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TWENTY-EIGHT year-old vocal sensation Yungblud has responded to criticism by The Darkness’ Justin and Dan Hawkins by describing them as “bitter”, “door men” and “gate keepers who aren’t invited to the party,”
Guitarist Dan Hawkins was scathing in his criticism of the fellow Englishman after he performed an Ozzy Osbourne tribute with Steven Tyler and Nuno Bettencourt at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 7, saying on Instagram: “What a bunch of bellends.
“Another nail in the coffin of rock ‘n’ roll. Cynical, nauseating, and, more importantly, shit.”
His brother, vocalist Justin, added; “All of this posturing is Jim Morrison meets the bloke from Stone Temple Pilots meets everybody else who’s ever owned a pair of leather trousers. It’s 101 School of Rock stuff, you know? It’s the latest in a long line of – I’m sorry to say it – poseurs…”
Yungblud was asked about the broadsides on Sirius XM, saying: “If something really bothers me, it will.
“And that didn’t because it’s (my performance is) from a place of truth.
“The issue with the reaction to to that performance from those guys: they were almost doormen, or trying to be doormen, to a party they weren’t even invited to.”
The performer, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, said in the Faction Talk channel that the positives from 2025 far outweighed the negatives.
“With this, all I’m trying to do is lead with my truth and my authenticity and what I have to say, he told the Trunk Nation show. “Anyone can say anything they like about me and I’m almost having fun with it.
“I like it because I love what I do and I love this genre and the amount of love I’ve received this year outweighs any hate, 90 percent to 10.
“So it doesn’t affect me. I feel very comfortable at where I am right now. I feel like I’m in my dad’s (record) shop again at 10 years old.”
Without being asked by host Eddie Trunk, Yungblud explained his reasoning for cancelling some shows at the end of the year – saying he did not want to end up like the Hawkins brothers.
“This is why I took some time off at the end of this year. I really needed to comprehend what happened to me. Because you have to be grateful and you have to feel it because this is the best thing in the world.
“…or you get bitter and you end up like who we were talking about earlier. If you don’t feel what happens to you and you don’t comprehend it, you get bitter and you get numb.
“When we talk about …. people calling me a poser … I’m down to take those shots so young bands can get in their garages and they can play the good shit, the classic rock shit and I want to see what they come up with as young people.
“Because if you’re immediately deterred by these gate keepers who, again, aren’t invited to the party, you’re going to squash this genre before it’s even had a chance to flourish.
“Fuck that.”
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