The Last Word: Justin Hawkins
As The Darkness release a new album, their lead singer talks to us about the band’s struggles in the early days, his status as a national treasure, and learning a brand-new skill
By Nick Reilly
The latest album from The Darkness, Dreams on Toast, arrives on 28th March. What keeps you excited about being a recording artist after all these years?
Well, that’s a tricky question because you’re presuming that desire is always there! I think, initially, the idea of creating something, when you’re making songs with your brother and your friends, is the fun bit. And we’re not worried about upsetting each other anymore, which is great for the music because it means that everyone’s fought for every note, and everybody walks away exhausted, but with a product we can be proud of collectively and individually proud of the battles we’ve won. When you say, “Fuck that, I’m never making another one” at the end of the process, that’s when you know you’ve made a good album! And then touring starts, you’re a band of brothers once more, and then at the end you think, ‘What do we do now? Another album? Let’s go!’
One of the singles on the new album is called ‘I Hate Myself’. What’s the thing you hate above all others in 2025, Justin?
Apathy! It’s a killer. If you care about something, and you’re not willing to stand up and do something about it, then you might as well just say goodbye to it.
Do you remember the first time it felt like The Darkness were getting somewhere, and you might be successful?
It’s an interesting thing because there’s a long period of poverty, when you’re working in pubs, you’re driving your own van, and you have to make these sacrifices. We had a song that was number 11 in the charts, and we were still fucking skint! We didn’t have a deal, and we reached a point where we didn’t know how much longer we could do it. But honestly, we went to the bank one day to get our last tenner out, and what we’d normally do is we’d buy some beans, and we’d buy some chili powder to sort of spice up the beans, and we’d eat it together like scumbags. But we looked at our account, and there were tens of thousands in there with no explanation as to why, and that’s all thanks to [music management organisation] the PRS [for Music]! They are brilliant.
But the important thing is not to worry — you just have to plug away and help each other through it. It’s terrible for your nutritional intake and your bank account, but you’ve just got to keep going and find solace in the fact that you’ll find an audience who appreciates you.
Look, we played in Sheffield one time in 2002, and I think there were six people there. I thought I’d go and say hello afterwards, and they said they weren’t there to see us — they were the guys that built the stage. It was them and their wives, and they’d just come to see it in action!
What was it like delivering your extremely well received performance at the tribute gig for the late Taylor Hawkins? You’ve become an alternative national treasure.
When Taylor died, it was devastating for us because he was Rufus [Taylor, drummer]’s godfather. We were on the road in Canada, and it was an awful moment, so we did our best to support Rufus through that time. But I’d known Taylor too, and we’d joked about having the same surname, and there was even a guy who claimed to be the missing family link between us. I got a call from Dave Grohl, and I was kind of petrified in a way because he meant so much to me, and there was so much at stake. I didn’t want to fuck it up, because I am someone who famously likes to self-sabotage. So, I booked a studio, I prepared it for it properly, and that’s very unlike me. I had to get it right, and it was extremely well received, and I think that’s when people started to see me a little bit differently. I performed with Brian Johnson from AC/DC too, and he rang me after just to chat, and I saw him at an awards do recently. It blows my mind to think I’m considered a national treasure, but it blows it even more to think I’m on first-name terms with one of my actual heroes!
You sang about believing in a thing called love. What’s the loveliest thing someone has done for you recently, Justin?
My darling partner Désirée Mishoe has taught me how to snowboard! I started from baby slopes at Christmas, and now I’m on the reds, and it’s because of her expert tuition and skill that [it’s] going to enrich my life for the rest of my days, and I just love it. It’s so, so good. I’m happy because I can go up the mountain and put some music on to piss off all the skiers!