Fellow Hairy-Arsed Hawkwind Fans' gig reviews and photos - contributions gladly accepted! Please email me here to add to the page.
Many thanks to Ron Wright, Tostig Beenson, John Cartledge, Martin Wray, Paul Eaton-Jones, Keith Henderson, Phil England, Tim Palin, Rhodri Williams and Bernhard Pospiech for their reviews. Photos are copyright of Hawklord of Shields ("JP") Paul Garbutt ("PG"), Bernhard Pospiech and Uwe Driever - thanks!
For further pics of this gig, check out the gallery at Tangled Woof
Review by Ron Wright: Attended the gig last night having travelled down from Scotland with Alan Taylor. First night of the tour and often fraught with problems but not tonight. Small venue meant that the sound was being lost in the middle of the hall and small rear stage area meant that the backdrop was not it's full height but that did not distract from an excellent gig.
Featuring the same line up from the last tour, including the dancers, we viewed proceedings from upstairs where the sound was surprisingly good. Someone will supply the full set list but things got underway with Spirit of the Age followed by an excellent version of Sword of the East and then Greenback Massacre. For a first night the band were really cooking and there was no slowing down or unnecessary noodling in what was a high energy set.
Below: "It's down there!" - JP
For the encore the band stormed into Brainbox pollution and then Dumpy reappeared for Silver Machine to end the night.
Having seen the band live since 74 this was one of the great performances. Everything was spot on
Let's make sure we chart the single. Roll on the Astoria!
Dave's guitar playing was the best I have heard from him in a long, long time. And if this wasn't enough we were also subjected to the sonic assault of Dumpy - Hawkwind really benefit from a second guitarist.
The contributions of the support act Spacehead and also the dancers was appreciated. I'm so glad I made the 2 mile round trip!!
cheers, Tostig Beenson
Left: Keith Barton of Spacehead - pic by JP
From then on the gig just got better and better with the new tracks sounding good although DB had a
After that it was good to see Assault & Battery / Golden Void sequed together as they always should be before going into Where Are They Now. Dumpy was brought on as guest for a fairly manic Brainstorm intercut with Vega. Came back for an excellent Brainbox Pollution and a solid Silver Machine, both of which had my partner (a somewhat reluctant Hawkwind fan) dancing merrily.
All in all a really good gig. Dave, Alan & Richard on really good form, with new member Jason fleshing out the sound with some nice keyboard work. At one point in the proceedings the cry went up "You're better than Oasis!" Too right!
Review by Martin Wray: Wonderful gig in Blackburn last night. I strongly suggest that if you can get to any of the remaining gigs on this tour then do anything you can to get along - I'm sure that you don't need any encouragement and the guys were absolutely blinding!
Things were looking a little ominous after Spacehead were finished (they were also very good - well worth catching if you've not seen them before, like me). There appeared to be problems with the sound just before the start. Richard's high hat also had to be dismantled at the end of one of the songs too - but it didn't seem to bother them. This has to rank in the upper echelons of all the gigs that I have seen them
The folks going to Sheffield, Wolverhampton etc are in for a treat. Enjoy. :^D Below: pic by PG
Review by Paul Eaton-Jones: As some have already said the band played up a storm. Heavy, very
heavy, where it was called for, rhythmic, sublimely melodic, joyous and relaxed even when Dave was trying to get his guitar[s] to do the right thing. Dumpy was once again on top form both solo and guesting.
'Mistakes' that occurred didn't really make much difference to the overall feel. I felt the audience could have been more respectful during 'Out Here
Review by Keith Henderson: Last night was great too....completely different atmosphere than
Middlesborough. Crowded sweaty sticky-floor rock club with low ceiling. Probably 450 or so in the audience. Good energetic crowd, powerful sound. Dave had serious tech problems with his guitar, so he
switched to a backup after the first two songs. It was a cream-coloured Strat-type copy (?)...somebody said it was Dumpy`s? Anyway, while he dealt with these problems, the other three did an impromptu synth jam that Richard added the lyrics to Adjust Me to. He tried later on to go back to the Westone, but it still wasn`t working out right, so he stuck with Dumpy`s for the rest of the gig. Also they only did Silver Machine as encore, so no Brainbox Pollution this time. Probably because the main show was already 100 minutes with the delays and extra song.
Review by Rhodri Williams: What else can i say but vintage Hawkwind!! I have been following the band since 1982 and have seen them on numerous ocasions and this was simply the best they have been live for years. Loud, heavy, tight and moreover, they all seemed more enthusiastic than I remember for a long time.
The set list was balanced and varied, containing new classics such as the excellent Angela Android and To Love A Machine along with old favourites Assassins of Allah and Assault & Battery / Golden Void. But for me the highlights were Psychedelic Warlords and Paradox (which i cannot ever remember hearing live before).
It was well worth the 5 hour drive the night before from Swansea, just a shame there were not more gigs nearer...but that will have to wait. in our party there was one person who had not previously been to see Hawkwind and it was great to see a new convert! Alan Davey is certainly more of a force these days with a greater vocal role, impeCcable bass work and a large stage presence.
Welcome to the future...
Review by Phil England: Sunday night in May? ...must be Hawkwind at Wolverhampton. Support band, Spacehead, were on top form. Crystal clear sound, and a terrific rendition of 'The Right Stuff' to finish off. Must have been good, I bought the CD... So, onto the main event...
I kept telling myself that it couldn't possibly be as good as last year, but I was wrong. The band really are firing on all cylinders, and the Captain is a revelation on the guitar. His rhythm, as ever, powers the band along, but his solos really lift them into the stratosphere... WOW!!! Opening number 'Spirit of the Age' is real shivers-down-the-spine stuff, and has a great interpretation from the dancers, who descend from the ceiling in their white sheets. Marvellous.
Other highlights were a really cooking Assassins of Allah, and of course, Paradox, with some nice tinkling piano!!!! Of the new stuff, 'Out Here We Are' is blissful, and 'To Love A Machine' is shaping up to be a classic. Dumpy came on for 'Brainstorm', and 'Silver Machine' and played some really tasty guitar... nice! The sound was excellent throughout, and
-Phil (Psychedelic Warlord) England Below: pic - JP
I was pleasantly surprised by the turn out at the Wulfrun -I prefer this venue to its' bigger next door neighbour, the Civic- and it was good to see a sizeable audience for Spacehead. I hadn't watched their set in full before as I seem to be consistently late for HW shows, but I would urge anyone to go and see them. Good sound, nice bunch of folks.
HW opened the set with a magnificent version of " Spirit of the Age " and I wondered then if they had peaked too soon. O hawkfan of little faith! Whilst I make no apologies for not remembering the running
Angels of Death, Greenback Massacre, Sword of The East, Hassan I Sahba, Out Here We Are, Angela Android, To Love a Machine, Psychedelic Warlords, Brainstorm, Golden Void, Paradox, Assault & Battery, Where Are They Now, 10 Seconds of Forever and Silver Machine. But don't hold me to that list!!
Too darned good to make notes! The odd thing is that even after discussing the show over a half of shandy (!) we still couldn't put our finger on why things worked so well. I think it was a mixture of things to be honest. A set they are clearly happy with and very proficient at delivering (Mr Brock, your guitar playing was a joy!), a venue that coped with the sights and sound of HW quite well and, above all methinks, a very cheery and satisfied feeling within the band. I make that last point because I can't
remember them looking like they were enjoying themselves this much for a long while. So many smiles and the odd jape from Dave - perhaps they should have titled the show The Mirth Ritual (sorry).
After an evening like this you have to ask yourself how they consistently deliver this well. Who else could pull in such a mixed audience and please them all?
Thank you Hawkwind. Again.
-The Pirate
A Message from Dumpy!: It's a pity that nobody has reviewed Nottingham yet as it was a really good gig, plus you might not know yet as nobody has mentioned it, but I've been singing the lead vocal on Silver Machine at all the shows. I've really enjoyed playing with the band and find it a real honour that Dave asked me to sing Silver Machine.
The bit about Dave using my guitar at Sheffield was quite true - it was my Fender that I use as Spacenutz, I'll have some pics of it soon. I've got quite a few good quality pics of Nottingham and will let you have some when DB gives the all clear.
Looking forward to Croydon Friday: it's just a pity that none of the promoters & venues on the tour have advertised who the supports were!!
Cheers, Dumpy
Review by Juba: Just a report of my first HW gig for 11 looong years.
At 10pm we got to the gig just in time to see Hidria Spacefolk play, and I think they were very good. They played for 30 minutes, instrumental space rock, maybe a bit like Ozric Tentacles, but IMO better.
And then Hawkwind, with a large backdrop similar to the upper part of the "Spaced Out In London" cover, and just ordinary rock lights, that is, no lights of their own, no slides,films or anything.
It was interesting to see Hawkwind as an ordinary rock band as well. It seemed to me that the start of the show was a bit slow and restraint. Halfway through they really got it rocking and by the end they were smoking. Line-up as earlier in the UK, Brock, Davey, Chadwick and a keyboard player. They were laughing, making faces at each other and had a good time on stage.
Highlights; a powerful "Psychedelic Warlords"... "Paradox", beautiful with piano... "To Love A Machine"; including the f*ck up of the first verse, Alan seemed very upset. The ending with "Assault & Battery / The Golden Void / Where Are They Now / Brainstorm"; what power !!!!! A Very good version "Brainstorm". "The Right Stuff" with some jamming in the middle and a change of rhythm for the 3rd verse, pure magic.
"Out Here We Are" is a very nice tune, but I felt it didn´t work as a live piece. Also beginning with "Spirit of the Age" is not a hit, maybe if they changed place with the first 2 songs.
Nice to see Alan at the bar after the gig, I had a chat with him and, best of all, they plan to tour Scandinavia in September. Fingers crossed !!!! Below: pic by Juba
Review By ''Pye in the sky' : This was the first Hawkwind gig I have been to since the Astounding Sounds' tour in the seventies. Why the hell have I waited so long?! This was a truly memorable gig. The gig was reasonably well attended, there were enough there to give it a good atmosphere. Support were 'The Veez' and 'Dumpy's Spacenuts'. The Veez - a four girl outfit were pretty good, with a competent guitarist, but the sound quality was not too good where I was sitting. Dumpy gave it his all. I have not seen him before and was really impressed.
Onto the main course. Matthew Wright guesting opened with some poetry then onto 'Spirit of the Age' as opener. It was quickly apparent that sound quality was back up to speed. Sound, lights, dancers, all bloody marvellous. Dave played some mean guitar and I have to say that Alan Davey with that blinding Rickenbacker sound and his excellent vocals gives the band a good solid base to work from. It was good to hear Psychedelic Warlords and Paradox in the set as well as Assault & Battery / Golden Void. Matthew Wright gave us 10 Seconds of Forever near the end and Dumpy came on for Brainstorm. The encore was Brainbox Pollution and Silver Machine, which saw Dumpy back on stage doing vocals on Silver Machine. Two guitars give the Hawks some real substance.
Set list was (I managed to get the lighting guy's set list -thanks!- so this should be authentic!); Sprit of the Age, Sword of the East, Greenback Massacre, Psychedelic Warlords, Out Here We Are, Angela Android, Assassins of Allah, Angels of Death, Paradox, To Love A Machine, 10 Seconds of Forever, Assault & Battery / Golden Void, Brainstorm. Encore was Brainbox Pollution, Silver Machine. The set list also shows Masters of the Universe (with a question mark) in the encore. This was not played, but then, we had reached the Fairfield Hall's 23:00 curfew. Highlights for me personally - Paradox, a slow and melodic version, and a powerful and tight 'Warlords'. When's the next gig? It's not going to be a thirty years gap again! Well done and thanks to the band, dancers and crew for a great night out.
Review by Ian Trayler : The great thing about a Hawkwind gig is that for the likes of myself at about fifty it's a great reality check in one way or another. You look at everybody turning up and think crikey what do you look like these days and then think blimey that's what I look like!! Then there's the guys who have managed to keep their hair and wear it long which makes me really jealous but then you see the grey and realise maybe other than being a member of the band you don't really get away with it. BUT one thing we all have in common is we love our band and always have done !!
I was lucky enough to arrive quite a bit early on Friday due to avoiding the traffic congestion and nosing around happened upon the soundcheck and of course wandered in. The boys were in good form laughing and joking amongst each other and the sound crew and with Matthew getting plenty of advice on how to render 'Ten Seconds of Forever' from Alan and Dave along with Dumpy and the band banging out 'Silver Machine' it was really enjoyable.
It was a full stage show and seemed to run very smoothly on the night. The band seemed in good spirits - Dave confirmed a September release for the new album. Matthew Wright was there right through and I could spot him standing at the side of the stage most of the way through it. There were rumours that Vanessa Feltz (the TV presenter) and friend of MW was in the venue (to add to HW's cool image :-) ha ha
I went for a p*ss and a beer and bloody missed Paradox. What a fool! Brainstorm was fab. The new numbers like Greenback Massacre sound increasingly good. Dumpy's lead was effective and he and Alan got into a bit of headbanging type behaviour. The screen films / projections were great. Security was very cool - I saw no bouncers so people went up front and could take in drinks, smoke without too much hassle etc..
Well that's about it I'm afraid! Must go and see Space Ritual again for a more looser type of gig.
The gig yesterday evening was a real heavy one. All four members (Dave Brock, Richard Chadwick, Alan Davey, Jason Stuart) were in top form, plus there were two dancers: and no other guests.
This was one of the heaviest sets by Hawkwind I have ever seen, with lots of guitar work by Dave. It was good to see some guitar-led high-volume Hawkwind supported but not dominated by electronics.
There are now only 30 minutes to go until the 2nd Hawkwind show of the weekend, at the beautiful Loreley venue. More about this to follow!
-Bernhard Pospiech
18/6/2005 - Loreley ("3 Days of Love & Peace")
Made it to the Loreley gig yesterday. Great trip, great gig, great weather, great location! This gig was not as heavy as the gig the day before. But again, all the band members were in top form and seemed to enjoy themselves.
It was the same set as the day before. The only exception was the encore: Brainstorm (with Vega) instead of Brainbox Pollution. They played 10 minutes longer, but Hawkwind's only problem on both days had 3 letters: BJH :-((( On both days they (Barclay James Harvest) played before Hawkwind, who headlined, and unfortunately BJH played a bloody shit set, which overran. Therefore there was not enough time for Hawkwind to play a full set, due to volume restrictions.
A really wonderfull Hawkwind weekend is over. My wife went with me for the 1st time to a HW gig and was very pleased!!! WOW!! Perhaps Hawkwind will be back in Germany next summer for the Burg Herzberg Festival. A perfect weekend is over and I am very pleased. YES!!!
-Bernhard Pospiech
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