Focusing on Hawkwind

I've seen Hawkwind a good few times now, the first being way back in 1972 and they've never failed to entertain with some great music, performance and visuals  Going down to London to see them with my son Dan at Shepherds Bush O2  this was a gig I was looking forward to, especially as this time I'd be seated. So following a Indian at a local eatery we headed to the venue, doors were open and it was beginning to fill up already, looked like being very close to a sell out.

Lets start with the  opening highlight, which were Focus. Arriving on stage the, dare I say it, slightly portly Thijs van Leer took his position behind a classic Hammond, his trusty flute in hand. Opening with House of the King it was well on it's way to be a great 'prog' performance and what tipped it in to something really special was the annncement that the next song would be Eruption a 23 minute epic from 1972's Moving waves album. The sound of the Hammond was just perfect, so warm and deep, Leer's flute playing was at the top of his game. Following up with Sylvia and finishing with a rousing version of Hocus Pocus they had set the scene for a great night.

Hawkwind arrived shortly after and started with a song no one knew. A start that left both Dan and I looking at each other, wondering what was going on, and the visuals were distinctly lack lustre. But they followed that up with Motorway City and We Took the long Step Long Ago so things were looking up only for them to be dashed as they wandered off stage leaving a MAC based electro/drone and a single dancer on the stage (who I admit was talented), and that was it. In fact during the course of the gig the band wandered (were they bored?) offstage three times leaving the dancer and the rather dull electro sound. Now Hawkwind are known for their psychedelic imagery and are considered pioneers of 'space rock' but the lack of visual stimulation disappointed me. The setlist was the main problem though - I realise they have an extensive back catalogue, but looking at the crowd around me, everyone looked confused and there was virtually no atmosphere and no interaction with the audience. Out of a 2 hour set, I only knew 3 or 4 songs.  Dan and I left feeling deflated and surprised as the last time we saw them they were brilliant. This time was dull and unintersting if I'm honest.  I'm not sure why they didn't go 'all out' with the space monsters and dancers this time - perhaps they were on a tight budget? At the end of the gig we were all called the 'true spirit of Hawkwind', well perhaps we were, but sadly it certainly wasn't present from those on the stage.

2013 - a year of gigs in review

Still doing my best to get caught up with all those years of gig going, here's a review of 2013. So that only leaves the years 1979 to 2012 to cover!

2013 kicked off with The Pineapple Thief at The Cluny with an excellent performance, I'll definitely be watching out for any more tours. Picked up a card at the gig that gave me a free download of three acoustic tracks, so thanks for that!

The new album 'All the Wars' is the best yet from this 4 piece and well worth a few quid of your money.

Support came from The Red Paintings from Australia, who although not exactly my taste were certainly interesting.

A trip to Brighton in the August brought with it the opportunity to catch Bosnian Rainbows @ Sticky Mikes Frog Bar - great name, crap venue. With a ceiling height of no more than 8' and a stage raised about 6" from the floor, by the time all the 7' people in Brighton had decided to stand at the front it was time to give up any chance of getting a decent view of the band, which is a real pity because they were excellent, playing almost all of their debut album. Definitely one to watch out for and if they ever come to Newcastle, I'll certainly be there.

August Bank Holiday weekend brought the second Stanley Music Festival and a chance to see Dodgy and a full days music for a fiver, clearly the bargain of the summer! Line up was Dodgy, Mitch Laddie Band, Longsands, Ultimate Bowie, Dust Town Dogs, Leesa Mae and Cryptic Metaphor.

We made a family day out of it and very relaxing it was too, though that may have been the effect of the Marstons Ales and sunshine! Who knew Dodgy had released so much sing-a-long material and even though there were probably only a few hundred people (out of a crowd that peaked at a couple of thousand)  there by the time they came onstage at around 6pm, they played their socks off. We were all very much Staying Out for the Summer!

2013 saw 2 Steven Wilson gigs, the first at The Royal Festival Hall, London and then at Newcastle City Hall. This was on the rather excellent Raven Who Refused to Sing tour. Way up in the gods for the London gig, there with my eldest son Daniel the whole gig was simply awesome Steven Wilson never sounded better. An interesting side note, on bass was Nick Beggs of Kajagoogoo fame, now Neverending Story was a huge family favourite when the kids were wee ones and who sang the theme song I hear you ask, well it was Limahl also of Kajagoogoo fame! On to Newcastle and although it was good to be up close, second row seats. It was really too close to enjoy the visuals and with the City Hall only about half full it was a curiously flat evening. Opening with Trains and finishing with Radioactive Toy the gig showcased the 3 solo albums. Although not from either of the two gigs, here's the encore from the tour Radioactive Toy