Thanks to Dr. M, Mike, Rob, Graham, Tim, Tom, Phil, Hawklords of Shields, Alan, Phil, Bev, Colin, Kit & John for their excellent contributions!
This image of the tour flyer is from Mission Control, Hawkwind's official website
Anyway, saw Hawkwind at the Waterfront last night...it has to be the smallest venue I've ever seen them in (excepting the odd tent at a free festie!) and the sound could have been a bit better IMHO - same problem as with Arthur Lee in Feb. - the vocal mikes don't seem to be turned up enough. I wish I could actually hear what Rich was singing on Angela Android, but if I could vaguely at the Astoria, I couldn't at the Waterfront. We walked in to find Huw halfway through his acoustic set (Rocky Paths & Hurry on Sundown to go)...he did a weird bluesy (or bluesier) version of Hurry On Sundown with somewhat ad-libbed lyrics which I don't think really improved the number...
It was pretty much the same set as at the Astoria, but tight to 90 mins as the venue closes earlier on a Sunday (weird for a gig to finish at 10:15 pm!). Overall sound the same, not surprisingly, but without the frills. My biggest gripe is that they keep insisting on putting really lacklustre instrumental breaks into Bob Calvert's songs...pointless noodling that really breaks the song up. Most of it seemed to be on computer anyway, while Alan seemed to be playing one-handed melody lines on the keyboard that seemed to consist of about 4 notes repeated...I couldn't see what Dave was doing as about a dozen people were getting frisky in a knot at the front (i.e. next to me, so I was having to fend 'em off and hope no-one jumped really heavily on my toes!)...other than that I wouldn't say the performance was exactly perfunctory, but I've always preferred the full stage sound of lots of instruments - I had hoped / expected more than a four piece... shame no Simon House :-(
They certainly chugged through the setlist as posted, but then, time was tight. Not too much new stuff except Angela Android... Iinterestingly, I've noticed the same effect with a lot of old bands these days - (eg BOC) - they often play material from their heyday (making me suspect more modern stuff doesn't cut the mustard!). They're still doing Wings, which doesn't impress, and Sword of the East - pure chugga chugga Alan-orientated mid '80's Hawkwind - it's comparatively substandard being typical '80's/'90's HW.
I'm amused to note (now that I can get within 10 feet of the band) that Dave & Alan have flat screen monitors for their computers and seem to have the atmospheric keyboards/synth and even a bit of synth (?) sax running on what looked like CuBase. I was amused by Alan's keyboard technique - left hand firmly holding the edge of the keyboard while playing about 4 white notes with his right! To be fair they actually were fairly tight and Dave looked in a good mood -all smiles & no scowls- don't remember seeing Brocky smiling so much (he even exchanged one of those stage laughs with Alan at one point) but then you never could see him in the old days. It's funny, but I was mentally comparing them with the full-on in-your-face multi-instrument rock band with lasers at the Hammersmith Odeon or somewhere - definitely quieter than of old... And I was forced to conclude (which I have before, actually) that Chadwick is probably the fourth best drummer they've had after Terry Ollis, Simon King & Ginger Baker. (Having said that, I was reminded how competent Clive Deamer was on watching the ECT footage a while back, but I guess he didn't fit in for other reasons!) We could have done with Keith Barton as well (I did warm to his quite low-key work at the Astoria with the little bits of lead & e-bow guitar), considering Dave didn't play a note of lead guitar, just kept it all together in his usual grunging way - except perhaps a bit of something that sounded like backwards guitar, right at the end - I mean, he was too busy keeping everything chugging along! .
I was rather surprised at the number of really old genuine Hawkwind heads that Norwich fielded (but also the number of shorthairs - not just the ones who'd lost theirs!) I met a couple of people round me who claimed they'd been seeing them since '72 or '73. Enthusiastic too: there were at least 3 women around me, one of whom was singing along to most of the old stuff, which was a bit unexpected too.
Merchandise - following lots of people's recommendations, I splashed out £14 on the Spaced Out in London CD mainly because I missed that incarnation of Hawkwind, and they DO make a great Kingdom Come on Time Captains (as I always thought it was called, rather than Captives, but I could well be wrong)... But for that price you don't even get an inside print on the folded CD insert - they could have had a nice spacescape or something in a gatefold sort of way!
The evening finished on a nice note in that as we were walking back to where I'd left my silver machine, we bumped into Huw, who'd been sinking a few jars in the Ferry Boat pub down the road, so we stopped for a chat. He said he'd only been told he was doing a support slot as opposed to playing with the band 2 weeks before the tour...and seemed a bit put out by that - maybe that's why he spent the gig in the pub!
-Dr.M.
Photos by Rob Dreamworker...cheers Rob!...write-up to follow, hopefully :-)
Above left: Alan, Nick and Marie
Above right: Holly, MikRik and Tommy
Below: stage shot from Salisbury. Alan is just about discernible
The memory is a bit sketchy - I blame it on Jane Asher's cookies :-)
Quick couple of beers in the Ale and Cider Press pub nearby... Catch up with Dreamworker, Nick, Tommy and others in the foyer. The venue looked quite heavy on security but actually turned out fine in the auditorium itself. Checked out most of Huwie's set - it was OK but didn't seem as focused as before, no appearance later with the band either. He quite often would stop mid-song and ask the
Anyway, Hawks hit the stage at about 9. Dave spends less time behind the bedspread cloaked keyboards and comes up front more, delivering some great guitar. The back projections were great and related well to most of the songs. The band cracked on through the set and seemed in very good spirits with quite a lot of on-stage chat from the Captain. Various highlights for me - Psychedelic Warlords, with some great bass playing, Assassins of Allah, sounding very rocky, Where Are They Now is a grower, Sword of the East and Right Stuff....
The sound was excellent for the whole gig, with good use of mixing the sound from speaker to speaker on some tracks. Good to see the band experimenting with new styles and sounds too, including more vocals from Richard. OK, there were a couple of bits that did meander a bit off the plot but maybe that's just managing the dynamics of the set, 'cos generally these bits would be followed with a stormer. The band used technology well to enable them to create a very full and varied sound despite being just a 3 piece - must be a nightmare trying to synchronise all those computers etc. on stage and remember when to press the buttons etc.. So, another fab gig. Roll on Brighton...
Glasgow – well, it was a good gig musically, but due to the low ceiling (about 10ft), there was no light show to speak of, and Hawkwind without a light show is just not right. Still, the crowd seemed to enjoy it, and there was enough cannabis being smoked to use up a good part of the annual afghan harvest. Speaking to one of the tech bods afterwards, it seems that they and the band hated it. The last venue in Glasgow I saw Hawkwind at was the Garage – an altogether better venue (now sadly closed).
Aberdeen – a totally different prospect – superb light show and great music – the band obviously enjoying themselves unlike the previous night. Hopefully they will come back to Aberdeen again – I’m sure it was worth it. I met some guys I had not seen since 1978 at Aberdeen University after the gig – so that just added to the feel-good factor of the evening. I remember a gig in 76 at the Capitol – a large old cinema when they had Atomhenge and Mr Calvert and it was great.
It was worth the wait. Okay, it helps that I haven’t had to drive 3 hours (Edinburgh) or fly to London to see them this time. Yes, after a short delay of 19 years (last seen here on the Black Sword tour in 1985), Hawkwind have finally returned to Aberdeen. Mind you, the venue hasn’t gone out of its way to advertise – or, to be more precise, they are advertising the following night’s performance by the Jive Aces, just not the fact that Hawkwind are playing! In fact, the only poster for Hawkwind to be seen is in the window of One-Up record shop a few streets away. Nevertheless, around 9.00 pm a queue is starting to form outside the Forum, although so far only about 20 people are in evidence. The guy behind me in the queue asks if there are likely to be tickets available. It looks likely! He has seen Hawkwind once before, in Salisbury, in 2001 and the all-round psychedelic experience was enough to tempt him to check them out again. I don’t think he’ll have been disappointed.
The venue is tiny, but the stage is set, clearly for a 3-piece this time round. The merchandise stall is selling tee-shirts, the Walthamstow CD and a programme. How long is it since there’s been a proper programme for a Hawkwind tour? Things are looking up! As we sup our second pint, Huw Lloyd Langton takes the stage. In theory, it’s a shame that he isn’t playing with the band. He plays “Wars Are A Hobby There”, “Wind Of Change” (his song, not the HW tune), the introduction to “5th Second Of Forever”, Solitary Mind Games”, “Rocky Paths” and “Hurry On Sundown” (dedicated to Dave, although possibly with less than fulsome affection). My companion from the queue thought Huw was good but this performance was a bit low-key compared to the stunning acoustic set at the Astoria in December.
The crew, including Mr Dibs, wandered around the stage checking things, Richard sat down next to his drum kit and The Darkness played on the PA system. Around 10.20, the main event finally kicked off, by which time the venue was reasonably full. From the start the light show was spot on – intense swirling colours, constantly changing. The set kicked off with the slightly underwhelming “Angela Android”. Richard on vocals, Dave and Alan operating the computers and synths. My companion thinks the sound is amazing for a 3-piece – and so it is. I’d prefer real musicians filling the gaps in the sound and of course having half the set on sequencer / computer drastically limits the scope for spontaneity but tonight’s performance was so good I’d forgive them anything, even “Angela Android”.
Next up is an absolutely killer sequence of “Assault and Battery” / “Golden Void” / “Where Are They Now”. Dave and Alan share vocals except on the opening of “Golden Void”, which Dave takes on his own and shows he can still do this song justice. Simply awesome! An instrumental follows. At this point the sequence of events gets a little hazy. They played “Sword Of The East”, a pretty decent version; afterwards Dave can’t remember which album it comes from and Alan reminds him! Some taped segments from Captain Lockheed lead us into a storming version of “The Right Stuff”, finished off with the closing section of “Paranoia”. The band are obviously enjoying themselves and boy, are they hot. Even “Wings” can’t quite dissipate the momentum (although it tries hard). Dave tells us that we’ll hear Bob Calvert’s voice later on. “Psychedelic Warlords” is pretty damn good and “Spirit Of The Age” is even better. We also get a mainly instrumental piece with, sure enough, Bob Calvert’s recitation of (I think) “Ode to a Time Flower” semi-audible in the background. “Yes, we still remember him”, says Dave. Finally, a solid “Assassins of Allah / Space Is Their Palestine” finishes the main set and the band briefly disappear.
The encore is “Brainbox Pollution” and “Brainstorm”. Brilliant. The band is really on form and the 3-piece line up makes absolute sense. Just this once, I don’t mind that Simon, Huw, Tim, Arthur or Harvey (or even the Keiths or Jez Huggett) aren’t on stage.
I have also seen several comments and remarks to the effect that Chaos Illumination have outdone themselves with the lightshow on this tour. The Salisbury pics I have here certainly bear this out -well done Neil and Marie!!!!!!
Left: Nicky, Happy Bloke (Steve's mate) & Tommy
I will start with the support act Huw, who performed a short acoustic set as described in previous reviews. I found it quite sad and Huw himself, although the guitar playing was good, appeared fed up and going through the motions. I would love to know what internal politics have gone on and feel that he should have played with the band or not at all.
Then they kicked in with Assault & Battery/Golden Void. Musically it was fine and the light show was excellent but it was too quiet you could hear shouts from the back to "turn it up"!! Next up were, Where Are They Now and Out Here We Are, both fine numbers followed by Sword Of The East which was a bit disjointed. Then an adrenaline rush, The Right Stuff was awesome with very tight playing and amazing films on the backdrop.
Psychedelic Warlords has never been a particular favourite of mine but the version tonight was very ballsy and brought back memories of Lemmy's power. A slump with Wings and then back on track with Spirit Of The Age during which Alan encouraged audience participation singing. Alan appeared to be having a ball bantering with the front rows between songs and really flowing with his bass playing. The Bob Calvert poem included in Trip had a sentimental touch but we could have done without it. Assassins. What a finish, it had everything including a funny part when the instrumental middle section
They left the stage and Mr Dibs had to encourage the crowd to shout a bit louder for an encore which came in the shape of Brainbox Pollution and Brainstorm which was a cracker with the lightshow being used to maximum effect.
To sum up, a good show. The band enjoyed it and did very well considering they were a 3-piece. Which brings me back to Huw and his sorely missed lead guitar. Dave did few solos and the ones he played were lost amongst the mix and disjointed. Having said that, his rhythm playing was excellent. Richard for once seemed quieter than usual, maybe there were too many sequencers to play with.
And yes, I bought a T shirt!
-Tim Bellfield
Left: Neil chatting with Mick from Liverpool (who looks like Ray from Mr.Quimby's Beard but isn't!)
We arrive at the Ritz at 6.45, to collect tickets. The band coach is parked right outside the venue, and while waiting we see Alan, Huwie, and Mr Dibs, getting in and out of the coach. Inside there's a good atmosphere. The Ritz boasts one of the few Northern Soul wooden dance floors in the country, very springy, and as the crowd builds up you sense that the place will rock once the band gets going. It also is one of the few venues which has bars either side of the dance floor, so everybody is in the room, compared to a theatre where half the crowd stay outside in the bar until the gig starts.
Mr Dibs checks every thing on stage one last time, before Hawkwind take the stage, to a brilliant
The next song was one of the night's best: Spirit Of The Age, sung brilliantly by Dave, and by now that springy dance floor of The Ritz was bouncing, the crowd loved this one. Next up is Ode To a Time Flower, a dance number with a tape of Robert Calvert doing his poem. This for me didn't work, as you couldn't hear Calvert hardly, and these dance numbers, an obvious favourite of Richard's, are not my cup of tea - we need less of them and more of the rest of the set, which continued with the last song of the set Asssasins Of Allah, which was a lot more rocky than on previous tours. The band returned for an encore of a fantastic version of Brainbox Pollution, Dave's, and Alans vocals again being very dominant, followed by Brainstorm (Dave asking the crowd if they wanted a fast one, or a slow one before thumping out the opening chords) and what a brilliant version it was. That brought it all to an end, my son Dave, just having time to buy a poster, they also had some nice T-shirts, and The Spaced Out In London CD on sale, plus a programme, which looked nice very colourful, at a reasonable price £4.00, Ii was going to buy one but didn't, wish I had now.
This was a good gig, we were all impressed, Steve was in raptures abouut the band, this was his first of many Hawk gigs he said, as a bass player he was very impressed with Alan. Paul is a lead guitarist who is heavily influenced by Huw Lloyd Langton, so he was a bit upset not to see him playing with the band, although he said it was a great gig. My other son Dave is a drummer, main influences Ginger Baker and Simon King, he rates Richard, but wishes he would bin those electric drums of his and says he wishes he had been born years earlier so he could have seen Ginger Baker and Simon King Play in Hawkwind. He has had the pleasure of seeing Terry Ollis a couple of times playing for Nik Turner's band, though, which is some consolation.
Our overall conclusion was that this set had been rehearsed with Huw Lloyd Langton, who I believe was only told he was not playing in the main band 2 weeks before the tour. With this choice of songs, it is obvious that he would have fitted in well with this set and although the 3-piece were quite amazing, they would have been on another planet had Huwie been up there playing with them. Dave Brock mentioned in between songs that they would tour in the Autumn, and there would be dancers, let's hope we have Huw Lloyd Langton as well.
-Hawklord of Shields
Left: Mr.Davey doing a bit of pummelling
Hawkwind: An Open Post
Hawkwind in Manchester last night at the Ritz, were down to the core trio of Brock/Davey/Chadwick and played an absolute blinder. This is not so much a review,but a sort of open letter. Why so many people think that three people are not able to carry off a top-notch Hawk gig is beyond me. The set was tight, concise and extremely well executed.
.
A couple of teething problems with the mix on the first number, you couldn't really hear Alan on Angela Android - by the way, what's the problem with that song? I have a smile on my face and bob along every time Ive seen it played, it's a fun good time song, and presumably that's what everyone's there for - a
good time. I find it fascinating that so many fans find a song that is not in the "serious" sci-fi vein hard to take. The mail groups are awash with criticism about the band and the tour at the moment - a ludicrous debate appeared recently on the Yahoo! one about Matthew Wright appearing on the tour T-shirt.
My missus comes and watches Hawkwind and always enjoys it, but was browsing the mail list as this
never made me buy it, and he doesn't really owe me anything - I've seen good gigs and dire gigs by them (and a couple of my top ones were when they were a trio in the 90's) and that's the way it is. Relax - they are just a band and they are just human.
"...I used like to see bands that were a bit erratic and daring, because they wouldn't do the same thing every night. There would always be something different. Maybe you'd see them one week and then two weeks later you'd see them again and they'd be doing something different. Maybe they'd play badly, you know. I'ts unpredictability..."
-Dave Brock, Nov 17th 1992. From the "Collectors guide to Hawkwind" by Rob Godwin
A typically supportive and laid-back crowd. A set of some virtuosity from Huw - the best I've ever seen from this gentleman - he shines out there on his own. A crowd of all ages - I took my son - many of them sporting the battle-badges of veteran Hawkwind supporters.
Those who have stood against the storm, against the popular derision of the secondary school musical press of the 70s, those who weathered the metal diversions of the 80s, who kept the faith during the dance days of the 90s, met in their virtual Valhalla on Sunday night, transfigured from the ulronic (huh?) dancefloor of the Ritz.
The tickets we (and I think that everyone else) had booked hadn't turned up - no matter: Colin said Hello, checked us off on a list and we were in. The Ritz!? - not the quite the same furnishings as its London counterpart, and NO FOOD!! Never mind. I got tallking, then Huw came on and the evening raced by.
Personally, I prefer Hawkwind as a 5 piece, SH's violin adds an extra dimension and I enjoy a good front man. I thought Arthur Brown was a worthy addition and enjoyed seeing him last year. That said, the three piece worked - it was tight & professional. The light show was very good indeed. The only thing I find slightly irritating is that Dave Brock never quite gets the words of 'Spirit of the Age' - he always misses the 'if you had ever seen us' bit out.
The high point for me this time was 'Right Stuff' - the Brainstorm encore was also electrifying. My attention wandered a bit during 'Trip' - perhaps it's better with the lyrics.
The light show was as spectacular as one would expect. It really was more like going to a private party than going to a gig. Roll on December 15th, Victoria Hall Hanley!
I travelled down to Southsea to camp there the night with my mate, not knowing we were going to be camping during a storm! Thankfully that didn't start up until after the gig and in the meantime we managed to: get stoned (of course), get to see Alan Davey in one of the record shops, fall asleep on the beach in the sun and go and see the otters, frogs and fish at the Blue Reef Aquarium.
The Pyramids is a nice venue with no balcony and wasn't absolutely packed out, which meant me and my mate Chris could chill out whilst Huw was on stage. I actually began to find Huw a bit irritating in that he wasn't actually playing that well and played the same songs I have seen him do as a support act in the past couple of years. Such as a very poor version of Hurry On Sundown.
I realise that he has had several problems lately but I like to think of Hawkwind as a band that can introduce me to new acts such as Mr. Quimby's Beard or Add N to X, rather than roll out the ex-members. If I want to see old acts, what about asking Man or Here & Now, who were superb at the 100 Club a couple of weeks ago or the newly reformed original Groundhogs to play?
Anyway, moan over. Hawkwind played purely as a three piece which meant playing using a MIDI set-up. Some would say that this maybe limits the spontenaity of improvisation; however I would counter that with the fact that the sound was superb for a three piece. I will add that the light show was fantastic and this was augmented by a laser above the band.
It’s strange to think of Hawkwind as a good harmony vocal band but the vocals between Dave, Alan and Richard were superb, particularly on Where Are They Now, Psychedelic Warlords and Brainbox Pollution. The new tracks were good. Angela Android is fast becoming a favourite of mine and Out Here We Are was good although this and Trip were ruined by the fact that I couldn't decipher the sampled saxophone or Calvert vocal respectively.
Is it me or did Spirit Of The Age sound very dancey? This version is good though, and I await the video in anticipation (although I know that Mr. Wright will have to change the lyrics again to not include the underage girlfriend). The guys played really well although I did have a bit of trouble hearing Dave’s guitar solos at times. I've been seeing Hawkwind pretty regularly since the Earth Ritual tour but I’d have to say that the last 3 or 4 times I have seen them have been consistently great with whatever line-up. If using midi is the way forward (surely using new technology is what Hawkwind are all about?) then that's fine with me based on this performance.
The rain soon started up as we walked back along the beach. Skinned up a couple in the car listening to Phaedra by Tangerine Dream and plodded down to the lunar looking beach, not knowing we would nearly have our tents blown away later during the night. A very trippy day and a great gig.
Right: from top to bottom, lightshow, Alan, Dave
Below: the usual suspects (Tommy, MikRik, Nicky and Rob)
I have to say I really like the Coal Exchange. Although I wish Hawkwind had the support to warrant a larger venue, I think the Coal Exchange is just right for the level the band are at now. Hawkwind played a blinder there in 2001, with Alan & Huw sparring with each other on Moonglum for ages.
Huwey played his standard support set, but this was easily my favourite of the tour so far. He did the same numbers, but he really does seem to be playing better. He was seated all the way through again, which is a shame because he stood at Salisbury and that got me thinking his strength must be returning. Highlights were Wars Are The Hobby There, where he gave some stick to a kid at the front (who he obviously knew) changing the lyrics to "They don't like Matthew". During Wind of Change, Richard took to his drumkit for some fairly gentle jazzy fills, a nice gesture of support there I thought. Huw threw in a riff from a Cream number at one point in the set but I can't remember which one it is. He had a lot of us singing along with Hurry On Sundown (Huwey On Sundown anyone?). Dedicating the song to Mr D. B. Rock, he repeated his claim that Dave had promised to duet on harmonica and had failed to do so every night of the tour so far. As Huw left the stage several people made a point of going to the side barriers to lean over and shake his hand. Look after yourself Huw.
On the whole I thought they looked more relaxed than the last gig I saw. Alan didn't seem to be having the troubles with his computer that he was having at Portsmouth. Dave fluffed an intro at one point and literally slapped his own hand, but other than that it all seemed pretty smooth. A few quick points on each song, then :-
Adjust Me - It's nice to see that in this heavily sequenced version of Hawkwind there's still some room for spontaneity. At an earlier gig,
Portsmouth I think, Richard was chanting "I am
Angela Android - Getting better and better. I may even start to like it ;-)
Assault & Battery / Golden Void / Where Are They Now - they mucked up the start of this, the taped keyboard sound just kind of stumbled in, sounding just a little too much like a tape for my liking. I've found A&B a little lacking on this tour, I wish the number was expanded a little rather than just a quick dash through the verses to get on to GV. Dave's vocals on GV were excellent as ever, how does he do it? GV was the first number where I can actually say I could hear Crum, there was a definite extra keyboard sound in the mix there. Where Are They Now was stunning as usual, what a classic it's become after only a score of live performances. I've noticed that people always respond very positively to this number, and all around me people started cheering and whistling as the rhythm section kicked in.
Out Here We Are - I think this has become as much a showcase for the short attention span of your average gig-goer as it has for Alan Davey. Every time it's performed the chattering starts, and what seemed like half the blokes in the Coal Exchange chose this number for their toilet break. Am I the only one who wants to just stand there and get quietly lost in this one? (Having said all that, the taped sax break is a pretty lame idea!)
Sword of the East - I want to stick up for this track a bit. It may be a bit of a plodder but it has a real majesty that gets me every time. That keyboard riff is awesome, and who says Dave Brock doesn't play lead, he was soloing like a demon on this one. The noodling midsection seems to be about right as well - I'm not fond of noodle breaks but on this tour they seem to have tightened them up a bit (if noodling can be tightened up without losing it's noodlyness, that is). Love that stop/start ending too, with Richard clattering around his kit. I think this one is a minor classic and a more than adequate replacement for The Watcher. One point it did highlight though, was that with the main keyboard riff already sequenced there didn't seem much for Crum to add.
The Right Stuff - Another favourite of mine. A classic Dave Brock vocal, has everybody else spotted how he has subtly changed the inflections on this one over the years? Crum definitely added a few Dik Mik style flutters and swizzles here and there. I could also hear keyboards that sounded just like what Harvey was doing on the ECT TV version, and as I don't remember hearing that before on this tour I'll
give Crum the credit for that too. Go Crum! Finished with the Paranoia riff as usual.
Wings - This one started a little hurriedly, as if they'd sort of lost track of where they were for a moment, other than that it was as good as ever. I *do* miss Keith Barton on this one though, which is even more annoying when you see him standing to the side of stage...so near and yet not on guitar. And has anybody noticed how the swirling circular blue-green pattern in the lightshow is reminiscent of a peacock's feathers?
Trip - I really like this, but unfortunately it wasn't the strongest version, didn't come across quite as well as, say, Aberdeen, and it did represent another toilet break for a lot of the Cardiff faithful. The rhythms remind me of Why Is A Raven... from Memos & Demos, and I think
Alan's little one-handed keyboard riff is classic simple-but-effective Hawkwind.
Left: Alan
percussion route. But I'm just being picky, it was superb.
After a lot of shouting and stomping of boots, the encore was Ejection & Brainstorm. The band seemed to be having fun. Dave introduced Pete Pracownik as a "well known artist in his
Left: Pete Pracownik, whose designs form the basis of seemingly all current Hawkwind artwork, and an ex-Pink Fairy to boot!
-Alan Linsley
First impression of the venue was excellent, 2 bars, relaxed security and a large-ish crowd. Unfortunately missed Huw, just managing to neck a pint before Hawkwind came on. The first tune (Angela Android) was nothing special and it escapes me why they are playing it as the intro. Next up the intro to Assault & Battery sounded like it was played on a child's toy keyboard, but thankfully the tune itself was performed quite well.
The main critism was that the PA was far too quiet, to the extent that it nearly spoiled the gig for me. However, tunes like The Right Stuff, Psychedelic Warlords, Spirit of the Age and Assassins of Allah made up for the lack of volume.
Overall I was slightly dissapointed, the lack of volume detracting from the overall experiance. I did not submit this review to slag Hawkwind off. Far from it. I have seen them over 30 times since 1984, but not for the last 10 years and was really excited at the prospect of seeing them again. I will still be there on the next tour, however!!
Cheers
Phil (bish bosh!)
Dave looks quite animated!
Wulfrun Hall, my only gig of the tour...... but what a gig !!!!!! The band were superb from start to finish... The Captain leading from the front, playing some serious guitar, and singing as well as ever... I think being a three piece forces dear old Brocky out front a bit more, and he has to work a bit harder, and can therefore show us his real talent. And he is a most under-rated guitarist, with a unique sound and style....I love it. This, for me, is the finest Hawkwind line-up ever!!!!!!!!!
The gig was wonderful, my head is still in the clouds..... I loved them in the 90's as a three piece, and they have again proved just how good they are. They certainly do not need any additional musicians as the sound is full, and powerful. Adjust Me /Angela Android is a fine opening salvo, and I cannot understand the criticisms I have heard about this song. Every song was a joy, with Psychedelic Warlords, and Spirit Of The Age deserving a special mention for the amount of 'Shivers down the backbone' moments, Out Here We Are, for pure psychedelic soundscapes, and Wings, with Ali on uncontrollable giggles..... marvellous. Oh, and not forgetting Brainbox Pollution, with The Captain throwing in some tasty rock & roll licks..... And, of course, the light show was a total freak-out...... Brilliant.!!
The only down-side of the night was Huw Lloyd Langton. He was insulting, and miserable, and at one point told the audience "you can all sod off". He occasionally showed a glimpse of how good he can be, but overall it was very sad to see.
The Limelight in Belfast is a pretty small club, and I was surprised when I first heard Hawkwind were to play there. Much as I love the place, I imagined that they could have pulled a bigger crowd than could fit into this small venue, but it didn?' detract from our enjoyment of the show.
Nipped into Katy Daly's next door first for a swift ale. My mate drew the short straw and had to do the bar- run, a nasty experience in this place at any time of day or night. A full fifteen minutes later, and with an ashen face and beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, he returned from the throng and thrust a cool pint of Tennants into my eager hand. We sat talking nonsense for an hour (life, the universe, punk rock- you know, the usual stuff) during which time I noticed Dave Brock and Alan Davey slipping
in through the staff door that joins Katy Daly's with the Limelight. They watched the football for a while before disappearing in a puff of smoke before my very eyes.
Noticed a commotion outside on the street which signified the doors to the Limelight were now open, so we necked our pints and got into the queue. Before long we were inside. I was glad to see the backdrop in place, which meant we were going to get the light show, and there were also spacey hangings on all the walls of the club, as well as large mushroom type things hanging from the ceiling, obviously put there by the band. These looked kind of weird under the Limelight's UV lighting.
Combining a toilet run with a bar assault, I picked up a Spaced Out In London CD before returning to my dark corner, and awaited the appearance of Huw on stage. He was obviously in good spirits, and there was plenty of banter between him and the small group who had gathered in front of the stage, but the majority of the crowd just ignored him and talked over the top of him, which was a shame because the volume was EXTREMELY low.
About half an hour after Huw left the stage, Hawkind arrived, and after tuning up/fiddling with knobs for a minute or two, Launched into Adjust Me/Angela Android. This intro has invited quite a lot of criticism,
but it did the job for me. Then came Assault and Battery/Golden Void/ Where Are They Now which sounded absolutely fantastic, although a bit quiet. Usually the volume in the Limelight ruptures eardrums, but it's quite low tonight, though still pretty good.
Next up is Out Here We Are, during which I do a Bar-Run, and step over someone throwing up in the toilets. Sword of the East is next, which is a storming version, followed by The Right Stuff, which gets the hairs on my neck standing to attention. Psychedelic Warlords next brings a smile of delight to my
face, followed by Wings which sounds much better than the recorded version.
The crowd seem to be really enjoying the gig, as do the band, who are smiling at each other and laughing throughout. There?s also a fair bit of banter from Dave, who's obviously having a good time. Spirit of the Age next is superb, starting off with a kind of techno beat if my ears serve me well, and next up, despite what other reviewers have said, I think the Robert Calvert poem sounds great. The band finish the main set with Hassan-I-Sahba, which is rocking, and then they leave the stage for a couple of
minutes, during which time I grab another pint after spying that the bar is not too busy.
The encore of Brainbox Pollution and Brainstorm is as good as I imagined, and the band then thank and praise the audience for making it a good night, at which point Dave gets an eager punter's jumper round the head. So back home with my new CD, and I believe it to be my duty to drink myself to sleep
with the sound of Hawkwind rattling round my head!!
very nervous. Living up to the high standard of Chaos Illumination and being in the company of rock gods from our youth.....Oh MY GOD!!! HELP!!... WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?????!!!!!!
The first thing we were told .....was ... what goes on inside the bus stays on the bus.... Well folks I'm gonna break the spell and tell ya!
We joined the tour at the very end, with a tired, tour-weary crew....We found ourselves in the illustrious company of Huw LLoyd Langton and the drummer Richard Chadwick. We had also had a very busy weekend and had been driving all over the country... luckily we were so tired, we couldn't make too
much conversation....a good excuse for having gormless star struck faces.... After a little relaxant and some sleep, I opened my eyes to find also on the bus was crew leader Chris (very big man), Mr Dibs... even bigger man, Fleece, sound engineer, (middle sized man - with big hair) and Floyd - very happy man! ...Not forgetting Anne Marie - in charge of Merchandising.
Oh No...my heart sank... here we go, a week with loud rowdy sweaty smelly men! Full of sexist jokes, alcohol overload...picking on the newbies! Yes they enjoyed a good time but shock horror...they were kind, supportive and respectful. Sorry folks...there were no drug-induced orgies or misbehaving
of any kind....well just a little school boy humour... random leching and a lot of chillin out between gigs.
We had some time to kill so I spent most of it talking to Huw...what a character. His main aim was to wind up the crew at every opportunity...more fool them cos they bit...they bit hard! It was so funny to watch ... if they chose thrash metal to listen to, he would change it to acid jazz, and guaranteed just before the gig he would go missing...just for the laugh. Well I suppose after years on tour you've got to break the boredom somehow....... Huw is the master. Aside from that he has a magical mystical
mind...full of stories and fun, a true individual and artist.
Richard Chadwick and Huw have a special relationship...a kinship in ways...being in the same place was a dream come true, watching them play togther is an experience never to be forgotten. Huw had bought his grandson a set of little bongos in Belfast. When Parked up at Dublin ferry port, with a lot of time to spare, Huw and Richard did what they do best...make music. Huw playing the guitar and Richard on the bongos...the synergy was fantastic, their faces lit up, shining and happy.
You don't realise how important the bus driver is....ours was a true star...Mike Dell...captain of the ship... He bent over backwards to help everyone, keep us on track and got us to the gigs on time. Without him we would still be standing around on the wrong dock, looking very dazed and confused if you know what I mean :-) On talking to him we found he was a drummer himself...a very acomplished one at that. His main occupation is a mobile drum school in the South of England (www.drumscool.com), and he drives tour buses part-time...
The band as a whole treated us extremely well. They are genuine down to earth guys....No rock god paddies...peace love and respect were the order of the day, true hippy style...the tour orchestrated perfectly by Mrs Hawkwind herself...thanks to everyone.
Anyway enough rambling from me... the photos from ireland are on the website at www.floroworld.com
Love and purple sparkles
yaz and flo
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