Latest news with #JustinHawkins
Scotsman
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Celebrities set to line up at football fundraiser in aid of Maggie's
Celebrities, musicians and ex-professional footballers will team up in aid of Maggie's Centre next weekend - in what promises to be a truly unique event held at Armadale's Volunteer Park. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The game is part of an effort to raise £50,000 for the vital cancer charity. Names from across football and music have pledged their support to the event that will see the stars descend on Armadale on Sunday, July 27. Musicians taking part include chart-topping acts and fan favourites such as The Darkness, The View, The Snuts, Ben Walker, Luke La Volpe, Dictator, Tenement TV and Sergeant. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Also taking part are a host of ex-professional footballers, including Charlie Mulgrew and Premier League winner, and ex-Scotland captain Colin Hendry. All the action is set to kick off at 12.30pm, with a full afternoon of football featuring teams made up of well-known musicians, local heroes and ex-pros. One of the organisers Michael Ward said: 'We wanted to create something fun and unforgettable that brings people together for a brilliant cause. Whether you're on the pitch or in the stands, Rock the Crossbar promises an incredible atmosphere, big names, and a huge amount of heart – all in support of a charity that does amazing work for those affected by cancer.' Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins is one of those lining up at Armadale's Volunteer Park on Sunday, 27 July | Justin Hawkins Michael, who runs songwriting camps alongside The View frontman Kyle Falconer, said a friendship with Justin Hawkins of The Darkness saw the rock legend appear on their six-a-side team at a London competition earlier this year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Michael explained: 'The thing with The Darkness is a personal friendship with me and Justin, he came to my and Kyle Falconer's songwriting camp in Alicante this year and we became really good pals, really quickly. 'The Darkness played in our La Sierra Casa team at celebrity soccer sixes in London in May and won it. We've entered the same team into this, so they are flying from a huge gig in Cornwall on the Saturday and then back there the next day.' Following the football, players and supporters will head to The Regal Theatre in Bathgate for an awards dinner and live jam session, featuring surprise performances, guest appearances and a celebration of what's sure to be a standout day for the community. The event aims to raise £50,000 in support of Maggie's Centre, a charity that offers free cancer support and care to individuals and families across the UK. Maggie's Edinburgh operates out of the Western General Hospital. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad An emotional video posted on Instagram by Michael's brother and fellow organiser Jonathan Ward, explains why Maggie's was chosen as the charity that the teams will line-up in aid of. In it Morris Schumacher describes the support provided for his son Jay, and both Morris and his wife Claire, while he battled cancer. Jay sadly passed away in 2015. Their story is just one of many highlighted in the video. Members of the public are welcome to attend, cheer on their favourites, and soak in the atmosphere – with food, drink, and entertainment on offer throughout the day. A limited number of places are still available for those who'd like to play or enter a team. For team registration, or to get involved as a supporter or sponsor, contact Mike Ward at mike@ . You can also pick up tickets here.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rocker with 600k-subscriber YouTube channel latest Colosseum act confirmed
As its long-awaited reopening edges closer, another notable name has been announced for the Watford Colosseum. Rocker-turned 600k-subscriber YouTuber and podcaster, Justin Hawkins, will be coming to the iconic Rickmansworth Road venue on January 31 next year, with tickets on sale later this week. While older readers may know him as lead singer of The Darkness - who reached second in the charts with 2003's I Believe in a Thing Called Love - the 50-year-old will be putting away the guitar to host a live episode of his podcast, Justin Hawkins Rides Again. Justin Hawkins (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire) Launched in 2021, it sees the Surrey-born star review rock music, answer fan questions and discuss the often-secretive nature of the industry. A show description on the Colosseum's website reads: "If you like pontificating about music and culture, uncovering insights into how the music industry really works and witnessing a man chaotically conducting an evening of entertainment, then Justin Hawkins Rides Again… Again is for you." The tour begins in Swindon on January 12, with the Watford date confirmed for January 31, as part of a month-long run that will conclude in London on February 7. Tickets for the Watford show can be purchased from the Colosseum website on Friday morning (July 11). The Colosseum will officially reopen on August 29, with Ocean Colour Scene confirmed as the first act. Operator AEG has said that the 40,000 square-foot venue, which is being run on behalf of Watford Borough Council, 'will bring an unparalleled entertainment experience to the area with world class live music and entertainment'.It will have a seated capacity of 1,189, with 2,345 people accommodated for standing. (Image: Simon Jacobs) Other acts confirmed include Jake Bugg, The Stranglers and Suzi Quatro. AEG formally took over the venue last week as the grand reopening edges nearer. The venue has been shut since December 2020, but is being revived with the help of £16m in government funding.
Miami Herald
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Iconic 2000s Rocker, 50, Has Fans Saying the Same Thing in Unexpected Video
As fans of The Darkness know, frontman Justin Hawkins is one of the most entertaining rock stars around - both on and off the stage. His social media followers never know what to expect from the hilarious one recent video still managed to come as a surprise. The 50-year-old musician took to TikTok this week to share a clip of himself performing an impromptu rap called "Cars Are Like People" with a little help from girlfriend Desiree Mishoe. "Cars are like humans cause they go rusty and then they stop working just like humans do," Hawkins began, as a beat played in the background. "When cars are rusty and they're in a the scrap yard, then it makes me do the opposite of smile, cause I think about all the times I might just die when I'm getting older, and I get rusty like a car that's in a scrap yard," Hawkins continued, as Mishoe laughed and danced along. Fans in the comments were definitely amused. "He's a rapper guys," joked one person, with a second quipping, "Love that the darkness are going in a new direction." "The undisputed king of rap," declared someone else, as another agreed, "He should start a rap career." While Hawkins probably won't be releasing a hip-hop album anytime soon, he did open up about evolving as a musician in a recent interview with Kerrang!. "It's about getting to a certain age and realizing that the world's changing, and you've gotta change or that's you f-ked, you get left behind," he said, adding, "And that's rock. It's actually from the perspective of rock - rock is a middle-aged guy in a world full of people who are just generation…whatever the f-k it is now, and it has to wake up and be part of it." Related: '90s Rock Heartthrob, 58, Is Practically Unrecognizable in Recent Video Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The Sun
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Rock fans devastated as huge band cancel series of gigs across UK cities after ‘cruel twist of fate'
THE Darkness has blamed "logistical chaos" for the cancellation of a number of upcoming shows. The Lowestoft rockers announced that they were no loner able to do some instore shows across the U.K. 3 The rock band shared the bad news with their fans on their Instagram stories. "It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the cancellation of our forthcoming May instore shows in Coventry, Leeds, and Kingston," the group wrote. "A cruel twist of fate and a sprinkling of logistical chaos have conspired to halt our plans, and alas, the rock shan't roll in your local record emporiums as intended." The Darkness continued: "We instead will be involved in honouring an even higher cause, which will become clear forthwith. "Now, before you curse the gods of Rock, know this: we don't make these decisions lightly. We were very much looking forward to basking in your radiant glow. Fans on Reddit reacted saying they understood the 'reason,' and it must be frustrating for the band and other fans. "Hopefully they'll make up for it," one fan wrote. And a third wrote: "Organising postponed dates would've been better than a cancellation just because they've decided to do something else which is what I'm suspecting is what happened here." The Darkness are doing the tour to promote their new album, Dream on Toast. Masked Singer star and noughties rocker looks unrecognisable in band's new music video Guitarist Dan Hawkins was very confident it would climb to the top of the charts upon its release. He told Classic Rock in late March: 'I think it'll go Number One. I am confident. We're up against Mumford & Sons. We're going to beat those c**ts.' However, he was one out, with it finishing in the number two spot, which was still their best chart performance for 22 years. In the early 2000s their debut album, Permission to Land, became a global phenomenon thanks to the megahit I Believe in a Thing Called Love. And frontman Justin Hawkins was synonymous with skin tight catsuits. 3
Irish Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Ghost: Skeletá review – Hair-metal tribute pop minus the killer tunes
Skeletá Artist : Ghost Genre : Pop metal Label : Loma Vista Justin Hawkins, the Darkness singer, complained in 2023 about being mistaken for the lead singer of a comedy band. 'Some people thought we were a joke, a parody of some sort.' His frustration was as searing as one of his (non-comedic) guitar solos. A similar point about earnestness being confused with irony could be made about Ghost, the Swedish pop-metal group whose output has long been assumed to be a tongue-in-cheek valentine to peak 1980s hair metal (spruced up with a dash of its grittier predecessor, the new wave of British heavy metal). They certainly looked and sounded the part: Papa Emeritus, the alter ego of the band's frontman, Tobias Forge, resembled an updating of Iron Maiden's mascot, Eddie the Skeleton, with a papal hat bunged on top, while big singles such as Dance Macabre were possessed, in the most rollicking way imaginable, by the unquiet spirits of metal past. To fans they were the best sort of tribute act. In seemingly pastiching Hysteria-era Def Leppard and coming over like a Nordic twist on classic Maiden, Ghost were a charming case study in air-guitar rock. The songs were irresistible, yet there was also that element of knowingness. How else can one explain a frontman dressed like a all-conquering space pontiff from the 24th century? READ MORE Alas, with Skeletá, their underwhelming sixth studio LP, Ghost's interstellar pope has been hoist with his own crosier. (He's had a name change, too, with Forge upgrading his alias to one Papa V Perpetua.) When the music is as captivating as Dance Macabre, it was fine to walk the tightrope between sincerity and satire. But what happens if the bangers dry up? Is there any point when you've got nothing beyond parody to rely on? That is the question posed by Skeletá, which doesn't get much more exciting than the accent over the 'a'. Once again, Forge and friends prostrate before the gods of metal past. This time, though, they forget the killer tunes. It's death-metal tribute pop out on its feet from the start. You have to credit Forge with wanting to try something new, of course. Skeletá has been billed as Ghost's most personal record – and, lyrically, it pivots away from the swords-and-sorcery hokum that dominated previous releases in favour of the comparatively relatable subject of the eternal search for human connection. 'I know I am authentic, so I'm just going to follow my heart,' the frontman noted recently. 'Now, when I have people interested in what I'm saying, I'm going to say something more interesting. I can't just repeat the same fictional stuff.' Still, there is switching things up and dragging things down, and it is the latter pitfall into which Ghost have stumbled. Skeletá's opening track, Peacefield, begins with a tacky choir and then plunges into a riff that feels like Guns N' Roses covering Every Breath You Take, by The Police – all topped off by trite self-help lyrics ('we all need something to believe'). It is a taster for what is to come on a sludgy and forgettable album. Satanized sounds like a justly forgotten Mötley Crüe power ballad; Cenotaph lassoes Mike Oldfield's Exorcist theme to early Metallica; and Umbra suggests Simon Cowell's idea of Thin Lizzy: it has the outline of the original but not the soul. Lyrically, no toe is left uncurled, especially as Forge takes on the role of sepulchral lover man on Umbra ('In the shadow of the Nazarene / I put my love in you…'). Here and there are frustrating glimpses of a better LP. Guiding Lights starts with a charming retro keyboard only for the chorus to land like a superior Andrew Lloyd Webber number ('the roaaaad that leaads to nowhere is lost'), while Marks of the Evil One is whipsmart panto goth in the tradition of Sisters of Mercy. That rare high point arrives towards the end of an otherwise forgettable record – a moment of magic that cannot compensate for the carnival of cringe that precedes it. Whether in earnest or with a wink, Ghost have always spun the cheesiest ingredients into pop gold. But this hollowed-out affair is haunted by the spirits of old glories. In pop terms it's an empty mausoleum, doomed to inhabit a limbo of missed opportunities and creative paths not taken.
