THE DARKNESS - JUSTIN HAWKINS' DRUG ABUSE RUINED THE DARKNESS

JUSTIN HAWKINS' DRUG ABUSE RUINED THE DARKNESS

Former THE DARKNESS guitarist DAN HAWKINS has blamed his frontman brother's drug abuse for the collapse of the British band. Hawkins - who has since formed a new band, Stone Gods, with ex-The Darkness members Ed Graham and Richie Edwards - admits Growing On Me singer Justin fell victim to the excesses of a cliched rock 'n' roll lifestyle, and damaged the group beyond repair. And Hawkins knew it was all over when analogies were being made between The Darkness and legendary comedy band Spinal Tap. He says, "Justin took far too many drugs and quit the band - it was that simple. "Things started to go pear-shaped and people changed and turned into arseholes. The things that were going on were so cliched, it's almost Spinal Tap! It seems like a distant memory."