He is influenced by hard rock and glam metal bands, including Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Whitesnake, AC/DC, Queen, Mötley Crüe and Thin Lizzy.

[citation needed] After moving to Lowestoft, Hawkins attended Kirkley High School and achieved good grades in his GCSEs before leaving his hometown behind for the bright lights and cosmopolitan lifestyle of Camden, London.

Previous bands include Vital Signs and Empire before The Darkness consisting of Justin Hawkins, Ed Graham, Frankie Poullain and later, Richie Edwards, became a mainstream success.

[citation needed][5] Hawkins was involved with the production process during the recording of The Darkness's albums, learning the skills alongside famed producer, Roy Thomas Baker.

[9] Hawkins' guitar of choice is the Gibson Les Paul[10] and his main instrument, both live and in the studio, is his well used 2000 Honeyburst Standard (nicknamed "Dune" after the David Lynch film[11]) which he played extensively in The Darkness and in Stone Gods.

[citation needed][12] During 2003-2006 he used a Gretsch Elliot Easton solid body for the song "Black Shuck" but this was sold to fund the recording of the second Stone Gods album.

[citation needed][14] Among a variety of amplifiers, his primary choices are Marshalls, particularly the 1959 SLP and Handwired Re-Issue models (as is exemplified in videos of The Darkness live at The Astoria, London in 2003).