The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins has shared a funny and light-hearted anecdote about his band’s long-running relationship with Iron Maiden — they keep “nicking” their guitar techs.
In a new interview with Ben Jones on Virgin Radio UK, Hawkins discussed the band’s upcoming high-profile support slot for Iron Maiden at the massive EddFest event at Knebworth Park on July 11, 2026. The show also features The Hu, Airbourne, and The Almighty.
Hawkins expressed genuine excitement about returning to the legendary Knebworth venue (The Darkness last played there in 2003 supporting Robbie Williams). He praised Iron Maiden’s enduring success as “outsiders’ music” and proper metal, noting how wearing a Maiden shirt at school was a bold statement of identity.
When talking about their personal connection to Maiden, Hawkins dropped the humorous revelation:
“We’ve got a lot of mutual friends. We don’t do as much touring as Iron Maiden do… And we always have brilliant guitar techs, and they always nick ’em off us. So we’re like a feeder club for Iron Maiden’s techs.”
He added that whenever the two bands are in the same room, everyone gets along great.
When the interviewer joked that The Darkness better keep some techs for their own upcoming headline tour, Hawkins quipped:
“That’s what worries me. One afternoon with Iron Maiden, and then we’re just on our own tuning our own guitars. The indignity of it.”
Context & Additional Details:
- The Darkness will be performing at Knebworth for the first time in 23 years.
- Earlier this year, they released “Masters Of The Universe,” the theme song for the upcoming He-Man movie.
- The band is preparing for their largest UK headline tour in 20 years this December, culminating with a debut headline show at The O2 in London.
This story perfectly captures Justin Hawkins’ witty personality and the friendly, competitive camaraderie that often exists between rock bands at this level. Iron Maiden’s reputation for running a highly professional operation makes the “tech poaching” joke even funnier. It’s clear The Darkness are genuinely thrilled to share the stage with one of their heroes at such an iconic venue. Moments like this show the fun, human side of the metal/rock world behind all the big stages and pyrotechnics.
