Along with his brother Justin, Dan Hawkins founded The Darkness. Following the band’s demise in 2006, the remaining members, minus Justin, formed Stone Gods. Their debut album, Silver Spoons & Broken Bones, is released on July 7.
You’ve been away from the spotlight for two years. Are you excited about returning?
Absolutely. It’s almost like being granted a reprieve. It’s nice being in a band where everyone really cares about everything rather than just me taking it all on my shoulders.
How do Stone Gods differ from The Darkness?
It’s probably edgier, bigger sounding, maybe a little more anthemic, if that’s possible. The key thing is that the songs are based more on emotions rather than on clever twists of phrase. It’s a much more organic kind of sound.
What can we expect from this tour?
Just s***-loads of rock. I don’t know if there’s many bands that I would be as excited about seeing because our songs are great and the gig experience is a really feel-good one.
Do you have any regrets about The Darkness ending?
None at all. Some things are supposed to just burn brightly and then die. Maybe the one regret that I have is that people were having such a shit time by the end of it, that I didn’t end it before Justin did. People’s happiness is more important than keeping something going because wages depend on it.
Justin quit the band amid a well-publicised battle with drink and drugs. How is he doing now?
I don’t know, really. We haven’t exactly been best mates for the past year and a half. We [didn't speak] for about a year after the split and now we’re just working things out.
