Being a Darkness fan I’ve been really looking forward to getting my mitts on Hot Leg’s debut album and once again, Justin Hawkins has got me jumping around to big, camp rock like there’s no tomorrow. Red Light Fever is a hot album and anyone expecting a toned down version of The Darkness after rehab’s affect on Justin, then think again.

Every track fits in on the record and classic rock toned guitars screech out solo after solo whilst Justin Hawkins’ vocals, dare I say, seem higher pitched then ever. It’s one of those albums where you have to listen to every track once you’ve started the first. There’s certainly a spicy swagger about the band and their confidence comes across in each song.

If you want a to know what the best hits are on the record then I’m afraid I can’t help you.  Every tune is good enough to be a single and they are far from slow tempo. The first track “Chickens” features absurdly high vocals with a guitar and Keytar solo just for the hell of it.  “Ashamed” is my favourite track and sees Justin duet with Beverli Brown once again after their eurovision embarrassment which is made easy to forgive having listened to this belter. There’s just no holding back and there’s no greater evidence of this then tracks like “Gay In The 80’s” and “Prima Donna” which showcase the best of guitarist Peter Rinaldi.

Justin may of had his rough moments in recent years, but on this album, he always sounds like he’s having a whale of a time so it’s near impossible to listen to a track and not pick up your air guitar.

Red Light Fever is out now.

With the split of The Darkness it seems that we are going to get two great bands for the price of one.  Whilst Ex-darkness frontman Justin Hawkins has been busy with Hot Leg, the rest of the darkness band members including brother Dan have formed Stone Gods who deliver an awesome Rock punch.

Their debut album (silver spoons and broken bones) came out in the first half of last year and it didn’t seem to grab much attention yet I have it as one of the albums of the year! Why? Because it has everything you want from a rock album. Big guitar riffs, squealing solos and tight snappy vocals are all part of the successful recipe.

A great album though, needs to have a catalogue of hits. Just take your pick from this record. “Making It Hard” has a catchy melody and uplifting vibe while the explosive summer anthem “Don’t Drink the Water” is a great seasonal delight. Else where, there are no nonsense tunes like “You Brought A Knife To A Gunfight” which solidify the album with brilliance.

Hopefully a second album will be released later this year and prove that Stone Gods are far from a one hit wonder –  but if you can’t wait till then, then there is always my favourite track “Breakdown”, which for some bizarre reason never featured on the album.

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.