Album: Hot Leg, Red Light Fever, (Barbecue Rock)
Sunday, 8 February 2009
enlargeAnyone expecting the post-rehab Justin Hawkins to be apologetic, acoustic, introspective and toned down is in for a shock.
Hot Leg, Hawkins’ new “Man Rock” quartet, are the Darkness-plus. From the hocus-pocus shrieking of opener “Chickens” to grandiose Steinman-esque closer “Kissing in the Wind”, ‘Red Light Fever’ is all about jubilant falsettos, crashing crescendos, and ludicrously layered arrangements. If something’s worth doing – as Hawkins knows better than anyone – it’s worth overdoing.
Pick of the album: Coming out of the closet: ‘Gay in the 80s’
Exclusive: I’ve put my addiction problems behind me
Says former Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins
Feb 6 2009 By Rick Fulton
FIVE years ago, Justin Hawkins was on top of the world. His band, The Darkness, had won Best British Group, Best British Rock Act and Best British Album at the Brits. Later in 2004, they headlined T in the Park after David Bowie cancelled because of illness. But after a stint in rehab with a drink and a cocaine problem that saw him spend £150,000 in three years on the drug, Justin is back. His new group, Hot Leg, have all the vocal gymnastics and Eighties-flavoured classic rock sounds that fans of The Darkness will love. Their debut album, Red Light Fever, is out on Monday and Justin, who wrote and played on all the tracks, reckons it’s better than his two Darkness long-players. He said: “It would be nice for Hot Leg to be as big as The Darkness, but I can’t see it happening with this album. “We’ve had a couple of singles out and national radio haven’t played them. We don’t fit in. “But I think the new album’s better than The Darkness ones. The songs are better and the writing is stronger.” Justin, 33, knows all about being the underdog. After winning three Brits in one night, he was given one of the most vicious verbal bashings of any musician in British music history. But he’s a big boy and shrugged: “That’s what happens in music in this country. Everyone saw it coming. “It was unavoidable really because we’d got too big.” And what about accusations that The Darkness were just a joke band, taking the mickey out of Eighties groups such as Queen, Van Halen and AC/DC. The rocker, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, sighed: “People who say that don’t understand rock music. “I don’t mind if people say it’s a joke. I can’t avoid it. As for AC/DC, they’ve got a person wearing a school uniform. They’re not really taking it that seriously, are they?” While Justin’s cat suits and the fun filled pomp rock of The Darkness wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, for many back in 2003 it was light relief from post-Britpop guitar bands and pop acts such as Busted, Gareth Gates and Daniel Bedingfield. While their first album, Permission To Land, sold 1.5 million copies in the UK and the band – Justin, brother Dan, Scots bassist Frankie Poullain and drummer Ed Graham – scored two No.2 hits with I Believe In A Thing Called Love and Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End), their second album in 2005 wasn’t as successful and doubts began to set in. One Way Ticket to Hell … And Back charted at No.11, but fell to No.34 in its second week, going platinum rather than Permission’s five times platinum. IN 2006, Justin went into rehab, and quit the band. It was this rather than the lack of success of the second album which finished The Darkness. Speaking in his new home in London, Justin said: “We didn’t split because of the record. There were a lot of reasons, some personal, why The Darkness split. “But I’m still friends with my brother and I’ve been speaking to Frankie a lot. Everything is on better terms now but, despite some rumours, we aren’t reforming.” After his stint in The Priory, Justin is sober and looking, well, a bit like David Lee Roth, with bleached blond tresses and even more tattoos. Perhaps Justin is now in a better place that he has ever been since 2004. Certainly after The Darkness, he was all over the place. Asolo effort, released under the moniker British Whale, reached No.6 in the singles chart with a cover of Sparks song This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us. In 2007, he competed to sing in Eurovision and, when he was beaten by Scooch (who then came second last in the contest), claimed the British public must be either “racist or stupid” for not choosing his duet with black singer Beverlei Brown. Justin groaned at the very mention of Eurovision and whispered: “I don’t want to think about it and want to forget I even tried for it.” He then threw himself back into making music, working on what would become Red Light Fever in the middle of 2007, which he recorded before forming the band. First came drummer Darby Todd. He found bass player Samuel SJ Stokes, whose brother found guitarist Pete Rinaldi. They will all work on Hot Leg’s second album. “When we all get into a room together, it’s pretty magical,” said Justin. The new album’s You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore is as good as I Believe In A Thing Called Love, as is I’ve Met Jesus. Last year’s debut single, Trojan Guitar, and next single Cocktails, which is out on February 23, are poodle-perm-busting rock at its best, while final tune, Kissing In The Wind, is Justin’s best ballad. There’s also the controversially titled Gay In The 80s, which will raise eyebrows just like Justin’s revelation that, when he was five, he wanted to be a girl and tried to get his schoolmates to call him Rose. With a role as Lord Sutch in music producer Joe Meek biopic Telstar, Justin’s second coming is well and truly on. Hot Leg kick off a UK tour this month and play Edinburgh’s Cabaret Voltaire on March 5. But what about T in the Park? After headlining, would he come back with Hot Leg, further down the bill? Justin cackled: “T was amazing. The year before we opened the festival and then the next year we ended up headlining. “I would love to do T again.” Hot Leg’s debut album, Red Light Fever, is out on Monday.
HOT LEG – Red Light Fever
****
RIGHT. If no one else will do it, allow me to stand up for Justin Hawkins. A quick reminder of his CV: With I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness, he wrote the most important rock riff since Back In Black. He delivers a catchy hook, allied to clever and funny lyrics. He has a unique voice. He’s a stupidly under-rated guitarist. He still manages to pull off Spandex. Mostly. So welcome to Hot Leg’s debut, wall-to-wall with huge riffs, catchy choruses and Bohemian Rhapsody production. Justin has also found a rhythm section hewn from the living rock of Stonehenge. Red Light Fever should propel JH out of the clubs and back into the arenas. A joyous, triumphant, hard-rockin’ romp. GF
See link below for the rest of the article.
Because okay, that’s the thing, right? Shrieky voiced lead singers write about chicks and dragons and wizards and more chicks and going to California and how Love Hurts and shit like that (I know he didn’t write that, but let me riff, here), and all the low-voiced assholes can do is write about how much shit sucks. What’s up with that? Is there something about the ability to sing high that makes you HAPPIER ABOUT LIFE? At any rate — I will posit that metal written by shrieky guys always always trumps metal written by the low guys.
And that brings me to Justin Hawkins. You may remember a band called The Darkness from a few years back. They had a hit called “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” which featured the ULTIMATE shrieky-voiced lead singer, a stringy British dude with a wicked sense of humor called Justin Hawkins, who whooped and shrieked like nobody’s business. He was almost Freddie Mercury-like in sheer range, and he was AWESOME.
Then at some point he went into rehab, and then quit the Darkness. And so what do they do? They replace him with a LOW-VOICED GUY, who immediately gets all serious and singing about life sucking and stuff and then the band BLOWS. You see? You see?
Well, the good news is that Justin Hawkins is back, with a COMPLETELY AWESOME BAND called Hot Leg (yes, just the one of them!) and he’s just as shrieky and amazing and hilariously over-the-top as he was before. So low guy that joined what’s left of the Darkness? You may go to hades, my friend, because here comes Hot Leg. Enjoy.
I’ve Met Jesus.
‘Cocktails’ release delayed
The release date for the Hot Leg single “Cocktails” has been pushed back to the 2nd March 2009. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.
HOT LEG – RED LIGHT FEVER. BARBECUE ROCK. GENRE: MAN ROCK.
POWERPLAY MAGAZINE ISSUE 107. FEBRUARY 2009
HOT LEG – RED LIGHT FEVER. BARBECUE ROCK. GENRE: MAN ROCK.
It’s been three years since we last had an album that featured the vocal
gymnastics of Mr. Justin Hawkins and in my book that’s three years to
long. The rock scene needs natural born showmen like Justin and with
his new band Hot Leg he’s going all out to put the show back into
showbiz once again. His new musical venture is the mighty Hot Leg.
Pioneers of “Man Rock” they have come armed with an arsenal of songs
and an image that makes them look like extras from Olivia Newton Johns
“Physical” video (ask yer dad, it’s an eighties classic) or Flashdance.
It’s very eighties in its whole approach and seeing as the eighties was
one of my favourite decades, that sits well with me. Having played this
album over fifteen times in the few days that I’ve had it I think I can
safely say that it’s an absolute stormer. It manages to forge the
hard-hitting songs from “Permission To Land” with the production
techniques of “One Way Ticket” to devastating effect. At ten tracks and
under thirty six minutes in duration it’s a lean, mean man rock
machine, there’s no flab on this baby. Justin has spent the last couple
of years wisely as this collection of songs is some of the strongest he
has written. The likes of “Chickens” as an album opener, is pure class.
It’s AC/DC “Sin City” riff meets the musical madness that is Justin
Hawkins lyrical mind full-on to give us an album opener that is as
important to this album as “Black Shuck” was to “Permission…”. In “I’ve
Met Jesus” they have a song that should have been as big as “I Believe
In A Thing Called Love” such is its infectious hook-line. The eighties
influence rears its lycra clad head, or should that be leg, on the
likes of “Cocktails” and “Gay In The Eighties” to devastating effect.
For me though, with “Kissing In The Wind”, Justin has saved his best
until last. This is a tour-de-force of a song that finishes this album
in fine style. With the promise of a second album within the next
twelve months it’s a fine time to be a Hot Leg fan. Some people
perceive music as an art form, well, if I want art I’ll go to a
gallery, if I want to rock I’ll put on Hot Leg. Great music, bloody
great!
ROB EVANS
POWERPOINTS 9
www. myspace. com/aorundergroundrobevans
This much I know
Justin Hawkins, musician, 33, London
- The Observer, Sunday 25 January 2009
Justin Hawkins of Hot Leg at the Gibson guitar offices in Central London Photograph: Richard Saker
I was drawn to 80s rock because I loved the fact that it was ugly men trying to look like girls and subsequently being really popular with girls. Something about that appealed to me.
When I was about five I wanted to be a girl. I used to try and call myself Rose at school, but it didn’t take off.
I was a rubbish teenager. I didn’t apply myself at school and I wasn’t very popular with girls. I was just really into my music which basically meant wearing very, very tight jeans. The same as now. I’m pretty much the same thirtysomething as I was a 17-year-old.
I got into wearing catsuits because of my mum. She always used to reminisce about her time hanging out in London in the Swinging Sixties and meeting Jimi Hendrix and Brian Jones. She talked about this one time when Brian Jones was dancing in a pink catsuit, threatening to unzip it. In my head I always associated rock, and flamboyance, with the one-piece catsuit. It was just a case of growing the balls to be able to wear one.
I have no idea how many tattoos I’ve got. This whole right arm is one giant one, I’ve got some on my left arm, some on my leg and pink flames coming up around my groin. The one on my leg was the most painful. The groinal one was more enjoyable than you’d imagine.
Initially with my new band, Hot Leg, we had a rule that all band members had to wear a headband – as an homage to Björn Borg and the late-70s tennis greats. But we’ve started to relax the rule, mainly because I recently had a better haircut.
The way I deal with serious stuff is to not take it seriously. That has hindered certain areas of my emotional development.
I’m a health enthusiast now. I exercise as much as I can. I don’t smoke or do drugs or alcohol or anything mind-altering. It’s quite a weird experience touring in that way. It actually feels more rock’n’roll. It isn’t about the other stuff any more – it’s about the music.
My proudest moment with the Darkness was performing “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” at the Brits. The finale involved me falling through a trap door as fireworks went off. I remember crouching there, checking my hair wasn’t on fire, and then thinking: “Yes. I’ve just disappeared from a stage in a giant explosion, having won three Brits. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
England doesn’t really have groupies. I think it’s something to do with the climate.
Entering the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest was a mistake. It was part of being at a very low ebb. That’s not going to happen again.
I’m not all right financially. I spent unwisely. The Ferrari probably wasn’t a good call. In this country you can’t drive it fast, and the weather just kills it slowly.
I’m totally happy not being in a relationship. I split up with Sue [Whitehouse, his manager] a long time ago, but we carried on living in the same house. I’m downsizing now, moving into my own place. Just me and my little cat. I’m feeling very positive about it.
Staying sane and staying in shape go hand in hand for me. You can plainly see when I’m losing my mind. It has physical manifestations on my body. That’s why I’m covered in tattoos, and in the past five years I’ve gone from 10.5 stone to 15 stone and back to 10.5 stone.
I don’t see the last six years as a rise and fall. I see it as a fall and rise. There are bound to be troughs in the future, but they won’t be accompanied by madness and addiction.
• Hot Leg’s debut album, Red Light Fever, is released on 9 February
Cocktails Video by HOT LEG
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Hot Leg – Red Light Fever
Tongue tied is not my normal state. I do rabbit on, and when I’m reviewing something I get all flowery. I like words – but this time, they haven’t liked me and this particular review has taken AGES to write. Knowing what you want to say and not being able to do it is just the pants… Got there in the end!
Hot Leg. Début album. Doormat. Mad rush to electrical appliance – open the envelope, stupid girl! Insert contents, turn power on, settle back for ten intense bursts of bliss. Repeat as necessary.
I’ve got, in my hands and ears, songs to melt to. I’m lucky – I’ve heard all of them more than once live, except for Kissing in the Wind. I know them, recognise them, they’re virtually godchildren! Wasn’t at their conception, of course, I missed out on the messy bits. It’s very different when you have a nice undistorted sound. Nobody’s shouting in my ear, I’m not trying to take photos and I don’t need to worry about being able to see. I can just relax and truly listen. And yes – to those who asked – I like it. Love it.
There’s more layers than I’m used to hearing, both instruments and voice. Some vocals are startlingly choral, like in Chickens, and there are layers of Justin’s voice everywhere. His singing swoops and soars as it ever has done, more easily I think. It sounds more assured. There’s more mid-range singing, which I’ve always liked. Kissing in the Wind and Ashamed are prime examples. Speaking of Ashamed – the nation’s future anti populist tv protest song – there’s a glorious brief moment when Beverlei Brown’s voice slips in beside his, and the two are inseparable until she takes off on her own. Her smooth depth of tone match his beautifully – it was a surprise first time to realise it wasn’t Justin. I want more of that! She makes it sound so easy, dammit.
I suppose you expect me to eulogise about the guitar playing? Quite right too. Well, it’s as brilliant and beautifully executed as you’d expect. Whatever the flavour – rock solos, bluesy intros, delicate fingering in Trojan Guitar – it’s spot on. Keyboards are prominent – lovely synth in Chickens made me smile – and piano in Kissing in the Wind. You’re not going to get an album without those in! There’s often a heavy pounding rhythm, bringing Man Rock down to deep and dirty under those deceptively catchy bits that are more Velcro than hooks. You’ll find changes of tempo within songs rather than across the album as whole, but there’s plenty of variety. I’m not going to dwell on The Darkness. If you hear TD in this from time to time, why should it be a surprise? Some songs were written in 2002, right back in the hard slog days. Justin wrote and recorded this album, working on it for months before Hot Leg were finalised. The future writing will be interesting, collaborating with the rest of Hot Leg.
Have a very careful listen to the lyrics. Ponder them. Draw your own conclusions where you need to. Love songs have realities embedded in them – you can’t have slush without slipping on it sometimes. Prima Donna and Trojan Guitar have their own histories and meanings. However you read them, it’s obvious that Justin’s lyrical adroitness isn’t a flash in the pan. A word or two can change the entire point, feel and thrust of a sentence or song. In Kissing in the Wind, it’s one consonant. That song could be as much about Justin’s fans as the lover it addresses, to my mind. Can’t wait to hear it live.
Apart from I’ve Met Jesus, which has been top banana since I first heard it, I can’t pick out songs to put above others. They all have something that delights or intrigues. Any disappointments? No. I think I might have preferred to have Extraordinary Woman rather than Chickens, I rather like that song. And Come Into My Arms – mmm, yes, then Cupboard Love and Automa… can’t have too much of a good thing. Albums should have B-sides! The main problem with the whole album? Listening to it in comfort, I’ve discovered I’ve been singing lyrical bollocks of my own devising all these months. Oops *blush*. Red Light Fever inflames the senses, it’s true. Drives one to sing and dance, headbanging (can you airheadbang?), and if you’re DEFINITELY alone in the house, striking silly poses at the same time as the above. Are these not indicators of truly good music? No? Then music’s not fun any more. I want Rock with a bit of life about it, some humour, reality and one or two things to ponder. And some Man, just to spice it up a bit.
Red Light Fever is out on 9th February 2009, and available from http://www.play.com , http://www.amazon.co.uk, and http://www.townsend-records.co.uk/artist.php?artist=hotleg . Townsend have a bundle offer on the next single Cocktails, out on 23rd February. They also have the red vinyl LP version.
Track Listing:
1. Chickens
2. You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore
3. Ashamed
4. I’ve Met Jesus
5. Trojan Guitar
6. Cocktails
7. Gay In The 80s
8. Prima Donna
9. Whichever Way You Wanna Give It
10. Kissing In The Wind
Tiscali videos and interview
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