The experience of locking in with the Hawkins brothers for an hour of conversation is not unlike absorbing their gonzo, wildly effervescent take on classic hard rock. To be sure, Justin, 49, the band’s frontman and de facto lead guitarist, and Dan, 48, who plays guitar, produces, and contributes backing vocals, keep you on your toes.
An instance of deep creative insight will jump-cut to a well-executed crude joke with a set-up involving slide guitar, which Justin taught himself to play during Covid lockdown in standard tuning, “not the G cheating tuning.” Passages of admirable self-reflection are interspersed with a freewheeling riff on Kid Rock and a debate about the finer points of crawling up one’s own arse. It’s kind of a blast.
The sad inability of critics and even audiences to reconcile fantastic hard rock with a sense of humor has dogged the Darkness throughout its existence, to the point where Dan believes the “classic rock community” only really came around to the band after Justin and drummer Rufus Taylor performed in Taylor Hawkins’ all-star tribute in 2022. “Finally, ‘Okay, these guys aren’t actually just fucking around,’” says Dan. Fair enough, but what exactly are they doing?
The Darkness’ new album, Dreams on Toast, their eighth LP overall and sixth since reforming in 2011, is quite possibly their strongest set yet. In its wide-ranging, often surprising charms, it somehow manages to muddy the waters even further while also firming up an ethos—namely, that the Darkness are smart rock and pop mastercraftsmen who contain multitudes. Or, as Dan describes their M.O.: “We can do whatever the fuck we want, whenever we want, and we don’t have to worry about it.” Adds Justin, “The funny thing is what we actually want to do is just write timeless songs.”
Dreams on Toast, the British hard-rock band’s eighth full-length, is a testament to their indefatigable belief in the melding of hard-rock riffage with humor.
Justin Hawkins’ Gear
Guitars
- Atkin JH3001
- Atkin Mindhorn JH3000
- Dan’s red Gibson ES-355
- Dan’s Epiphone Casino (for slide)
- Atkin acoustic
- Brook Tavy acoustic
- Taylor 12-string
Justin and Dan’s Amps
- Ampete amp/cab switcher
- Vox AC30 head
- Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
- 1959 Marshall plexi Super Lead
- Marshall 1987X
- Friedman Smallbox
- Friedman BE-100 Deluxe
- Marshall cab with Celestion Greenbacks
Effects
- Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
- SoloDallas Schaffer Replica
Strings & Picks
- Rotosound Roto Yellows .010s
- Dunlop Tortex .73 mm
Dreams on Toast boasts moments of quintessential Darkness—in, say, “Walking Through Fire,” a hooky rock ’n’ roll behemoth that pays plainspoken tribute to the power of … rock ’n’ roll—and gets even more meta with a winky line about wasting time “shooting yet another shitty video.” For those who’ve followed the band from the start, it can evoke the shock of discovering the Darkness on MTV in 2004, when they were an exuberant burst of Queen-inspired virtuosity amidst so much overwrought post-punk and stylized garage rock. (“I fucking hate videos. I don’t even know why we bother,” shrugs Justin, the centerpiece of several of the most memorable rock vids of the 21st century.)
Elsewhere, Dreams on Toast has a knack for subverting expectations. “The Longest Kiss” leans into the progressive-pop facility of Jeff Lynne, Sparks, or Harry Nilsson. “Hot on My Tail” and “Cold Hearted Woman” are deft examples of rootsy pop writing, finding a niche between honky tonk and transatlantic folk. “The Battle for Gadget Land” engages in campy rap-rock, as if satirizing the nu metal that thrived when the Darkness was founded. It also betrays a British punk influence—a vestige, the brothers ponder, of their father’s excellent musical tastes and his decision to play his sons Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. Bewilderingly, “Weekend in Rome” features a voice-over by the actor Stephen Dorff.
But the album’s absolute highlights belong to the signature balance that allows the Darkness to remain instantly identifiable while also being custodians of rock’s various traditions. “Rock and Roll Party Cowboy” seems to revel in macho rock clichés, until you notice a reference to Tolstoy in the chorus and realize that the badass at the center of the narrative is in reality a stone-cold loser. “There’s a line in there, which gives it away,” Justin explains, “where he says, ‘Where the ladies at?’” The truth hurts: “The party he’s describing is a disaster.”“The funny thing is what we actually want to do is just write timeless songs.” —Justin Hawkins
The same savvy defines “I Hate Myself,” a punked-up barroom-glam throwback that tackles heartbreak and self-contempt. The song also has a buzzed-about video in which Justin appears, unrecognizable, as a man who wears his grief, vanity, and insecurity on his face as questionable plastic surgery. The clip is startling, cinematic, and willfully not very much fun. Consequently it’s inspired pushback, even within the band. “I think on this record, from the recording to the videos and everything, I think we’re challenging people,” Justin says. “We’re trying to explore genres and visual ideas that we haven’t done before. Like, there’s only two of us on the album cover; me and Dan aren’t even on it.
“It’s like we’re doing everything differently, and in ways that make people go, ‘Well, what the fuck is this?’ I think we’re hopefully positioning ourselves as a band that cares about the art.”
The brothers Hawkins in action. They wrote the songs for Dreams on Toast on an acoustic guitar, face-to-face.
Photo by Gareth Parker
Fraternal Dynamics
Following 2021’s Motorheart, which was built piecemeal in the throes of the pandemic, Dreams on Toast is a welcome return to (literal) face-to-face collaboration. “Pretty much everything on the album was written on an acoustic, me facing Justin,” Dan says. “Holding my gaze,” adds Justin, with a straight face.
“We have quite a lot of success when I’ve just got an acoustic and I’m thrashing away,” Dan posits, though “thrashing away” isn’t quite fair. In fact, the through line tying Dreams on Toast to landmark Darkness singles like “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” “Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End),” or “Love Is Only a Feeling” is the precision of the craft—the sheer perfection of the sonics and the shape of each song, the seamlessness with which an intro becomes a verse and then a bridge before an earworm chorus breaks down the door. Track after track.
“I think we’ve always been good at arranging,” Dan says. “Sorry to blow our own trumpets, but I think that comes from Justin and my musical upbringing.” To wit: Fleetwood Mac’s pop-rock masterpiece Rumours was on heavy rotation at home. At the outset of his career, after he’d been a drummer and a bass player, Dan only “started playing guitar properly as a session player,” he says. “And that kind of taught me a lot about placing things, when to do things and when not to.
“The only reason I can play guitar is because I wanted to work out how songs were written,” he adds later. At one point during the chat, Justin mentions his experience writing and producing music for commercial clients—something he and his brother continue to partake in, in specific under-the-radar situations. He maintains that work doesn’t inform the Darkness too much, though he does allow that it furthers their understanding of the architecture of songs. “We learn about how they’re built,” he says, “what’s happening underneath the bonnet.”
In the end, Dan explains, the band doesn’t chase down a song in the studio until it’s been properly worked out. “Because there’s no point, is there?” Justin says. A delightful exchange about turds, and the pursuit of polishing them, ensues.
“The only reason I can play guitar is because I wanted to work out how songs were written.” —Dan Hawkins
Dan Hawkins’ Gear
Guitars
- 2000 Gibson Les Paul Standard
- Gibson ES-355
Effects
- Ibanez TS9 and TS808 Tube Screamers
- SoloDallas Schaffer Replica
- Keeley Caverns
- Keeley Katana Boost
Strings & Picks
- Rotosound Roto Greys .011s
- Dunlop Nylon .73 mm
Dreams on Toast features the band’s current lineup with the rhythm tandem of Rufus Taylor, the son of Queen drummer Roger Taylor, and bassist Frankie Poullain. It was produced by Dan, who helms his well-appointed Hawkland Studios in Sussex, England.
Unprompted, he shows us around via Zoom, and in his lighthearted practicality, you get a sense of the study in contrast that the Hawkins brothers have presented since they were boys in the English seaside town of Lowestoft. (For an intimate look at their relationship and the band’s hard-won return, check out the 2023 documentary, Welcome to the Darkness, which will be available on platforms in the States starting in mid April.) The conventional wisdom dictates that Justin is the YouTube personality, the opinionated fount of charisma, falsetto, and unforgettable guitar leads, and Dan is the engine room, the pragmatist and a rhythm ace in the mold of his hero Malcolm Young. It’s definitely not that cut-and-dried; Dan, despite his modesty, can put together a great solo, too, and they’re both affable and entertaining, with the pluck to have forged ahead through physical and personal challenges. But it’s true enough.
“I’ve been in my studio for eight hours a day working on my guitar rig for this next tour,” Dan says, feigning salty exasperation. “I’ve spent so much money.” Enter Justin: “And I learned how to go snowboarding.” Dan is interested in the guitar for “what it is capable of sonically, not necessarily emotionally,” he says. “I imagine that’s like the opposite of how I see it,” his brother replies. “That’s why it works!” says Dan.
“As soon as the amp question comes up … I don’t even know what my settings are,” Justin admits. “I’m more concerned about guitars, and I think Dan’s more concerned about amps.”
Dan the amp man: The younger Hawkins brother manages “Tonehenge,” the wall of amplifiers at his studio which he and his sibling use.
Photo by Gareth Parker
Visiting Tonehenge
Actually, Justin’s response to the amp question is terrific: “You could just send him a picture of the Tonehenge,” he says to his brother, referring to a mouth-watering monument of heads and cabs in Dan’s studio. Dan goes on to explain his wall of sound and how he uses an Ampete switcher to explore various combinations. On Dreams on Toast, he says, we’re hearing plenty of Marshall and Friedman—which “take care of the EL34 stuff”—as well as a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier and a handwired Vox AC30 head that “played a major role.” Dan doesn’t feel compelled to “pull out loads of weird combos,” he says, because “we’ve got a big sound that we need to portray pretty much straight away.” Mission complete.
Guitar-wise, the big takeaway on Dreams on Toast is that we’re hearing less Les Paul than we might be used to on a Darkness record. Dan continues to swear by his 2000 Les Paul Standard, whose high-output 498 humbucker has had a huge impact on the consistency of his sound. “It’s only in recent years that I realized you could actually pull the volume back” and achieve the tone of “a really nice old Les Paul,” he says. His strings have thinned out to .011–.052 after he’d bloodied his fingers one too many times using .013–.054 sets with a wound G.
For his part, Justin has largely moved away from the white Les Paul Customs that became an indelible part of his image long ago, settling into a fruitful partnership with the English brand Atkin, whose esteemed reputation for handcrafted acoustics shouldn’t overwhelm its versatile lineup of electrics. “I know I’ve sort of become synonymous with the white Les Paul, and that’s good; I think every generation should have a white Les Paul player,” he says cheekily. “But maybe my time is gone now. Maybe it’s somebody else’s turn.”
Justin enjoys his Atkin signature models: the Frankenstrat-indebted JH3001 and the JH3000 Mindhorn, an offset with two humbuckers and an LP-style bridge. “I’ve always loved Strats,” he says, beginning to describe his concept for the JH3001. “I’ve always enjoyed the tonal variety, and the way they play is interesting.” But signature instruments are opportunities to correct annoyances and combine archetypes, and so it goes with the 3001.
He wanted a floating, Floyd Rose-style bridge, which would allow him to do dive bombs “and all the things I’ve been teaching myself to do,” he says. (Those shred moves impress as smartly deployed accents to tracks like “Rock and Roll Party Cowboy.”) Justin had long been frustrated with the standard pickup-selector location on Strats and “wanted the electronics to resemble more closely what the Les Pauls do.” A 3-way toggle for two handwound humbuckers can be found on the upper horn, and the wiring is visible via a transparent Perspex pickguard—an homage, perhaps, to Justin’s lovingly remembered Dan Armstrong acrylic guitar (for which he had only the Country Bass pickup). The JH3001, Justin says, is a “FrankenPaul, if you will,” or, as Dan recommends, a “Lesocaster.” The Mindhorn, whose offset body might strike you as a meld of Firebird and Fender, offers Justin the reliability of a Tune-o-matic-type bridge; on other offsets he’s played, like a Jaguar, he’d pick so hard the strings would pop out of their saddles. “Also, the selector’s in the right place for me,” he says.
He also leans on his brother’s collection. One of his go-to instruments for his flourishing slide skills is Dan’s old Epiphone Casino. And Justin explains that Dan’s red Gibson ES-355 was the axe of choice for two of his hardest-hitting solos on the record: the twinned-up lines of “The Longest Kiss” and the breakaway Angus-isms of “I Hate Myself.”
“We’ve got a big sound that we need to portray pretty much straight away.” —Dan Hawkins
Justin’s signature Atkins JH3000 Mindhorn, wielded here, has forced his recognizable white Les Paul into a supporting role.
Photo by Gareth Parker
Solo Break
Which brings us to the choreographed majesty of Justin’s solos across the Darkness catalog—masterpieces in miniature, as hooky and bulletproof as the songs they complement. Justin expounds on his process: “When I’m trying to build a solo, we normally just run the track and I have a go. And usually, I’m going 100 miles an hour, finding phrases and trying to modify them so they don’t sound like where I’ve nicked them from. But the most important thing is that you can sing along to it, so it becomes a countermelody.” He thinks technical dazzle can work beautifully in a solo, but only when it’s held in judicious balance among less-showy principles. “The thing that sets the great guitarists apart from the other ones is the expression,” he says. “I’m talking about dynamics and vibrato.”
His lodestars of lead playing include Mark Knopfler, whose “Tunnel of Love” solo “shows you an infinite number of harmonic choices” atop a straightforward chord sequence. “It’s full of ideas,” he says. “None of it’s showing off; it’s all logic.” Other favorites are similarly thoughtful rockers, among them Brian May and Jeff Beck.
He digs EVH too, though those concepts came later. “There was a guitar teacher in Lowestoft that would teach everybody how to do that—the tapping and all the things that Eddie Van Halen invented,” he recalls. “I didn’t go to that guitar teacher. I was more interested in blues playing, really, and that kind of expression. It wasn’t until later that I thought, ‘Ah, fuck, I kind of wish I’d learned that properly.’ Because now I’m asking my guitar tech how to do it.”
His brother’s lead playing is an inspiration as well, in its ability to surprise and draw contours that Justin simply would not. “He makes interesting choices,” Justin says, “and then I always scratch my head and go, ‘Wow, I would never have thought to play that note.’ So I try and sometimes I think, ‘What would Dan do?’”
YouTube It
Watch the Darkness rip a trio of exuberant rock ’n’ roll romps to a massive festival audience.
I love fuzz. I am so grateful for fuzz. I don’t know who or where I’d be—at least musically—without it. And whether or not you like using fuzz, you love fuzz, too. You just might not realize it. Fuzz pedals, which are considered loud, rowdy, and unnecessary musical devices by some tonal purists, have changed the world.
From Jimi Hendrix to Jack White, David Gilmour to Billy Corgan, fuzz pedals have not only shaped guitar sounds but shaped the way we think of and experience guitar. Starting in the 1960s, they have steered culture as the musical voice of protest (Hendrix’s “Machine Gun,” anyone?) and the communicator of a generation’s angst . And don’t forget the more recent doom and stoner genres! Also, some tones that you perceive as clean or merely overdriven are actually created by finding the sweet spot between a fuzz pedal and a guitar’s volume dial.
There are tons of different fuzz pedals out there right now, so navigating all of your options can seem like a difficult task. We truly live in the golden era of gear and, as a pedalhead, I’m here for it. But the roots of fuzz run deep to earlier eras. So in that spirit, here are some of my favorite modern fuzz boxes that nail the tones of yesteryear—without the vintage-market price tag. Enjoy! And keep thinking fuzzy!EarthQuaker Devices Hoof ($179 street)
The Hoof is a flagship pedal from this Akron, Ohio-based company, and for good reason. This pedal’s circuit is rooted in a specific tall-font Sovtek Big Muff owned by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. According to Jamie Stillman, owner of EQD, Auerbach’s favorite Big Muff didn’t sound quite like other green Russian Big Muffs he’d played, so he approached Stillman to recreate its hairy goodness. The Hoof is a hybrid of germanium and silicon transistors—a modern variant of the Muff’s legendary, strictly silicon sound. While the original is a 3-knob fuzz (volume, tone, and distortion), the kicker here is a fourth “shift” control that allows you to dial in additional midrange to your liking. Want that doom-y wall of sound? It’s here. Need a bit more string articulation for your riffs? It can do that as well. Built tough, the Hoof is extremely easy to use to get killer vintage fuzz tones and will take a beating on the road.
Way Huge Swollen Pickle ($149 street)
Star designer Jeorge Tripps has had a huge impact in the pedal world for decades. The Swollen Pickle is one of the staples in his creative lineup. What started as a 3-dial Big Muff-style fuzz (See a pattern here?) took on a life of its own with the addition of “filter” and “scoop” controls. Between these two knobs, the sonic landscape is huge... you could even say way huge. The newest version of the Swollen Pickle features additional clipping options under the hood that allow you to tweak further, should you feel the need. But out of the box, this fuzz is a ripper capable of searing leads and wall-of-sound chords. Built like a tank, with a reasonable market price, I’m a big fan of this one. It’s great for guitarists interested in a Big Muff-rooted fuzz without committing to that voice exclusively. Definitely check it out!
Mythos Pedals Golden Fleece ($139 street)
Sometimes simple and stupid is the best approach, and it absolutely works with the Golden Fleece. This single-knob, no-nonsense fuzz from Zach Broyles’ company is a fine-tuned machine with a minimum of options. All the tough decision making has already been done and built into a germanium-and-silicon-based circuit. So, don’t let this pedal’s size and lack of additional controls scare you. It is a monster fuzz pedal.
With its single “more” knob (the output volume), touch dynamics, the pickup selection on the guitar, and guitar volume and tone settings play a huge role in the results. It cleans up extremely well and can go from light and crunchy to full-on saturated awesomeness. Tone-wise, it lives in a unique vintage-fuzz sweet spot. Muff-y? It kinda can be, but it has much more clarity and string definition. Fuzz Face-y? Yes, but it’s much smoother, while simultaneously more aggressive. You’d think a fuzz pedal with one knob would be easy to explain, but this pedal just does so dang much. I’m a huge fan of the tones that this stomp offers—especially at $139, and with the tiny amount of precious pedalboard real estate required. Mythos calls it, “your gateway pedal to fuzz.” Fair enough!
Analog Man Sun Face ($195 street)
What’s a list of killer vintage-sounding fuzzes without an Analog Man pedal? It’s no secret that Mike “Analog Man” Piera sits high up on the list of vintage-fuzz experts, and his constantly in-demand pedals (you’ve heard of the King of Tone?) are a direct result of his passion and knowledge of old-school dirt. I could write a whole article on his smartly crafted fuzz pedals alone. But the Sun Face, as the name might lead you to believe, is Analog Man’s take on the legendary Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face—that little round box championed by guitar heavyweights like Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, and Pete Townshend. But Analog Man doesn’t just make a one-size-fits-all Fuzz Face clone. Piera offers a dozen different variations of the pedal, with a multitude of choices. Both silicon and germanium transistors are available, as well as low- and high-gain options, which are a result of Mike carefully hand-selecting transistors that allow us nerds to get very specific about what flavor of Fuzz Face sound we want in our rig. The Sun Face is a top-quality build from a top-quality builder. You really can’t go wrong with any variation if you’re chasing the vintage-fuzz dragon.
Red River Amplification Bonetender ($199 street)
The Bonetender was created out of a love for the classic MkII Tone Bender circuit, which Sola Sound debuted in 1966. This device has two knobs, three transistors (Russia-made NOS MP41A “flying saucer” transistors, for the super-nerdy), and a name that bears its influence on its sleeve. David Britton of Red River Amplification in Nashville has nailed the classic Tone Bender sound. He hand-picks his PNP germanium transistors to craft a warm, round voice, with insane sustain and exceptional clean-up. This straight-to-the-point 2-knob (dirt and volume) fuzz provides instant joy for players of all skill levels and is easily one of my favorite MkII-inspired fuzz pedals.
By the way, since you’ve seen the terms germanium and silicon come up in this article several times by now, I should probably give a quick explanation of what they are, for fuzz novices. Silicon and germanium transistors are semiconductors that amplify or alter electronic signals, like those produced by your guitar that travel through your cable. Silicon transistors are more modern, and were developed in the 1950s. Germanium transistors were developed in the 1940s, and opened the door to solid-state electronics. The earliest germanium fuzz pedal, the Maestro FZ-1 used by Keith Richards on “Satisfaction,” was introduced in 1962. The first silicon pedal appeared in the late '60s. Generally, silicon is less responsive to guitar volume attenuation but more temperature-stable than germanium, which can be fussy in hot or cold weather, but pedals using either germanium or silicon can blow a hole in the side of a barn. Okay?
ZVEX Fuzz Factory ($319 street)
Where to start with this one? Odds are you know about this pedal. It’s a staple on so many rigs. It has inspired thousands of guitar players, as well as other pedal builders. It has been loved and used by fuzz purveyors like Trent Reznor and Billy Gibbons. And it is a modern classic. It started as a Fuzz Face clone, but the Fuzz Factory quickly carved its own path in the pedal world, though it’s a bit divisive among players due to its chaotic nature. The Fuzz Factory, which debuted in 1995, was one of the first pedals that purposely use feedback-loop-style self-oscillation—something that other builders at the time tried to avoid. But this stomp’s self-oscillation can easily be tamed and is part of what makes it so damn versatile. The Fuzz Factory is perhaps one of the most flexible fuzz pedals ever created, capable of nearly any tone you’ve heard on classic records or sounds you hear in your mind. Ripping Velcro-style Jack White vibes, spikey “Satisfaction” leads, or full-blown wall-of-sound fuzz are all here! If you're not scared of fuzz pedals with more than three knobs, the five on this stomp (volume, gate, compression, drive, and stability) allow you to explore fuzz in new, creative ways.
Benson Amps Stonk Box ($279 street)
Chris Benson quickly went from unknown apprentice at Verellen Amplifiers and repair tech at Old Town Music in Portland, Oregon, to in-demand, consistently backordered boutique amp builder, and for good reason. Also, his contributions to the pedal world have been fantastic—specifically his creation of what he terms “automatic thermal bias technology.” Essentially, he invented a system that regulates and stabilizes the bias of germanium transistors in a pedal, no matter how hot or cold it is outside. This is a big deal! And the Stonk Box? It is a Tone Bender MkI-inspired device that excels in vintage fuzz voices, with tone, volume, filter, and trim controls. It nails the FZ-1, MkI, and Zonk Machine sounds (which are all basically the same thing). It does the sought-after, beautiful, blossoming fuzz sound. And it can surely handle your Keef riffs, but the range of this high-quality build goes well beyond that.
Rude Tech 3MuF-14 Distortion/Fuzz ($255 street)
Jesse Rhew, of Rude Tech in Nashville, really knocked this one out of the park. Taking three well-loved and legendary Sovtek Big Muff circuits—the "Civil War," "Green Russian," and "Black Russian"—and putting them in one enclosure is cool, right? But the modern improvements and additions included in the 3Muf-14 make these classic sounds more usable in any setting. If you’ve played a Big Muff-style circuit, you know it’s very common for your guitar or bass to lose presence as soon as you turn the Muff on in a live-band setting. Because of this, a lot of players run their Muff-style fuzzes into mid-heavy overdrives or EQs, so they don’t get lost in the mix. The 3MuF-14 adds a mid-focused drive circuit with its own footswitch, so your sweet riffs aren't left out of the fun. As you’ve gathered by now, there are lots of killer Big Muff-style circuits out there, but if you’re looking for a gig-able option that offers just enough tweak-ability without menu diving, the 3MuF-14—with volume, tone, and sustain dials, plus toggles for tone and Muff-style selection—should be on your watch list.
But Wait, There’s More!
These are my favorites, but there are dozens more fuzz pedals, at all kinds of price levels and control options, worth investigating. See Ted Drozdowski’s companion story for a rundown of many of these, and, meanwhile, here are a few more pedals that are on my radar right now, and the historic devices or characteristics they emulate.
• JAM Pedals Octaurus (currently sold out): For fans of the Univox Super-Fuzz, Shin-Ei Companion, and Tycobrahe Octavia.
• Seeker Electric Effects SUPA (currently sold out): MkI and MkII Tone Bender
• Yesterday Effects Peach Fuzz ($200 street): Frantone Peach Fuzz
• ThorpyFX Field Marshall ($254 street): Lovetone Big Cheese
• Death By Audio Fuzz War ($180 street): Inspired by the Colorsound Supa Tonebender
• Spaceman Effects Spacerocket (currently sold out): An “intermodulation” fuzz
