Justin. Not JASON!!!
Full Name – Justin David Hawkins
Date of Birth – 17th March 1975
Age – Nearly the big 3-0
If you don’t know what Justin does in the band then you’ve obviously been living in a cave on Mars, with your eyes closed and your fingers in your ears. He’s the blonde, catsuited one with a bloody great set of lungs on ‘im – the self-labelled “bell end”.
Justin started life in Chertsey, before the family shipped themselves over to Lowestoft – that great town that boasts to be the influence of some of The Darkness’ best loved songs.
Despite being one of the bright sparks at Kirkley High, Justin rejected a life of education in favour of signing on, locking himself in his bedroom and mimicking Angus Young riffs all day. He wasn’t the coolest teenager. In fact, he’d drape Steve Tyler scarves all over himself and generally act like a bit of a knob.
Anyway, eventually sick of the drudgery of life in Lowestoft, he toddled off to Huddersfield to do a music technology course, popping down to London on occasion to visit his brother. After winning himself a BTEC by apparently doing sod all, his visits to London turned into a living situation to join Empire with Dan and Frankie, earning a decent living at the same time writing jingles for TV and radio.
When Empire disbanded due to unavoidable shitness, Justin and Dan went back to Lowestoft to see in the New Year with family. And it was on that fateful night, that Justin performed his contemporary dance version of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, under the holy light of the blessed God of Rock. The idea of The Darkness was spawned.
Dan couldn’t give a fuck whether Justin could sing or not, he was only interested in his ability to ponce around onstage in an entertaining manner.
So it’s an added bonus that we now know the eldest Hawkins best as owning one of the most beautifully distinctive voices in the music world.
(And he’s got the flames. They add to the entertainment, for some of us. I wonder if Dan has ever included those in a business plan…)
Happy birthday, Justin.