This year’s PDC Premier League Darts has not disappointed. With the introduction of teenage sensation Luke Littler debuting and tearing up the the league phase of the tournament, and current world champion Luke Humphries going on a three night win-streak, the 2024 Premier League has been packed with action. With the country’s interest in darts being reinvigorated after the 2024 World Championship, the atmosphere at games has been electric, especially when it comes to the walk-outs.
Here are the Top 5 from this year’s premier league darts.
5. Luke Littler / Greenlight – Pitbull
Littler has taken the darting world by storm, winning multiple open titles and topping the Premier League league phase in his first season of being a senior professional. The Nuke has instantly become a fan favourite. Whilst the song isn’t necessarily our favourite, the reaction it gets from fans cannot be dismissed, as they continue to rally behind the 17-year-old darts prodigy.
4. Michael Smith / Shut Up and Dance – WALK THE MOON
Bully Boy has had a mixed bag of a premier league campaign with two night wins in Cardiff and Sheffield. Michael Smith had to battle hard to get to the playoff finals O2 this evening. However, his walkout song Shut Up and Dance is always a hit with the crowds with the tune always belted out whenever he walks out to the oche. A notable walkout this season for Smith was his walkout at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool being from Merseyside town, Saint Helens.
3. Nathan Aspinall / Mr Brightside – The Killers
Although he claims that he is sick of the song, it’s clear to see that when on stage The Asp cannot get enough of the roar from the fans as they sing their hearts out to this iconic track. It was in Manchester where the Stockport-born lad felt the most support, as the AO arena got behind their hometown boy to spur him on all the way to the semis, we he unfortunately lost to the wonderkid Littler who won the rest of the event.
2. Luke Humphries / I Predict a Riot – The Kaiser Chiefs
Humphries has had an impressive campaign in his debut season in the Premier League, the world champion won four night wins with three of them being on the bounce in Brighton, Nottingham and Dublin. Although some may say that Cake by the Ocean is more synonymous with the champ, the highlight of his campaign has to be his win in Leeds using I Predict a Riot by the Kaiser Chiefs. The switch-up was welcomed with open arms in Leeds, with it being an iconic song for supporters of Leeds United – the former League One club has adopted the Kaiser Chiefs’ tune as an anthem for their fans and they were delighted to see one of their own walk out to it.
1. Michael van Gerwen / Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes
The Green Machine is one of the greatest darts players of all time, filling the gap left by the departure of Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor back in 2018. His walk-out song is the iconic Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes, a song that we determined to be the best walk-out anthem in episode three of our podcast Tracks and Terraces that you can listen to here.
The walk-out is a spectacle; the dimming of the lights, the mantra of ‘Oh Michael Van Gerwen’, the look of concentration across the Dutchman’s face. You don’t have to be a fan of darts to know that when MVG heads towards the oche, something magical is about to happen.