A Hawkwind Website

[Etive]

Any Hawkfans not already being pestered by Hawkwind Museum may enjoy following this link:

http://www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk/newpage45.htm

I'm off to see Hawkwind in Manchester on Sunday! 8)

[zakt]

What did you think, Etive? My thoughts are still as they were (see Hawkwind Qs thread) and I had this report from Portsmouth later on:

"Saw Hawkwind here on Tuesday. Event 9/10, band 6/10. Chadwick is probably the worst ever Hawkwind drummer, Hawkwind Kareoke, all songs played to a bleeding click track! Great sound, but not loud enough. Still , it was real tight and they played a good mix of tunes. Me and my mates are prob. too picky, having seen them so many times, there were some with us that were Hawkwind virgins & they loved it.
Huw played a good set in Portsmouth ... "

[Etive]

Hawkwind @ The Manchester Ritz

The Manchester Ritz is a dump usually full of drunken jailbait so for starters 17 quid to get in there was a bit of a joke, especially since all drinks were آ£3!

It was supposed to be doors at seven but the buggers didn't let us in 'til about eight.

The guitarist who started off the set (and whose name escapes me) played much better than he did at Hawkfest 2002, probably because he was not yet off his face.

Hawkwind were OK but I expect more from them than they are prepared to give. They played a mix of classics and a few unfamiliars. I thought they were a bit too much on the techno side and they played a very long version of Hassan I Sabha- I thought it was a different song until the verse came back in.

There was a song with the line "Where are you now?" in it and we amused ourselves at the Ritz by shouting ex-Hawkwind member's names. Where was the keyboards guy (Tim?) for instance.

I hate the way that "live" music has become a couple of guitarists and a drummer (if you're lucky) quickly pressing buttons on keyboards to fill in for the rest of the band who aren't there or are the same people. "Live" bands in my town put on mini-discs of their studio recordings, strum a few chords and sing over the top. I expect better from Hawkwind.

My friends and I spotted the intro to the lost boys theme tune and part of "Greased Lightning" mixed in with the set. We made our amusement with a "best mullet" competition and glowy bracelets.

Quite frankly I preferred the night before the gig when I was out on my own at a rock night dancing to "Spirit of the Age" on an otherwise empty dancefloor. We all enjoyed the Hawkwind gig, but it could have been so much better!

I love the Hawkwind Museum people, they are under no illusions about the band (what's left of them), there are no other bands like Hawkwind, but Hawkwind are no longer "like Hawkwind".

Conclusion; Sod 'em there's always Spaceritual.net to see, do you know if they're any good?

[zakt]

Is Spaceritual.net Nik Turner's band, also known as "ex-Hawkwind"? If so, my Portsmouth source recommended them as being more Hawkwind than Hawkwind. I had the chance to see them in Hebden Bridge last year, but as my main memories of Nik Turner in Hawkwind are similar to the "Night of the Hawks" video (not good as far as I'm concerned) I passed, perhaps unwisely.

I may just be an optimist, but the Hawks themselves might come back in force. I saw them last in 02, and as I've said previously with Huw and Simon House added to the current trio they were seriously good. Having said that, the current trio were seriously good about 10-12 years ago, maybe it's just time taking its toll. Hawkwind without Brock is just a bit much to contemplate for me.

Always the next tour ....

[Etive]

Is Spaceritual.net Nik Turner's band, also known as "ex-Hawkwind"?

That's them, they don't seem to have any new gigs posted on their site though. http://www.spaceritual.net

I continue to be in search of space rock, I think I will have to try time travel next :?

[Bill]

"I hate the way that "live" music has become a couple of guitarists and a drummer (if you're lucky) quickly pressing buttons on keyboards to fill in for the rest of the band who aren't there or are the same people."

Well, you can compare that to here in the Northeast of the States, where most bands have chosen to take Kurt Cobain at his word. Grab a Gibson SG, stand in front of a drummer and a bass player (who may or may not be playing the same song) and 'make some art'. Usually it sounds like someone screaming over my lawnmower.

"We made our amusement with a "best mullet" competition and glowy bracelets." If I'm the band and my audience even noticed the various mullets let alone rated them, I would consider my set a failure. :D

[Whiskers]

Hawkwind @ The Manchester Ritz

The Manchester Ritz is a dump usually full of drunken jailbait so for starters 17 quid to get in there was a bit of a joke, especially since all drinks were آ£3!

I apologize for fracturing this thread, but this describes 50% of the places I've been in and around Wurzburg Germany.

[zakt]

etive wrote: [quote]I continue to be in search of space rock

try
www.aural-innovations.com :lol:

[Anonymous]

Hawkwind

Contrary to some of the negative comments on this thread, I would argue Chadwick is the best drummer Hawkwind have had, technically and creatively...(for one he doesn't slow down, or fall of his drum stool stoned!) :D Looking back Hawkwind have had some pretty ordinary drummers- like Danny Thompson: Boom thud boom thud etc. No invention whatsover :(

Also playing along to a click is not something all drummers can do, and if you're working with sequencers it's a necessity so everything can stay synced up. Besides which, not every song is played to a click (Brock points this out in the interview on the Out Of The Shadows DVD)

Using sequencers and computers involves lots of creativity in itself if they are used properly, it's just a different sort of feel to music done in 'free time'. Hawkwind still improvise and play over the sequencers a lot- it's not like they're just programming the whole gig! -and I think the sound and experimentation they've been able to achieve as a three piece (just listen to Electric Tepee from '93 if you want an example) is very impressive! Having said all this, admittedly the three piece is more suited to the studio than live, and I'd like to see a lead player (eg. Simon House) brought back in to augment the sound.

[zakt]

D_Alien wrote:

Contrary to some of the negative comments on this thread, I would argue Chadwick is the best drummer Hawkwind have had, technically and creatively..

Wouldn't argue too much on that, D_A - my contact in Portsmouth might, but I'll say no more lest he get into bother!

My experience (live) of their drummers doesn't go back too much further than D Thomson, who I thought was ok, on record the 2 drummer line-up was immense. They do need lead instruments or vocals, and I was quite impressed by the Ron Tree / Jerry Richards formation in '97, and also by Brigitte / Simon in '90. Infinite variety in there, which is why the trio disappoints live, I s'pose.

[GreatOldOne]

Hawkwind @ The Manchester Ritz
The guitarist who started off the set (and whose name escapes me) played much better than he did at Hawkfest 2002, probably because he was not yet off his face

That was Huw Lloyd-Langton, their original guitarist who returned in '79 and hasn't really been away for long since.

[GreatOldOne]

Hawkwind @ The Manchester Ritz
they played a very long version of Hassan I Sabha- I thought it was a different song until the verse came back in.

It was. For the last couple of years, they've played "Space is Their Palestine" in the middle of "Sahba"....