Cardiff Castle has welcomed plenty of rock royalty through its gates this summer, but on Friday night it opened its doors to something altogether darker.
Hollywood Vampires swept into the Welsh capital for a gloriously loud, theatrical and thoroughly entertaining celebration of rock ’n’ roll. With Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry and Tommy Henriksen sharing the stage, this was less a conventional concert and more a gathering of rock’s most charismatic survivors.
It was the penultimate show of this year’s TK Maxx presents Depot Live series and the second date of Hollywood Vampires’ seven-show UK run, marking their return to the live stage after almost three years.
From the moment the band appeared, they looked every inch the rock supergroup. Cooper prowled around the stage with his familiar air of theatrical menace, Depp remained effortlessly cool beneath his hat, Perry delivered the sort of guitar work that has filled arenas for decades, and Henriksen brought a restless energy that tied it all together.
The outfits, the swagger and the sheer stage presence were made for the castle setting. It felt wonderfully over the top, but never forced.
The audience had embraced the occasion too. Fans arrived in force, many wearing eccentric outfits, dark glasses and hats in an affectionate nod to Depp’s unmistakable style. Everywhere you looked, somebody appeared to have raided the wardrobe of a particularly glamorous pirate.
The band opened with I Want My Now before tearing into Raise the Dead and My Dead Drunk Friends. It was an immediate statement of intent, setting the pace for a 105-minute performance packed with original material, famous covers and heartfelt tributes.
Alice Cooper’s I’m Eighteen landed with real force, while Aerosmith’s Livin’ on the Edge gave Perry an early chance to remind everyone exactly why he remains one of rock’s great guitarists.
People Who Died became one of the evening’s most moving moments. As the band paid tribute to musical legends who are no longer with us, images and names brought a sudden sense of reflection to a night otherwise fuelled by noise, energy and celebration.
Jeff Beck’s presence was felt particularly strongly. His close friendship and musical partnership with Depp gave the tribute an added emotional weight, while Beck’s Bolero allowed the guitars to take centre stage.
There was still plenty of room for pure rock spectacle. David Bowie’s Heroes rang out across the castle walls, AC/DC’s Highway to Hell had thousands of voices joining together, and Walk This Way was delivered with all the confidence and crunch it deserved.
The set moved freely through the history of rock, also taking in songs associated with The Who, The Doors, The Velvet Underground, Johnny Thunders and Killing Joke. On paper, that mixture could have felt like an especially ambitious jukebox. On stage, it became something much more personal.
These were not covers played for the sake of familiarity. They were affectionate, muscular tributes performed by musicians who knew, worked with and were inspired by many of the people behind them. Every word, every line carried particular weight throughout the night.
The night’s biggest piece of theatre arrived when School’s Out was merged with Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall. Huge balloons bounced across the sold-out crowd before finding their way back towards the stage, where Cooper gleefully burst them one by one.
It was ridiculous, playful and completely brilliant. In other words, it was exactly what an Alice Cooper-led finale should be.
After The Train Kept A-Rollin’, the Vampires closed with Jeff Beck’s Hi Ho Silver Lining. It proved an inspired choice, turning the final moments into a huge castle-wide singalong and ending the show with warmth as well as volume.
Earlier in the evening, true punk and goth-rock icons The Damned had shown that their bite remains firmly intact.
Long-standing fans may have first discovered the band during their early career, but there was also a new generation waiting to see what all the fuss was about. They did not leave disappointed.
Neat Neat Neat was raw, urgent and thrilling, Eloise brought a sweep of gothic drama, and their take on White Rabbit was suitably strange and hypnotic. Decades into their career, The Damned still know exactly how to command a crowd.
Even the weather played its part. Cardiff brought the summer heat, but stopped short of making the castle grounds uncomfortable. As daylight faded and the stage lights took over, the historic surroundings became the perfect home for the Vampires.
There are concerts that offer polished musicianship, and there are concerts that deliver atmosphere, theatre and a sense of occasion. Hollywood Vampires brought all of it.
The result was one of our favourite nights of the summer at Cardiff Castle: loud, eccentric, affectionate and packed with personality. Hollywood Vampires did not simply play Cardiff. They sank their teeth into it.
The record-breaking 2026 season of TK Maxx presents Depot Live at Cardiff Castle concludes on Saturday with Jimmy Eat World, supported by Rise Against, The Get Up Kids and Jay Som. Their sold-out show is the 24th and final headline event of an extraordinary summer at the castle.
