15 years ago, Justin and Dan Hawkins of The Darkness swept the board at the BRIT awards. Catapulted onto the world stage, they arced high then crashed back to earth in flames when the band split in 2006. With the band now firmly back together and making joyous, hard-edged rock once again, we join the brothers to hear their advice on how to squeeze top performance from Marshall amps – and learn why they “didn’t come here to ride the teacups…”
It’s a bright morning in West London and Dan and Justin Hawkins, the brothers behind The Darkness’s double-pronged guitar sound, are putting off the inevitable. Before them is a large table laden with hundreds of CDs to sign for fans. It’s a task they’re glad to undertake, but not perhaps the most exciting duty in the diary of a rock star. So they’re happy to chat for a while before getting stuck in and reminiscing about some of the craziest excesses they enjoyed – and sometimes endured – at the height of their fame.
Older and savvier than they were in the delirious days of the early Noughties when their hit single I Believe In A Thing Called Love leaped with ecstatic energy from radios around the world, they’re still as in love with the sound of Marshalls at full tilt as the day they started. Deceptively deft songwriters, Dan and Justin also have a store of hard-won knowledge to share about how to write melodic rock guitar hits. So we put the pens to one side a little longer, grab a coffee and request permission to lounge…
You’ve been a twin-guitar team for nearly two decades now. How do you divide up guitar duties for best effect?
Justin Hawkins: “I don’t do a lot of writing on the guitar. That’s mostly Dan’s department – he does 99 percent of the riffs. We work together on the melodies and I do all the words. And then when it comes to creating solos, we work on those together because there’s often bits where we’re either harmonizing or an approximation of each other’s lines.”
’Lizzy-style harmonized guitar lines are a hallmark part of your sound. What are your tips for nailing them?
この記事は Guitarist の May 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Guitarist の May 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Sonic Shaper
Electro-Harmonix revisits the effect that launched the company with the LPB-3 Linear Power Booster and EQ
Platinum Blonde
PRS has updated its Texas-voiced David Grissom signature amp with more features, lower wattage and a more approachable price tag
TAN LINES
Many of us regard straps as a bit of an afterthought, but to find one that matches the quality of a custom or vintage guitar, Rod Boyes of Pinegrove Leather can help
ELECTRIC STRINGS
Your tone starts with your strings - strike a balance between sound, tuning and durability with six of our favourites
DIFFERENT WINDS
While there's no end to repros of all the classic pickup styles, more and more pickup makers are mixing things up to move forward - Cream T is a good example
Long termers
A few months' gigging, recording and everything that goes with it - welcome to Guitarist's longterm test report
Top Guns
Chapman's new factory move coincides with a bit of a rethink. We track down the key players all around the world
the Wishlist
Dream gear to beg, borrow and steal for...
Reach For The Star
Earlier this year Guild reorganised its 70s-era Polara range. We spent some time with this mid-range 2024 model: a modern pawn-shop prize or a copy too far?
HIGH FLYER
Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX remembers the flight path - and turbulence behind Chris Buck's Electric Lightning overdrive/boost, named after a fighter jet and packing a bona fide valve
