Justin David Hawkins (born 17 March 1975) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and
YouTube personality
A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006.
Influence
Influen ...
best known for being the founder, lead singer, and lead guitarist of
The Darkness. He was influenced by rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s (particularly
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
,
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
,
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), a ...
, and
AC/DC
AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
), Hawkins is the lead singer and guitarist for the band
Hot Leg
Hot Leg were an English rock band led by The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins. The band consisted of Hawkins, Pete Rinaldi (of Anchorhead), Samuel SJ Stokes (formerly of The Thieves) and Darby Todd (from Protect the Beat). Their debut album ' ...
, formed in 2008 and now on hiatus.
Music career
The Darkness
Hawkins began playing clubs and pubs with the Darkness before they were signed by record label
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
. Their debut album, ''
Permission to Land
''Permission to Land'' is the debut studio album released by British glam rock band the Darkness. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2003 and in the United States on 16 September 2003. The album topped the UK Albums Chart an ...
'', went straight to number two in the UK charts upon its release on 7 July 2003, before going to number one and staying there for four weeks, eventually going on to sell 1.5 million copies in the UK. 3.5m copies over all.
The Darkness took inspiration for some of their work from the local north Suffolk area, including ''Black Shuck'', which mentions the nearby village
Blythburgh
Blythburgh is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is west of Southwold and south-east of Halesworth and lies on the River Blyth. The A12 road runs through the village which is split ...
. The success of this album led to heavy touring for the band, including European portions of
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
's Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003. They went on to headline the
Carling Festival in 2004. The band won three
BRIT Awards
The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
in 2004 in response to the album, ''Best Group'', ''Best Rock Group'' and ''Best Album''. They also won two
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
awards in 2004 for ''Best Live Act'' and ''Best British Band''. The third single from the album, "
I Believe in a Thing Called Love
"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is a song by English rock band the Darkness, released as the third single from their debut studio album, '' Permission to Land''. When released as a single in September 2003, it peaked at number two on the U ...
", was a substantial hit in the UK, as was their tilt at the Christmas 2003 number 1, "
Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)", which only just fell short, both singles reaching No. 2 in 2003. The band also appeared in the video for Band Aid 20, with Justin singing a number of lines.
![DarknessLive](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/DarknessLive.jpg)
By late 2004 the band's constant media coverage had started to lead to a general public backlash, and Hawkins and the band themselves seemed to show signs that they were disillusioned with their constant media appearances, infamously walking off of an episode of the U.S.-nationally syndicated radio talk show ''
Loveline
''Loveline'' is a syndicated radio call-in program in North America, offering medical and relationship advice to listeners, often with the assistance of guests, typically actors and musicians. Its host through most of its run was Dr. Drew Pins ...
'' on 19 April 2004.
In October 2005, a month before the album ''
One Way Ticket to Hell... And Back'' was to be officially released, Hawkins won an
eBay
eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...
auction for a copy of ''One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back'' for £350 under the username 'turbogunhawk'. He claimed he did this so that he could track down whoever sold the digitally-marked advance copy of the album and try to prevent it from happening again.
"One Way Ticket", the first single from their second album, was released on 14 November 2005, debuting and peaking at number 8 on the UK Singles chart. The album itself was released on 28 November 2005, to somewhat mixed reviews. The album was produced by rock producer
Roy Thomas Baker
Roy Thomas Baker (born 10 November 1946) is an English record producer, songwriter and arranger, who has produced rock and pop and songs since the 1970s.
Career
Baker began his career at Decca Records at the age of 14 and later worked as an a ...
, best known for his work with
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
. Early sales figures in the UK showed the album had not sold as well its predecessor, ''
Permission to Land
''Permission to Land'' is the debut studio album released by British glam rock band the Darkness. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2003 and in the United States on 16 September 2003. The album topped the UK Albums Chart an ...
''. The album debuted at no. 11, and fell to number 34 in the second week of its release. Although it went on to achieve platinum status, this was in stark contrast with their debut's five times platinum status.
![The Darkness Glasgow SECC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/The_Darkness_Glasgow_SECC.jpg)
The second single taken from their second album was "Is It Just Me?", released on 20 February 2006. The single gained a preliminary position of No. 6 all that week, but finally charted at number 8. Hawkins announced when on stage that their third single to be released from the album was "
Girlfriend
A girlfriend is a female friend, acquaintance or partner, usually a female companion with whom one is platonically, romantically, or sexually involved.
In a romantic context, this normally signifies a committed relationship where the in ...
". Released 22 May, "Girlfriend" charted at number 39.
The band followed up their second album with a tour of the UK and Ireland, consisting of 12 dates in the major cities. The tour opened in Dublin's
Point Depot
The Point Theatre (sometimes referred to as the Point Depot or simply as the Point) was a concert and events venue in Dublin, Ireland, that operated from 1988 to 2007, visited by in excess of 2 million people. It was located on the North Wall Qu ...
on 4 February and closed in the Nottingham Arena on 20 February. Few of the venues sold out, their appeal seemingly having become more selective. Their world tour, which followed, arrived in Australia and Japan after touring Scandinavia and Continental Europe in March.
In October 2006, Hawkins left the Darkness. Although drug and alcohol problems were initially cited as the main reason, later on national television, Hawkins would claim that he had grown tired of the constant routine of the band, recording and promoting an album, going on tours for months, back in the studio, etc. which he considered "monotonous and boring" and "could not understand how bands like the
Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
could sustain it". For his time with the Darkness, Hawkins placed at number 35 on ''
Spin'' list of the greatest
frontmen of all time.
In 2011 the band reunited and toured
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
,
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
and
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
throughout 2011 and 2012 in support of their new album ''
Hot Cakes
''Hot Cakes'' is the third studio album by British rock band the Darkness, released on 20 August 2012 on Canary Dwarf Records. Produced by Nick Brine and band members Justin and Dan Hawkins, the album is the band's first since their 2011 reun ...
''. They then released ''
Last Of Our Kind
''Last of Our Kind'' is the fourth studio album by British hard rock band The Darkness. Produced by the band's guitarist Dan Hawkins at his studio The Hawks Nest in Norfolk, it was first released on 27 May 2015 in Japan, and later in other territ ...
'' in 2015.
The band returned in 2017 with ''
Pinewood Smile
''Pinewood Smile'' is the fifth studio album released by British hard rock band The Darkness. Produced by Adrian Bushby, the album was released on 6 October 2017 and is the first album by the band to be released by Cooking Vinyl. It is also th ...
,'' their first album to come through
Cooking Vinyl. Ahead of the album's announcement, The Darkness toured Europe in support of Guns N' Roses and played a number of festivals in the UK and Europe during the summer. In 2018, they released their ''Live At Hammersmith'' album.
2019 saw The Darkness release the album ''
Easter Is Cancelled
''Easter Is Cancelled'' is the sixth studio album by the British hard rock band the Darkness. It was released on 4 October 2019 through Canary Dwarf and Cooking Vinyl.
Background
The album was first announced on 4 April 2019, via a video publish ...
'' on 4 October; the album charted in the top 10 in the UK.
In January 2020, The Darkness released a new video for "In Another Life", which featured model
Abbey Clancy
Abigail Marie Clancy (born 10 January 1986) is an English lingerie and catwalk model, and television personality. She was the runner-up of '' Britain's Next Top Model (cycle 2)'' in 2006 and won series 11 of '' Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2013 ...
. The track then made the
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
B-List.
Other projects
In 2005, Hawkins set up a solo project, called British Whale. His debut single, "
This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us
"This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" is a song by American pop band Sparks. Written by Ron Mael, it is the opening track on their third studio album ''Kimono My House'' (1974), and was the lead single from the album.
Although it did not ...
", a cover of the 1974 hit by
Sparks, was released on 15 August, reached No. 6 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. The music video depicts Hawkins competing in a game show against World Darts Champion
Phil Taylor, and features Sparks's
Ron Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
and
Russell Mael
Russell Craig Mael (born October 5, 1948) is an American singer best known as the lead singer for the band Sparks which he formed in 1971 with his elder brother Ron Mael. Mael is known for his wide vocal range, in particular his far-reaching ...
as the show's hosts.
In 2006 Hawkins released a second single, available only to download, an unofficial
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
anthem called "England".
Hawkins sang backing vocals on
Sweet
Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones ...
's song "Hell Raiser" for
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), a ...
's 2006 covers album ''
Yeah!''
In early 2007, he became half of one of six acts competing to represent the UK in the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
competition in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
in a duet with singer
Beverlei Brown. He entered ''
Making Your Mind Up
"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the , and was composed by Andy Hill and John Danter. Released in March 1981, it was Bucks Fizz's debut si ...
'' with
Beverlei Brown singing a song entitled "They Don’t Make 'Em Like They Used To" but did not win the competition.
On 16 March 2007, he appeared on the
Comic Relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
evening during the half-hour
Top Gear of the Pops
''Top Gear of the Pops'' was a one-off special programme that aired for BBC Two on 16 March 2007, as part of Red Nose Day 2007. The episode combined the elements of ''Top Gear'', with that of BBC music chart show ''Top of the Pops'', the latte ...
programme. This saw him performing
Billy Ocean
Leslie Sebastian Charles, (born 21 January 1950), better known by his stage name Billy Ocean, is a British recording artist who had a string of R&B international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British R&B singer-son ...
's "Red Light Spells Danger" with the three
Top Gear
Top Gear may refer to:
* "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission
Television
* ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme
* ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
presenters.
Later that month, on 29 March, Hawkins created a new
Myspace profile featuring songs that were planned to be included on his upcoming solo album entitled ''Panther''. The songs are titled "You Can't Hurt Me Anymore", "I've Met Jesus" and "Whichever". On 12 May, Hawkins added a further song to his profile, "Gay in the 80's", to appear on the same album. Later, on 13 July, he removed all the songs, and mentioned "You'll just have to wait". He later announced a new band line-up and name:
Hot Leg
Hot Leg were an English rock band led by The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins. The band consisted of Hawkins, Pete Rinaldi (of Anchorhead), Samuel SJ Stokes (formerly of The Thieves) and Darby Todd (from Protect the Beat). Their debut album ' ...
. The aforementioned songs featured on the Hot Leg album ''
Red Light Fever''.
![Hot Leg Dundee Doghouse 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Hot_Leg_Dundee_Doghouse_2008.jpg)
Hawkins also announced that he had been participating in the recording of two Magnet Watch albums entitled ''Nude Horizon'' and ''Party Party Time Time''. On 8 November 2007, at 3:00 am, Hawkins posted a MySpace blog containing directions to Do the Green Thing, an organisation for which he has composed a new song, "Do It in the Dark", to accompany a short film that encourages people to switch off and save energy. The song has not been released as a single but is available as a free download.
There is a wax model of Hawkins at
Madame Tussaud
Anna Maria "Marie" Tussaud (; née Grosholtz; 1 December 1761 – 16 April 1850) was a French artist known for her wax sculptures and Madame Tussauds, the wax museum she founded in London.
Biography
Marie Tussaud was born 1 December 1761 in S ...
's in London.
Hawkins supplied the singing and guitar playing for Kurtz, the lead singer of the "bad guy band" Mantyz in the BBC's animated series ''
Freefonix
''Freefonix'' is a children's animated television series created by Magnus Fiennes, Alex Tate and Simeon Warburton and co-produced by Cinnamon Entertainment, Toonz Animation-Trivandrum and Method Films for CBBC, in association with Isle of Man ...
'', which debuted on 4 January 2008.
In the film ''
Telstar
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites. The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962. It successfully relayed through space the fi ...
'', a film about
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek (5 April 1929 – 3 February 1967) was an English record producer, sound engineer and songwriter who pioneered space age and experimental pop music. He also assisted in the development of recording practices like over ...
's life and career that was released on 19 June 2009, he played the role of
Screaming Lord Sutch
Screaming Lord Sutch (10 November 1940 – 16 June 1999), who had his name legally changed from David Edward Sutch, was an English musician and perennial parliamentary candidate. He was the founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party an ...
.
With
Hot Leg
Hot Leg were an English rock band led by The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins. The band consisted of Hawkins, Pete Rinaldi (of Anchorhead), Samuel SJ Stokes (formerly of The Thieves) and Darby Todd (from Protect the Beat). Their debut album ' ...
in November 2008, he toured the UK supporting
Alter Bridge
Alter Bridge is an American rock band from Orlando, Florida. The band was formed in 2004 by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. After their former ba ...
(4–13 November) and
Extreme (14–24 November).
Hawkins has also worked with British pop-rock band
Saving Aimee, having recently completed producing their debut album. He also lent his "truth larynx" to the track "Party All Day (Fuck All Night)" guesting on the 2009
Steel Panther
Steel Panther is an American comedic glam metal band from Los Angeles, California. They are known for their profane and humorous lyrics as well as their exaggerated onstage pastiche of the stereotypical glam metal lifestyle.
History
Metal Sh ...
release, ''
Feel the Steel
''Feel the Steel'' is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Steel Panther. It was released first in Europe on June 8, 2009, on Universal Records. The tracks "Fat Girl", "Stripper Girl" and "Hell's on Fire" are re-recordings from the ...
''. Hawkins recently worked with
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...
on the track "Music Again" off his debut album.
Justin played the role of Josh, a burned out rockstar in the 2010 movie ''
Psychosis
Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior ...
''. The movie also featured three Hot Leg songs.
Hawkins also appeared on the
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...
album ''
Hang Cool Teddy Bear
''Hang Cool Teddy Bear'' is the tenth studio album by Meat Loaf. It was released on 19 April 2010 by Mercury Records in the UK and by Loud & Proud Records in the US on 11 May 2010, with global distribution handled by Universal Music Group.
The a ...
'', where he co-wrote two songs ("Love Is Not Real" and "California Isn't Big Enough"). He also provided guitar on "California Isn't Big Enough" and backing vocals on "Love Is Not Real" and "Los Angeloser".
In 2012, Hawkins appeared in a
Samsung
The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
commercial for their
Galaxy Note smartphone during
Super Bowl XLVI. In the same year, Hawkins and brother
Dan
Dan or DAN may refer to:
People
* Dan (name), including a list of people with the name
** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark
* Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa
**Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...
appeared in the
ZingZillas
''ZingZillas'' is a British television programme aimed at young children, broadcast on the BBC pre-school channel CBeebies, which ran from 5 April 2010 to 11 June 2012.
Overview
ZingZillas is a music show aimed at children ages six and under.
...
episode Electric Guitar.
In 2016, Hawkins appeared on the De La Soul album ''
and the Anonymous Nobody...'' providing vocals on the track "Lord Intended".
In 2020, Hawkins participated in the
UK version of ''
The Masked Singer
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', appearing as Chameleon. His identity was revealed in the third episode when he was voted out. During his time on the show he performed renditions of "
Creep" by
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
, "
Feel It Still
"Feel It Still" is a song by American rock band Portugal. The Man. The song, which interpolates the Marvelettes' 1961 hit "Please Mr. Postman", was written by the band along with John Hill and Asa Taccone, with the latter two serving as produc ...
" by
Portugal. The Man, and "
True Colors" by
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...
.
In 2021, Hawkins launched his
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel "Justin Hawkins Rides Again" where he reviews music, commentates on the music industry and answers fan questions. As of December 2022, the channel has 320,000 subscribers.
On September 3rd 2022, Hawkins participated in the
Taylor Hawkins
Oliver Taylor Hawkins (February 17, 1972 – March 25, 2022) was an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums between 1999 and 2021. Before joining the band in 1997, he ...
Tribute Concert, where he joined John Lousteau and The Coattail Riders to perform "Louise", "Range Rover Bitch" and "It's Over". He then joined
Wolfgang Van Halen
Wolfgang William Van Halen (, born March 16, 1991) is an American musician. The son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, he performed alongside his father as the bassist for the rock band Van Halen from 2006 to 2020. He also performed with the heavy ...
,
Dave Grohl
David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...
and
Josh Freese to perform "On Fire" and "
Hot for Teacher
"Hot for Teacher" is a song by the American rock band Van Halen, taken from their sixth studio album, ''1984''. The song was written by band members Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth, and produced by Ted Temple ...
" by
Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
. He also made an appearance with
Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC. He and the rest of the band were inducted into the Rock and Rol ...
to perform "
Back in Black
''Back in Black'' is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It was released on 25 July 1980 by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It is the band's first album to feature lead singer Brian Johnson, following the death of ...
". Later, he joined the surviving members of
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
to perform "
Under Pressure
"Under Pressure" is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie. Originally released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen's 1982 album ''Hot Space''. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, ...
".
Personal life
Hawkins currently resides in Switzerland near his ex-wife and daughter, he has spoken on his YouTube channel of still living nearby despite his separation to be near his daughter. Hawkins follows a
vegan diet
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. D ...
.
Hawkins is a football fan, having supported
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
growing up, but he is now primarily a supporter of
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
.
Equipment
![The Darkness, La Laiterie, Strasbourg - 49746121698](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/The_Darkness%2C_La_Laiterie%2C_Strasbourg_-_49746121698.jpg)
Hawkins is seen playing
Gibson Les Paul Custom
The Gibson Les Paul Custom is a higher-end variation of the Gibson Les Paul guitar. It was developed in 1953 after Gibson had introduced the Les Paul model in 1952.
History
The 1952 Gibson Les Paul was originally made with a mahogany body with ...
s almost exclusively. He is most commonly seen playing an alpine white model which he used with the Darkness (as seen in the "
I Believe in a Thing Called Love
"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is a song by English rock band the Darkness, released as the third single from their debut studio album, '' Permission to Land''. When released as a single in September 2003, it peaked at number two on the U ...
" & "
Love is Only a Feeling
"Love Is Only a Feeling" is a song by British rock band the Darkness, released as the fifth and final single from their 2003 debut studio album, ''Permission to Land''. The power ballad peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart.
Music vid ...
" music videos), and with Hot Leg. It is rare to see him use another guitar, although he can be seen playing a custom
Ibanez Jem
The Ibanez JEM is an electric guitar manufactured by Ibanez and first produced in 1987. The guitar's most notable user is its co-designer, Steve Vai. As of 2010, there have been five sub-models of the JEM: the JEM7, JEM77, JEM777, JEM555, JEM333, ...
for the song "Bald". He has also been seen using an ebony Gibson Les Paul Custom, a one-off Gibson "Less Paul" custom sculpted to resemble a shell, and a custom finished blue Les Paul standard airbrushed with the mythical dog Black Shuck and Blythburgh church. In 2004
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gi ...
issued a limited run of Justin Hawkins signature Les Paul Customs based on the '68 RI with abalone and mother of pearl "flame" inlays on the fretboard, a sparkle finish in either Silverburst or Pinkburst (a Blueburst and Redburst have also been pictured, as well as a one-off Gold Mirror finish produced by SimS Custom Guitars). These have become highly valuable because of their scarcity and unique features.
Hawkins used
Mesa Boogie
Mesa/Boogie (also known as Mesa Engineering) is an American company in Petaluma, California, that manufactures amplifiers and other accessories for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969.
Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a ...
dual and triple rectifier amplifiers rather than
Marshall Amplification
Marshall is a British company that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, speaker cabinets, brands personal headphones and earphones, drums and bongos. The company also owns a record label called Marshall Records. It was founded in London ...
when performing with the Darkness. The stacks he was using had custom-made speaker cabs coated in red leather. During his time in
Hot Leg
Hot Leg were an English rock band led by The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins. The band consisted of Hawkins, Pete Rinaldi (of Anchorhead), Samuel SJ Stokes (formerly of The Thieves) and Darby Todd (from Protect the Beat). Their debut album ' ...
he was exclusively seen using Cornford MK50H II's in white vinyl with two Cornford, 16-ohm, 4x12 cabinets loaded with Celestion "Vintage 30s". Since the Darkness reformation he has been seen using multiple modified
Marshall 1959 The Marshall Super Lead Model 1959 is a guitar amplifier head made by Marshall. One of the famous Marshall Plexis, it was introduced in 1965 and with its associated 4×12″ cabinets gave rise to the "Marshall stack".
History
The 1959 (Marshall's i ...
MKII Plexi Reissue guitar amps with a boosted gain stage run through Marshall 1960B cabinets. Between 2016 and 2021, Hawkins used EVH and Wizard amplifiers.
From December 2021, Hawkins has used Laney JH3000 heads and GS 4x12 cabinets.
[ ]
In a 2012 edition of ''
Guitarist Magazine's'' video series "On the Road with..." Hawkins's pedal setup consisted of a
Boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, ...
Analog Delay, a
Pro Co RAT
The Pro Co "The RAT" is a distortion pedal produced by Pro Co Sound. The original RAT was developed in the basement of Pro Co's Kalamazoo, Michigan facility in 1978. Numerous variations of the original RAT pedal are still being produced today.
The ...
, a Diamond Pedals Compressor, a Boss TU-3 Tuner, and a
Dunlop Cry Baby DCR-2SR rack module which allows him to have three separate
wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of electric guitar effects pedal that alters the tone and frequencies of the guitar signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The ped ...
s strategically placed around the stage. As of 2016, Hawkins does not use any pedals.
On the song "
Girlfriend
A girlfriend is a female friend, acquaintance or partner, usually a female companion with whom one is platonically, romantically, or sexually involved.
In a romantic context, this normally signifies a committed relationship where the in ...
", Hawkins uses a Moog
Keytar for the solo.
Hawkins can be seen playing a
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austr ...
Backpacker travel guitar in the earlier episodes of his YouTube channel, "Justin Hawkins Rides Again". https://youtube.com/c/justinhawkinsridesagain
References
External links
Justin Hawkins Rides Again YouTube channel
Official Website of ''British Whale''*
ttp://www.justinhawkinsrocks.co.uk JustinHawkinsRocks.co.uk UK-based fan site for Justin Hawkins and his projects
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Justin
1975 births
Living people
21st-century English male singers
21st-century English singers
English rock singers
English singer-songwriters
People from Lowestoft
English rock guitarists
English tenors
Countertenors
Sopranists
Lead guitarists
People from Chertsey
The Darkness (band) members
People educated at East Point Academy
Ivor Novello Award winners
English male guitarists
English YouTubers
English male YouTubers
Music YouTubers