The Darkness's Justin Hawkins Says Greta Van Fleet Could Be "Amazing" If They Had "Better Songs"

BY Josiah HughesPublished Oct 17, 2019

Everyone's got something to say about the Halloween outlet store version of Led Zeppelin that Greta Van Fleet exclusively trades in. Following Jack White's approval of the band, the Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins has stepped in with a tepid endorsement of his own.

Speaking with Classic Rock magazine — of course — Hawkins said he's actually stoked on how much GVF sounds like the Zep. "The timbre of Josh Kiszka's voice is so similar to Robert Plant's that you can't help but be excited when you hear him sing," he said.

But Hawkins also has some advice for the young rockers.

"There's lots of potential for them to be as amazing as Led Zeppelin, but they're going to need some better song," he continued. "When something like this comes along and everyone gets excited, it shows you how little we have to offer as a genre. That's not to slag them off, because I think they have the potential to be amazing."

To hammer home his point, Hawkins said GVF just need to move past the straight aping and find their own sense of self. 

"They could be the next phase of what Led Zeppelin should have been doing. There's nothing wrong with adopting classic rock choreography and clothes, but you have to kick on from there."

Listen to the recent Greta Van Fleet track "Always There" below.

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