You either love Justin Hawkins or hate him with his outrageous appearence and skewed views on certain topics but he is one of the most famous british frontman from Britain. After the demise of The Darkness, a desperate attempt at eurovision and the overcoming of a drug problem, Justin’s new bandHot leg sees him return in style.

The catsuits have gone but Hawkins still manages to keep up his appearence in interesting choises of clothing like tiger striped trousers, neckachiefs, hair bands and a dash of mascara. Joined by a relatively unheard of bandmates Pete Rinaldi (Lead Guitar, Lea BVs), Samuel SJ Stokes (Bass,  BVs) and Darby Todd ( Drums) the group sound like a “more intense Darkness” according to Justin Himself.

The debut album is set for release in early 2009 and will showcase some great hits that are sure to creep into the charts. A couple of free downloads are available on their MySpace but are they worth getting? The answer is yes! “Trojan Guitar” features a big drum beat, dominant guitars and classic high pitched vocals from Justin. The other tune, “Heroes” is similar and shows that Hot Leg are capable of being consistently good.

The band sound like The Darkness but not quite as good. They’re in their early stages but Hot Leg don’t seem to have the same presence. However, The Darkness have high standards and Hot Leg are easily capable of getting there. I for one am excited about the album but I will be very interested to see how it gets recieved - my guess is loved by some and hated by others.

EDIT: Please Note that “Original Cast” have been removed from the top 14 as they were in fact signed. They were replaced by The Guests.

So they’ve announced the new Road to V shortlist today, and to be honest I’m a bit disappointed. The judges seem to have gone for the bands with the most “buzz”, the most positive press, or the most sell-able sound, rather than simply the best bands. Whilst I’m glad that Bo Pepper are included, I’m disappointed at the lack of singer-songwriters, or simply good songs consistently available.

The top 14 are, along with their MySpace page links are:

1. Bo Pepper
2. The Brightlights
3. Dylan James
4. India Mill
5. Johnny Foreigner
6. The Jubilees
7. Kagura
8. Maxfield
9. New Cassettes
10. Original Cast
11. Our Fold
12. Outside Royalty
13. Rosalita
14. Seven Heroes

Of these, I most like Bo Pepper, The Brightlights, Kagura, Maxfield, New Cassettes, and Outside Royalty, though expect me to change my mind repeatedly as the competition progresses. Some of them however I think are just outright shite (see Seven Heroes, and India Mill).

Expect much heated talk from me regarding these bands in the coming weeks.