Hawkwind - Do Not Panic

Hawkwind - Do Not Panic
Originally uploaded by jovike.

Friday - BBC Four.

Only 38 years after the legendary 'Sonic Assassins', aka the 'Psychedelic Warlords' better known as Hawkwind formed, the BBC finally get them in their viewfinders, well, most of them. I think they filmed this documentary a couple of years ago. My mate Al, who performed with Hawkwind on some London gigs, has postponed his holiday to watch it.

Band-leader Dave Brock is not included in the programme; this article by film-maker Tim Cumming explains why: They're Still Feeling Mean (and They're Still Feeling Mean) even after all these years.

Hm, I see all the pages on the Hawkwind website have disappeared. Perhaps I ought to rejoin the BOC-L mailing list to find out what's happening... what people thought of the doco... or shall I just just put some music on and have a sandwich. Yes.

Michael Moorcock and his friends discuss the programme on his Miscellany site, and the programme itself is on YouTube: Do Not Panic.

Hawkwind: Do Not Panic
Told for the first time, the inside story of Hawkwind, one of Britain's wildest acid rock bands. They emerged from the Ladbroke Grove underground at the end of the 1960s, trailing the radicalism of the counter-culture in their wake, and have been a direct influence on punk, metal, dance and rave - as well as pioneering multimedia rock shows with their legendary Space Ritual tour, and leading the free festival scene from its birth to its apogee at the last Stonehenge in 1984.

Unruly, anarchic, and often at war with themselves, Hawkwind are one of the last great outsider bands. Although the testimony of guitarist and founder member Dave Brock isn't present, the film includes interviews with some of the band's enduring legends, including bassist Lemmy, writer Michael Moorcock, founder members Terry Ollis, Nik Turner and Mick Slattery, former managers Doug Smith and Jeff Dexter, leading rock critic Nick Kent and broadcaster and super-fan Matthew Wright. Strong language.

Hawkwind Christmas Party

Hawkwind Christmas Party ticket
Originally uploaded by jovike.

You'll never guess where I was last night! Hawkwind's Christmas party was a special gig at the Astoria in Charing Cross Road. Support was Spacehead, whom I missed by spending too long chatting in Borders over the road, and Man, the "Welsh Wizards". Man and Hawkwind did a US tour together in 1974. Yes, a long time ago, and now Martin Ace's son Josh is in the band on rhythm guitar with his father on bass, and someone called Richards on lead: very good. Richards also sounds a bit like Deke Leonard singing, it's the Welsh accent you see. They stomped through faithful high-energy versions of C'mon, Romain and Spunk Rock.

Hawkwind did a lot of crowd-pleasers as it was a party with only a couple of tracks from the new album, maybe because Lene Lovich and Arthur Brown were not present. Following a poll on hawkwind.com, the set included 7 by 7 and Upside Down (which I have never heard live before) with vocals from Mr. Dibs, also Brainbox Pollution and Psychedelic Warlords. Amazing! Robotic dancers in neon paint came on for Angela Android and reappeared, gambolling or capering as appropriate throughout. Hawkwind's lightshow has at last gone half digital, remaining an analogue hybrid. I've long thought they should use something like G-Force as a backdrop: well now they are, but still combined with glimpses of the the space art, film and graphics accumulated over the decades. Magic.

Really great music with Dave Brock playing a lot of guitar instead of noodling with the synthesiser. Alan Davey energetic as ever, Richard Chadwick on good form. (Who the saxophonist or keyboard player were I know not.) When the double live CD comes out, buy it.

Scientist Schtick: Lullaby to a Lab Coat

Hawkwind at the Astoria.

There was a riot on the previous night in the Astoria when Baby Shambles did not turn up and the audience smashed up the venue, so it must have been a bit fraught today for Hawkwind, setting up for tonight's gig. In the end it was a big success and I bet most people would not have known. 

Hawkwind fans are an anarchic bunch of malcontents now spanning three generations and I had no trouble picking them out from the ordinary public in Totty Court tube and along Charing Cross Road, even though very few of the fans dressed as aliens, clones or scientists which we were supposed to for tonight. 

Support groups often have a hard time with the Hawkwind audience so all credit to The Vs, an all-girl band who held the crowd with some solid guitar work, followed by Dumpy's Spacenutz which was him doing an extended solo to a driving backing. Hawkwind did an apocalyptic version of Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke) and the usual old favourites like Brainbox Pollution, Spirit of the Age and - speaking of sex - new numbers Angela Android and Loving the Machine interpreted very well by the dancers: he gives her a flower and she responds, confused, with various programmed actions, eventually letting him fix the flower in her hair. Alan Davey presented a treatment of a newly-discovered Calvert tape with live music over Bob intoning his poem Ode to a Time Flower. Someone came on and did a very good reading of Bob's Ten Seconds of Forever. Hammering versions of Brainstorm, Angels of Death... all good stuff. Mini mosh pits opened at intervals. Dave Brock was enjoying himself, mostly playing guitar at the front of the stage and not hidden behind banks of synthesisers like he was in the 90s. Richard Chadwick on drums. Someone else on synthesisers. 35 years on, still great. I hope this gig was recorded! (flyer)