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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: CARDINAL BLACK – Sub 89, Reading, 15 November 2024
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Gig review: SUZI QUATRO – London Palladium, 13 November 2024
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Gig review: HRH XVII, Great Yarmouth, 7-9 November 2024
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Gig review: WHEN RIVERS MEET, CHANTEL MCGREGOR, XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES – Dingwalls, London, 7 November 2024
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Gig review: DEEP PURPLE – 02 Arena, London, 6 November 2024
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Gig review: ELLES BAILEY- Islington Assembly Hall, London, 2 November 2024
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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review: ARDOURS – Anatomy Of A Moment
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Album review: JOE SATRIANI – The Elephants Of Mars
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Album review: DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION (DBA) – Live In England (CD/DVD)
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Album review: BLACK SABBATH – Technical Ecstasy (Super Deluxe 5LP Vinyl Box Set)
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Album review: TOUCHSTONE – Live Inside Outside
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Album review: EYEVORY – Euphobia
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Features
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
News
Features
Search Results for: "Justin Hawkins"
News: BERNIE MARSDEN, THE KINKS, PALLAS (October 2023)
…Barras Band, Blackberry Smoke, Blur, Crowbar, Dodgy, Elbow, Liam Gallagher, the Gaslight Anthem, Happy Mondays, Justin Hawkins, the Human League, James, Lindisfarne, Kira Mac, Magnum, Manic Street Preachers + Suede, Mika, New Model Army, the Pineapple Thief, Chris Shiflett, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators, the Smashing Pumpkins + Weezer, Tenacious D, The The, the Vaccines, When Rivers Meet, Within Temptation, Upcoming (Gigs –… Continue reading
Posted in 20th Anniversary 2003-2023, Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Interviews, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
Tagged albums, Bernie Marsden, blues, blues rock, classic rock, folk, gigs, metal, news, Pallas, prog rock, Re-issues/special editions, RIP, The Kinks
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Gig review: GUNS N’ ROSES – British Summer Time, Hyde Park, 30 June 2023
…ed the variety in the songwriting to make it a great one for me. The Darkness opened with ‘Growing On Me’, with Justin Hawkins’ falsetto in fine fettle, but surprisingly for a festival set most of the early songs were more recent favourites including ‘Motor Heart’ and ‘Heart Explodes’ and the best of them all in ‘Solid Gold’, sadly undermined by a poor, wind-affected sound for much of the set. The fact Justin mentioned they were playing a 2… Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Axl Rose, British Summer Time, BST, Dizzy Reed, Duff McKagan, festival, gig, glam rock, Guns 'N' Roses, Hyde Park, Larkin Poe, Richard Fortus, Slash, sleaze rock, The Darkness, The Pretenders
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Gig review: BLACK STONE CHERRY AND THE DARKNESS – Wembley Arena, London, 4 February 2023
…tion earlier on the tour in Liverpool. They opened with one of their vintage anthems in ‘Growing On Me’, before Justin Hawkins, now shorter haired and sporting a relatively conservative Queen ‘Hot Space’ t-shirt, delivered his welcome old chestnut ‘gimme a d, gimme an ‘arkness’ prior to brother Dan riffing through ‘Black Shuck’. It was followed by the title track of last album ‘Motorheart’, not up to the quality of early stuff songwis… Continue reading
Feature: GRTR!@20 – The GRTR! Grotto of Greatness – THE DARKNESS (January 2023)
…itish Rock Act, and Best British Album. In an early interview for our ‘Rising Stars’ series in 2003 Justin Hawkins confirmed the band’s influences – “Aerosmith, and in particular Steven Tyler changed my life back in ’89, whilst AC/DC have provided years of inspiration.” When asked about the state of rock music he exclaimed: Rock music is kicking arse again – it’s a sign of the times that the f… Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, The GRTR! Grotto of Greatness
Tagged album, classic rock, festival, gig, glam rock, hard rock, interview, Justin Hawkins, review, The Darkness
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Gig review: CORNBURY Music Festival – The Great Tew Park, Oxfordshire, 8-10 July 2022
…e to the stage in daylight and at the early time of seven thirty. Kicking off with ‘Growing On Me’, Justin Hawkins and his band mates seemed set on a whistle stop tour through their greatest hits in the hour allotted to them. ‘One Way Ticket’ was next with bassist Frankie Poullin on cowbell. First of their set’s covers came next with The Darkness take on the Radiohead classic ‘Fade Out (Street Spirit)’. B… Continue reading
Gig review: DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, Donington Park, Leicestershire, 10-12 June 2022
…I went in the other direction back to a rapidly filling second stage for The Darkness. There was a surprise as Justin Hawkins took to the stage with a substantial haircut and sporting a pink cowboy shirt and matching slacks. The music was reassuringly familiar though. With only a short set to play with, recent album ‘Motorheart’ was largely overlooked other than the celtic-tinged ‘Heart Explodes’ and instead it was straight into old favourites w… Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events
Tagged AIRBOURNE, Dirty Honey, Donington, Download, festival, gig, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Kris Barras Band, Legacy of the Beast, Massive Wagons, metal, Monster Truck, Myles Kennedy, powerwolf, Shinedown, Tempt, The Darkness, Theory, Those Damn Crows, Tremonti, VOLBEAT, Wayward Sons
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Gig review: THE DARKNESS – Reading Hexagon, 26 November 2021
…ngly early ‘One Way Ticket’ (still the only song they ever play from that sophomore album) and ‘Growing On Me’, Justin Hawkins letting that love- it- or- loathe-it falsetto rip. The singer, in an unusually sober black outfit that later gave way to a more familiar catsuit in a lurid sulphur yellow, then struck a blow for performers everywhere. Asking someone at the front their name, I thought he was going to launch into one of his regular routines… Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Dan Hawkins, Frankie Poullain, gig, Justin Hawkins, Massive Wagons, Rufus Taylor, The Darkness
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Gig review: NOZFEST – The 1865, Southampton, 14 August 2021
…a pink snakeskin jacket over his bare torso with matching strides, and with the mannerisms of Steven Tyler and Justin Hawkins. Since the pandemic, there has been a line up change and as they opened with old favourites ‘Mr Big Shot’ and ‘Promiseland’, the addition of a keyboard player and second gutiarist plus added backing vocals made the sound noticeably fuller, though there are still moments when the songs become oddly disjointed. ‘In It For L… Continue reading
Gig review: HEAT FESTIVAL – Ludwigsburg, Germany, 30 November- 1 December 2019
…hyperactive antics, and above all helium-fuelled vocals making him a European answer to the equally polarising Justin Hawkins. He seemed over anxious and overshadowed early songs like ‘Desire’ and ‘Penthouse Floor’ but after a more conventional ‘Saturday Night’, the set did noticeably improve with ‘Everything’, which reminded me a little of Dio’s ‘Rock And Roll Children’, and the most melodically satisfying of their songs in ‘Never Let You Go’… Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Age of Reflection, AOR, Black Diamonds, Black Tiger, Blood Red Saints, Cats In Space, Crashdiet, Dark Sky, Degreed, Devicious, festival, gig, HEAT festival, Licence, Maverick, melodic rock, Robert Tepper, Stage Dolls, STAN BUSH, Treat, Vega
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Album review: THE DARKNESS – Easter Is Cancelled
…lbum) before the guitars crash in. A classic Darkness tune with a catchy chorus and those high octane vocals of Justin Hawkins. ‘Heart Explodes’ is one of their best ballads to date, again they have come up with a memorable chorus and Rufus Tiger Taylor lays down some tasty drums on this one. Love or hate the Darkness you can’t deny in this age of cut ‘n’ paste bands they have honed their own distinctive sound, albeit one that n… Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, classic rock, Dan Hawkins, Justin Hawkins, melodic, Queen, review, rock, The Darkness
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Gig review: RAMBLIN’ MAN FAIR – Mote Park, Maidstone – Day 1 – 19 July 2019
…rather disengaged. However a good sign was that as they sauntered onstage to an intro of English choral music, Justin Hawkins in particular had a big grin on his face and the mercurial frontman was obviously up for it. They opened with a couple of ‘Permission To Land’ favourites in ‘Black Shuck’ and ‘Growing on Me’, though during the latter my smug pleasure at finding a good viewing spot in the heart of the action was rudely interrupted as a gro… Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 19th July 2019, AC/DC, AOR, blues, FM, Ginger Wildheart, Justin Hawkins, Kris Barras Band, live, Maidstone, metal, Mote Park, Ramblin' Man, Ramblin' Man Fair, rock, Steve Overland, The Darkness, The Lazys, the Wildhearts
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Gig review: HAIR METAL HEAVEN – Welly Club and City Hall, Hull, 25-27 August 2017
…For Crying Out Loud’. In addition the high pitched wheeze of singer Hannes Kett, somewhere between Axl Rose and Justin Hawkins, was an acquired taste. Even without delays, this was a long day and I reluctantly bailed out for my main meal during Killcode, who were bringing a heavier and more modern take to proceedings, returning to find there were further delays before another of the standard bearers of the new wave of Nordic bands in The Poodles…. Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Babylon AD, Bigfoot, Black Cat Bones, Crazy Lixx, D A D, Danger Danger, Diemonds, Eclipse, festival, George Lynch, gig, glam rock, Hair Metal Heaven, Hardline, Junkyard, Leatherwolf, Loudness, Mason Hill, melodic rock, Nite Rain, Princess Pang, Reckless Love, Rock n Hull AllStars, Sebastain Bach, Shark Island, Shiraz Lane, sleaze rock, Spread Eagle, The Poodles, TNT, Treat, Vain, Vinnie Appice
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Gig review: WEYFEST- Rural Life Centre, Tilford, Surrey, 19-21 August 2016
…d the pop world. Indeed other than the shorter hairstyles the opening 10 minutes was like being in a time warp. Justin Hawkins falsettoed his way through ‘Black Shuck’ before archly saying he’d been dying to say ‘good evening Weyfest’ and resurrecting his old ‘Gimme a D, Gimme an Arkness’ routine before going into another first album classic in ‘Growing On Me’. However the tracks from the most recent album ‘Last of Our Kind’, ‘Mudslide’ and ‘Roar… Continue reading
Album review: MAVERICK – Big Red
…ith ‘Beyond The Gates’) and ‘Forever’, the latter might be a more serious offering from Justin Hawkins’ mob. The album’s consistency drops a little on a song like ‘The One’ or ‘Whiskey Lover’ which are a bit too predictable and perfunctory. The latter rocks along in true Thin Lizzy style but this more straight-ahead rock approach deviates slightly from the stronger material which refle… Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
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Gig review: STEELHOUSE FESTIVAL – Ebbw Vale, South Wales, 24 July 2016 (Day 2)
…s were chosen to bring Steelhouse 2016 to a close and it will certainly be remembered for a long time not least Justin Hawkins resplendant in lurid purplish catsuit opened to the navel. ‘Growing On Me’ gives Justin a chance to show how an accomplished guitarist he truly is, sometimes it is a shame that he heavily relies on acting the clown which detracts from the musicianship. Taking to the back of the crowd for the remainder of the s… Continue reading
Gig review: STONE FREE FESTIVAL Day 1 – 02 Arena, London, 18 June 2016
…was rushed, the sound was very poor on opener ‘Barbarian’. However ‘Growing On Me’ remains a favourite and when Justin Hawkins burst into trademark falsetto on the chorus, my mind was transported back to 2003 and the heady days of Darkness mania. Indeed virtually all the set was taken from ‘Permission To Land’ (available in charity shops everywhere) with old favourites like ‘Black Shuck’, ‘Get Your Hands Off My Woman’ and ‘Stuck In A Rut’, and th… Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Alice Cooper, Apocalyptica, Blackberry Smoke, blues rock, festival, gig, glam, Jackaman, Jared James Nichols, Michael Monroe, review, rock, southern rock, Stone Free, The Darkness, THERAPY?
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Single & EP reviews: KITCHEN WITCH, SHIRAZ LANE, NAT2RAL BORN KILLERS
…a treat on their debut EP. Big punchy guitar riffs, soaring lead lines, big drums, and vocals that blend Axl, Justin Hawkins, and Michael Eden. At times it hard to believe the Shiraz Lane aren’t female fronted, but spandex is a versatile material and worn overly tight it can raise the octaves to a quite remarkable degree. If you check out YouTube you’ll find official videos for four of the five tracks here – ‘Money Talk… Continue reading
Gig review: DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL – DAY 2, 13 June 2015
…er Luke Spiller is a flamboyant frontman, combining the looks of the mid-seventies Freddie Mercury with some of Justin Hawkins’ arch mannerisms. Their music was very accessible, indeed perhaps too pop-oriented for Download’s tastes. However their promise was undermined by an unnecessary cover of ‘Get it On’ only three songs in and the way their own songs were dragged out by excessive audience participation. It was then back to the second stage fo… Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events
Tagged 13 June 2015, Ace Frehley, Black Star Riders, Chuck Billy, Donington Park, Download, Faith No More, festival, gig, Kiss, Marilyn Manson, metal, Mike Patton, Muse, review, Ricky Warwick, rock, Scott Gorham, Testament, The Struts
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Gig review: ELECTRIC BOYS, Camden Underworld, London, 26 September 2014
…ad too much to ‘Jealous Again’. Singer Stevie Sparrow, with facial topiary that made him look like Justin Hawkins playing one of the Three Musketeers, had a commanding stage presence and a strong voice. They only made one false step with a cover of ‘Rock and Roll’, which though competent enough was one for the Friday night pub circuit, before the hard hitting ‘Down’ ended a set that marks them out as a band t… Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 26 September 2014, Bad Touch, Camden Underworld, Electric Boys, gig, glam, London, metal, review
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Gig review: CAMBRIDGE ROCK FESTIVAL – 8-10 August 2014
…sing cover of ‘Go Your Own Way’ played a great solo while running around the crowd in the manner of Justin Hawkins or Airborne’s Joel O’Keefe, to whom he bore a passing resemblance. Definitely a band to keep your eye on. Welshmen Fireroad I gathered during the weekend have secured a shot on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s cruise, which for an unsigned band is quite a coup. As befitted a band nearly all clad in check shirts, they… Continue reading
Album review: POOBAH – U.S. Rock
…re of the album is the guitar work and the unique vocals of Gustafson, I have a sneaking suspicion that a young Justin Hawkins from The Darkness may have been influenced by Jim’s falsetto style. Whilst the vocals at times may be a bit much, the guitar work is never less than stunning. On songs like ‘Flesh Fantasies’ and ‘Let’s Rock’ Gustafson’s riffing is first rate, oh and if you don’t dance to ‘Let’s Rock’ then I would check for a pulse! Stand… Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, Alice Cooper, Cream, Jim Gustafson, Judas Priest, Ohio, Poobah, remaster, review, Ripple Records, rock, U.S Rock, Youngstown
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Gig review: AIRBOURNE – HMV Forum, London,13 December 2013
…s a friend remarked, the lights are spotlighted only on him. It was one of many ways in which I was reminded of Justin Hawkins’ role in the Darkness. The favourites from their debut album continue to delight live, ‘Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast’, ‘Diamond In The Rough’, ‘Cheap Wine and Cheaper Women’ and ‘Stand Up for Rock n Roll’ being simple pleasures that induced a huge moshpit and do what they say on the tin, or more specifically the sticker… Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 13th December 2013, AC/DC, AIRBOURNE, Ben Ward, Black Dog Barking, Bon Scott, gig, HMV Forum, Joel O'Keeffe, Kiss, live, London, Motley Crue, Orange Goblin, review, The Treatment
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Gig review: ROCK THE PARK – London, Ontario, Canada, 26-27 July 2013
…s from the early eighties such as Heavy Metal Love and Dirty Dog and fists were punched to closer Rock You (did Justin Hawkins pinch the ‘Gimme an R, Gimme an ‘O’ off them?) Platinum Blonde are a Canadian band who were popular in the early eighties who have recently reformed, although I was surprised to hear singer Mark Holmes speak with an English accent. Dressed all in white and with guitarist and bassist sporting peroxide mops a la LA-phase Ro… Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged AOR, Canada, classic rock, Coney Hatch, Grand Funk Railroad, Helix, Journey, London Ontario, Platinum Blonde, rock festival, Saga, Styx, Toto, Whitesnake
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Gig Review: THE DARKNESS – Hammersmith Apollo, 7 March 2013
…ove and old fashioned rock spectacle back right back into the pop mainstream. On the other, those turned off by Justin Hawkins’ falsetto and ridiculous costumes and antics, thinking they had heard it all before, dismissing them as a flash in the pan and wondering why they had succeeded where more deserving bands had failed. The pop world moved on, as it does, to the next big thing, and the multi-million selling Permission to Land became a fixture… Continue reading
Backstage Hero – Joe Geesin
…. Many crowd complaints over the years, but the only time the band has complained (outside of pub gigs) is at a Justin Hawkins solo album launch, where he stopped the band mid-track to proclaim “Will that loud c**t shut up”! Anything else to add… I've been lucky in many respects, but there's been a lot of hard work along the way, I have ploughed through a LOT of crap. Career highlights have to include getting exclusives… Continue reading
