Justin Hawkins

Name: Justin Hawkins
Born: 17 March 1975 (1975-03-17)
Hometown: Lowerstoft
Influences:
Instruments: Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards (He can also play the drums)

Wikipedia article:

Justin David Hawkins (born 17 March 1975) is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the former lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins. Heavily influenced by classic hard rock and glam metal bands of the 1970s and 1980s (particularly Queen and AC/DC), Hawkins is noted for his soaring falsetto and his charismatic person, often displaying an exaggerated degree of flamboyance and camp humour on stage. His current band is called Hot Leg, formed in 2008, although since 2005 he is also active in his synthpop alter ego British Whale.

Hawkins was born in Chertsey, Surrey, and grew up in Lowestoft, near Oulton Broad. He studied at Kirkley High School; he left part-way through his ‘A’ Levels to study Music Technology at Huddersfield Technical College while living in Sowerby Bridge near Halifax, West Yorkshire. His brother Dan Hawkins is now the lead guitarist of Stone Gods.

Before his success with The Darkness, Hawkins was known for writing and singing the “Schlomp” advert jingle for Ikea.

Hawkins is an accomplished lead guitarist, which he would occasionally display while performing with the Darkness, particularly in b-side song Bareback. However, his potential as a frontman was recognised by his brother when he did an impressive recreation of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” at a New Year’s Eve party in 1999, despite the fact that Hawkins was only miming to the original song. Hawkins fully developed his love of rock music while playing with the now defunct heavy metal band The Commander (Justin “Turbo” Hawkins, Rico Musson, Shaggy Forley, David “Growy” Owens, Jim Lee & Richard “Beaky” Bedford). They are affectionately credited on The Darkness’ debut album Permission to Land.

Hawkins is known for wearing catsuits, and his flamboyance and exaggeration, with David Lee Roth-esque acrobatics.

More information:

Equipment