Hot Leg - Red Light Fever (Barbecue Rock) The Darkness were almost beyond criticism. You were either in on the joke or the joke wasn’t worth telling in the first place. I was happy to sit at the second table. Hot Leg represents Justin Hawkins return to the fray, and being a receptive sort, I’m open-minded enough to take this career reincarnation at face value. If you’ve seen the pictures you’ll understand things didn’t bode well. Def Leppard were never the style icons that Hawkins suspects they were, and the ’80, when approached from that particular direction, might be the finest advert for grunge ever imagined. Fortunately, when the music starts, things get marginally better, but this is still big hair / tight pants ‘80s rock, in whatever amount of knowing irony you dress it up in. I’m sure it’ll find an audience. Leather clad wannabees will enjoy waving fingers in the air to some genuinely exciting riffage and students of a certain ilk will join in the fun. It’s not for me, but then neither is Mozart or The Beatles, so Hawkins is in reasonable company. www.myspace.com/hotleg Rob F. Next