found our stride.

2026 is where we run - hopefully across a wider map, too.

See you on the road.