The Darkness guitarist Dan Hawkins has slammed the VMAs tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne.
The awards ceremony paid tribute to the Black Sabbath legend with a set featuring Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry alongside Yungblud and Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt.
Ozzy’s family, including son Jack, introduced the tribute set with a heartfelt video introduction, but not everyone was impressed.
Over a clip of Yungblud and Tyler duetting “Mama, I’m Coming Home”, along with a video of pop star Ariana Grande’s overwhelmed reaction to the performance, Hawkins wrote, “What a bunch of bellends,” adding the following caption:
“Another nail in the coffin of rock n roll. Cynical, nauseating and more importantly; shit. Makes me sick how people jump on this shit to further their own careers. #whatabunchofcunts”
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Yungblud, Bettencourt, and Tyler were all among the artists who took part in Ozzy’s ‘Back to the Beginning’ farewell concert just weeks before his July 22nd death; Yungblud performed the Black Sabbath ballad “Changes”, while Bettencourt was featured in the backing band dubbed Tom Morello’s All-Stars. Tyler sang lead vocals of songs by Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, but no Ozzy-fronted tracks at the Birmingham gig.
The Darkness, meanwhile, are returning to Australia and New Zealand in February 2026 for a 12-date tour.
The tour kicks off in Auckland on Tuesday, February 17th, and wraps up in Melbourne on Saturday, March 7th. Along the way, the UK rock band will perform in major cities including Wellington, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong, Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart, Fremantle, and Frankston (see full dates below).
The Darkness Australia & New Zealand Tour 2026
Presented by SBM Presents
For tickets and more info, visit SBM Presents
Tuesday, February 17th
Powerstation, Auckland, NZ
Wednesday, February 18th
Meow Nui, Wellington, NZ
Friday, February 20th
The Tivoli, Brisbane, QLD
Saturday, February 21st
Miami Marketta, Gold Coast, QLD
Sunday, February 22nd
Bar On The Hill, Newcastle, NSW
Wednesday, February 25th
Waves, Wollongong, NSW
Friday, February 27th
Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Saturday, February 28th
Hindley Street, Adelaide, SA
Sunday, March 1st
Odeon, Hobart, TAS
Wednesday, March 4th
Metropolis, Fremantle, WA
Friday, March 6th
Pier Bandroom, Frankston, VIC
Saturday, March 7th
Forum, Melbourne, VIC
