A Suffolk band have described their recent set at Latitude Festival as a "homecoming" after growing up a short drive from the festival.

Bare-chested rocker Justin Hawkins, of British glam rock band The Darkness, grew up in Lowestoft and put on an energetic display on Sunday which he said he had been looking forward to for a very long time.

The flamboyant singer, 49, performed a series of acrobatic moves, leaping around the stage and even doing a handstand, as well as stripping to his waist and telling the cheering crowd: “We are the m********ing Darkness”.

The Darkness singer, Justin Hawkins, performing a handstand at their Latitude setThe Darkness singer, Justin Hawkins, performing a handstand at their Latitude set (Image: Andrew Young)

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Before the set, Justin's' brother and the band's guitarist, Dan Hawkins, said it had been a "bugbear" of his that they had never appeared at Latitude before, and they were “really, really pleased" they were finally playing.

He added: “It's quite a moment for us… It's exciting - there's an anticipation about it and we're bringing the full arsenal of outfits.”

Just Hawkins and his brother Dan HawkinsJust Hawkins and his brother Dan Hawkins (Image: Andrew Young)
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The Hawkins brothers played together in bands in Lowestoft as teens before forming The Darkness and releasing their debut Permission To Land album in 2003.

The album featured songs with references to Suffolk and Norfolk, including a tribute to the famous devil hound which was rumoured to have killed a number of people at Blythburgh church, a location festival will have passed as they headed along the A12 to Latitude.

The band described the event as a homecoming event for themThe band described the event as a homecoming event for them (Image: Andrew Young)
READ MORE: Suffolk Festival News

Justin made jokes during the set reminding photographers them how to spell his name, and asking journalists to describe him as a former photographic student at Lowestoft College and a pupil at the town’s Kirkley High School.

Dan Hawkins also told BBC Radio Suffolk: “I've always heard great reports about it which is why I've always wanted to play it” and described the set as a “homecoming” for the band.

The performance was proudly watched by the two Lowestoft brother's mother, Sandra.