The two pics shown here are relevant to the text but are actually from a different occasion - Space Ritual playing live at the 100 Club on 7th April 2006.
The stage was set with various instruments and a large sound system stage centre, which turned out to belong to the support act, Wild P Hucker’s Magical Sound Machine. Dry ice swirled and glacial synth music swelled up from the sound system until, a good five minutes later, Wild P appeared and plugged in his guitar. Some tasteful noodling and soloing followed for the next half hour, live guitar over recorded synth and rhythm backing. Only when it stopped did it occur to me that he was actually pretty good. In terms of presentation, he is a sort of more prog-oriented hippy Spacenutz, in terms of sound more Floyd than Hawkwind. The album (“Food For Thought”) is available at Space Ritual gigs.
The stage was cleared and not much later, to the sound of Captain Beefheart, the main act appeared. John Greaves sat at the synths stage right. Thom Crimble, dressed in shorts and flowery shirt stage left so tall he barely fitted under the low ceiling and even sitting down was almost as tall as Mick Slattery who took up position next to him. Terry Ollis sat at the kit at the back of the stage, barely visible. Dave Anderson stood on the other side, tall and menacing. Then Uncle Nik, slim and dapper, who did virtually all the talking, centre stage (where else?).
From the opening “Welcome”, Space Ritual showed that they can do Hawkwind if they choose but mostly they don’t. “The Right Stuff” followed, slowed right down and, following an unfamiliar instrumental track, a measured, slow-paced “Born To Go” – again given a thorough workover so that it sounds fresh. A new track, “Time Travellers” (?) followed, then an authentic “Sonic Attack”. “Orgone Accumulator” is funky, “D-Rider” sedate and elegant, “Brainstorm” really wild. Then we get the single, “Sonic Savages” – okay but not great – and “Ejection”.
Their sound tends towards jazz, even dance music and the slimmed-down band is, basically disciplined, sophisticated and shit hot. Mick Slattery is an excellent lead guitarist and Nik shines on sax and (occasional) flute. Thom Crimble adds jazzy keyboard fills and the Anderson/Ollis axis locks everything firmly into a rock solid groove. And then there is Angel, who appears in various costumes, each one more risqué than the last, culminating in a nurse’s uniform (“Brainstorm”) and rubber nun’s outfit (“Ejection”), dancing wherever there was space on stage and with audience members during “Brainstorm”.
I’m not sure what’s happened to the various other players and dancers who have graced the stage with Space Ritual in recent times. Frankly they wouldn’t have fitted on the stage and I doubt that they would have added anything. Space Ritual have, somewhat ironically, morphed from an amateurish free-for-all into a genuinely first rate professional band.
The encore – sort of as the band didn’t even leave the stage – nowhere to go -comprised “Watching The Grass Grow” and “Master Of The Universe” (all three verses, as done by ICU). Less than 100 people were at the gig but the band looked like they were having fun, even Dave Anderson, and the crowd certainly were. And the album should be out soon, Nik says. As I bought an autographed 12” single (available at the gigs, along with most other things they’ve produced), Nik reappeared on stage, playing the Pink Panther theme and he was still playing as I left, the eternal showman. Forget the politics and enjoy – Space Ritual deserve your attention!
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