The Awakening is a dark musical project born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the late ’90s as the creative expression of vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, author, actor and songwriter Ashton Nyte. The Awakening’s sound has morphed and mutated over the years, incorporating elements of Gothic Rock, Darkwave, Gothic Metal, Industrial Rock, Post-punk, Electronic, New Wave, Folk Noir and other theatrical meanderings.
The Dark Carnival Tour 2026 follows the hugely successful Haunting Tour 2025, which saw the band perform a headlining tour across the US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland, the UK, and South Africa.
While the Haunting Tour celebrated the release of the band’s eponymous 12th album (#3 on Germany’s Deutsche Alternative Charts, and with music videos amassing millions of views), 2026 will be a “different sort of celebration, with more to be revealed soon,” according to the band’s enigmatic frontman Ashton Nyte.
Ashton Nyte also brought his brand of dark-folk storytelling to life through select acoustic performances worldwide this year and intends to do the same in 2026.
The Dark Carnival Tour UK 2026 will see The Awakening supported by UK dark rock outfits Black Lakes
FORMED IN 2018, BLACK LAKES CREATE A SOUND THAT DELIBERATELY BLURS THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN HARD ROCK AND ALTERNATIVE METAL, DRAWING ON A WIDE RANGE OF INFLUENCES FROM ACROSS BOTH SCENES.
THE BAND HAVE WORKED HARD TO BUILD A REPUTATION AS A CAPTIVATING LIVE ACT, PICKING UP NEW FANS FROM ACROSS THE UK AND ARE ALWAYS STRIVING TO BUILD ON THEIR PREVIOUS SHOWS TO CREATE SOMETHING BIGGER AND BETTER FOR THEIR GROWING FANBASE TO ENJOY.
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