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JUSTIN
HAWKINS
(VOCALS/GUITAR)You’re headlining Ramblin’ Man Fair.
Does it feel good to have The Darkness’
name added to the ranks of such
previous legendary headliners as ZZ Top?
“It feels great! This is a festival that
we’ve long wished to perform at, and
headlining it is a real bonus. It’s been
a while since we’ve found ourselves
at the top of the bill on a major UK
festival, but the future is so bright,
we gotta wear Cheap Sunglasses.”Oh, we see what you just did there...
Your live show has always lived up to the
theatrics of your music. With that in mind,
what can we expect from your set?
“We will incorporate a little more
production than usual just to
commemorate the headline-y nature of
it all. Everybody knows that wherever
possible, we bring a multisensory
spectacle to these occasions, and
Ramblin’ Man is our best chance to
bring out the big guns this summer.”Out of the rest of the line-up, is there
anyone that you’re particularly excited
about sharing a bill with?
“I think the bill is very skilfully curatedand I’m very pleased to share the stage
with our old mates in The Wildhearts
once again. There are some true
legends in the line-up. I’m a lifelong
Foreigner enthusiast, so I’m up for
them. I imagine I’ll spend most of the
weekend in the moshpit. Or at the
falafel stand.”You could mosh while eating falafel,
though. Anyway, does Ramblin’ Man act
as the perfect way to kick off your new
Easter Is Cancelled album cycle?
“Actually, I see headlining Ramblin’ Man
as the last step of life before Easter
Is Cancelled. Having said that, we’re
toying with the idea of previewing one
or two of the new songs at the festival,
but we’ll see. This summer we’re
celebrating 16 years since the release
of Permission To Land [2003] so I think
there’ll be a few golden oldies dropped
into the set.”Moving across the world, in October
you’ll be heading over to the U.S. to play
the KISS Kruise. The last time you played
a boat was on the Thames – how do you
guys fare on a big cruise ship and are
you looking forward to it?
“We’re all salty sea dogs at heart, you
don’t grow up in Lowestoft without
developing ‘marine legs’. I was
concerned that the cruise might be
a little claustrophobic at first, but my
suite on the liner has a balcony, so
I’ll have somewhere to ‘shiver me
timbers’ – now, that is a euphemism.
I can’t wait.”With the release of Easter Is Cancelled
in a few months’ time, what can fans
expect to hear from the upcoming album?
Where have you taken The Darkness’
sound this time?
“I think Easter Is Cancelled will startle
our fans because it is very eclectic and
actually somewhat proggy in places.
It has been described as ‘unhinged’,
which is nice.”Finally, are you looking forward to your
UK headline tour at the end of the year?
“The UK mega tour is the highlight
of every album campaign for me. I’m
really excited to radically modify the
production this time around. Plus, my
outfits will dazzle as always. Yeah, we
rock – come see us play!”“YEAH, WE
ROCK – COME
SEE US PLAY...”
JUSTIN HAWKINSWORDS:James HinglePHOTO:GETTYQ&A
DATES
MAIDSTONE
Ramblin’ Man Fair,
Mote Park, July
19 – 21.
64 KERRANG!GIG GUIDE
THE DARKNESS get
ready to top the bill
at Ramblin’ Man Fair.
Prepare for silliness...
RAMBLE
ON...
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