Hawkwind Newcastle City Hall 1979
Support came from Doll by Doll
In late 1979, Hawkwind regrouped with a line-up of Dave Brock on guitar, Harvey Bainbridge on bass and Simon King on drums. The three core members were joined by Huw Lloyd-Langton (who had played on Hawkwind’s debut album) and Tim Blake (formerly of Gong). At this point in time the band had no record deal and no new album to promote. However, they went out on their normal Autumn/Winter tour around the UK, delivering a set of Hawkwind classics, and tracks from the Levitation album, which was to be released in the following year. The programme bears the title: Masters of the Universe. 
Support came from Doll by Doll, led by the late and sadly missed Jackie Leven. Doll by Doll surfaced around the time of punk, but their music was much deeper than the punk moniker suggests. I have blogged on Doll by Doll previously. A live album, recorded at the Oxford gig of the tour, was released the following year. Further line-up changes were to take place after the tour, with the departure of long-time drummer Simon King, to be replaced by legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker. I’ll report on that line-up tomorrow. Setlist from the Newcastle gig: Shot Down In The Night; Motorway City; Spirit Of The Age; Urban Guerilla; Prelude; Who’s Gonna Win The War; World Of Tiers; New Jerusalem; Lighthouse; Brainstorm; Phenomenon Of Luminosity; PXR5; Master Of The Universe; Silver Machine; Levitation.
Posts Tagged ‘prog rock’
24 Feb
Hawkwind Newcastle City Hall 1979
23 Feb
Hawklords Newcastle City Hall 1978
Hawklords Newcastle City Hall 1978 
Come 1978 the mighty Hawkwind disbanded, but rapidly reappeared, having morphed into the Hawklords. The Hawklords featured Hawkwind members Robert Calvert on vocals, Dave Brock on guitar and Simon King on drums, with Harvey Bainbridge on bass and Martin Griffin on drums (from Ark) and Steve Swindells on keyboards (from Pilot). The tour was billed as Hawklords, although the message clearly hadn’t reached Newcastle as the ticket reads Hawkwind. Support came from The Softies and punk poet Patrik Fitzgerald, a strange choice, who didn’t go down too well with the Hawkwind crowd. There was a programme for the tour, but for some reason I don’t seem to have a copy, which is unusual, as I always bought one. I can only assume that for some reason the programme was not available at the Newcastle gig. Something else for me to watch for on ebay! The band released a Hawklords album: 25 Years O, and the tour featured tracks from the new release, alongside old Hawkwind favourites. 
Calvert was his usual manic showman self, and the stage set was as impressive as ever. From Wiki: “The stage show was designed by Barney Bubbles and was based on a Metropolis/Mao Tse-tung dystopia theme, featuring a projected film based light show, dancers in drab clothing performing mundane tasks, and spotlight towers creating an oppressive internment camp atmosphere.” At the end of the tour Bob Calvert fired Griffin and then resigned himself, thus closing another chapter in the complex history of the band. Hawkwind was, however, soon to re-emerge with another line-up; more tomorrow. Setlist: Automation; 25 Years; High Rise; Death Trap; Micro Man; Spirit Of The Age; Urban Guerilla; Sonic Attack; Flying Doctor; Steppenwolf; Psi Power; Brainstorm; Free Fall; Uncle Sam’s On Mars; Iron Dream; Silver Machine; Master Of The Universe
Update on 8th August 2014. I managed to buy a copy of the programme for this tour on ebay (see above). Cost me less than a fiver. Bargain! 🙂
22 Feb
Hawkwind Newcastle City Hall and Reading 1977
Hawkwind Newcastle City Hall 1977
Support Bethnal 
I saw Hawkwind twice in 1977; once at the Reading festival and at Newcastle City Hall on their annual tour. The band released Quark, Strangeness and Charm, which maintained their high standards, and I would rate as one of their best albums. Stand-out tracks for me are Spirit of the Age; Hassan I Sahba; and the title track, all of which became live favourites. The line-up was now Robert Calvert; Dave Brock; Simon House; Adrian Shaw and Simon King. Adrian Shaw replaced Paul Rudolph on bass, coming from the group Magic Muscle who had supported Hawkwind on the 1972 Space Ritual tour. This was the year of punk, and a very muddy Reading festival. 
There were a few traces of punk and new wave at Reading in the form of Wayne County (who was greeted by a hail of cans), Ultravox! and the Motors. But the majority of the line-up was classic rock: Aerosmith; the Sensational Alex Harvey Band; the Doobie Brothers; The Enid (who went down a storm); Frankie Miller; Golden Earring; and Uriah Heep. Thin Lizzy were massive at the time and headlined the event. Hawkwind appeared on the Sunday on a bill headlined by, I think, Alex Harvey. A month later and I saw Hawkwind again at the City Hall. This was a great show and the new songs were fast becoming favourites. Support came from Bethnal who were a new wave band that featured an electric violinist and were pretty good too. Setlist from Reading: Reefer Madness; Hassan I Sahba; The Forge of Vulcan; Brainstorm; Quark Strangeness and Charm; Steppenwolf; High Rise; Robot; Spirit of the Age; Damnation Alley; Uncle Sam’s on Mars; The Iron Dream
21 Feb
Hawkwind Newcastle City Hall 1976
Hawkwind Newcastle City Hall 1976
Support Tiger with Big Jim Sullivan on guitar 
It was 1976 and Hawkwind were back on the road with a new album and a new show. Robert Calvert had rejoined the fold, after guesting at Reading in 1975, but Stacia had decided to give up dancing and take up family life. Paul Rudolph of the Pink Fairies was new on bass guitar duties, replacing Lemmy who had been sacked from the band. Paul himself wasn’t to be in the band for long. The new album was Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music and the stand out track was Reefer Madness. I didn’t realise at the time that this song title came from an old anti-drugs film which I have seen quite recently on TV. The tour concept was Atomhenge which was a futuristic version of Stonehenge and shrouded the stage with a myriad of lights. “Throughout the show, thousands of light bulbs within the glass–fibre structure sprang to life, giving an eerie, almost menacing atmosphere onstage.” 
Calvert was in his element and took on several roles during the show, ranging from a Biggles-like airforce pilot, through a swordsman warrior to a character resembling Lawrence of Arabia. This was one of Hawkwind’s most memorable shows, and I saw it on my 20th birthday! Support came from Tiger who featured the legendary session man Bij Jim Sullivan on guitar. I was a fan of Big Jim from his performances on Tom Jones’ TV show. The band was to disintegrate soon after the tour, with the departure of Nik Turner, Alan Powell and Paul Rudolph, leaving Dave Brock and Bob Calvert at the nucleus of the band. Setlist (obtained from a bootleg of the Newcastle show): Reefer Madness; Paradox; Chronoglide Skyway; Hassan I Sahba; Brainstorm; Wind Of Change; Steppenwolf; Uncle Sams On Mars; Time For Sale; Back On The Streets; Sonic Attack; Kerb Crawler. Encore: Magnu; Master Of The Universe
20 Feb
Hawkwind The Reading Festival August 1975
Hawkwind The Reading Festival August 1975
Had the Hawklords sold out? Here they were headlining the Friday night of a mainstream festival. What about the hippy free festival ideals? Why weren’t they playing outside while we all stormed the fences? No worries, Hawkwind were still as anti-establishment as ever, and anyway why shouldn’t they have headlined a rock festival?
A group of us went to Reading 1975 which took place over the August bank holiday weekend. The festival boasted a strong line-up with Hawkind, Dr Feelgood and UFO on Friday; Yes, Supertramp and Thin Lizzy on Saturday; and Wishbone Ash, John Mclaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Soft Machine on Sunday. Hawkwind headlined on the Friday night, taking the stage after a storming set by the Feelgoods. The Hawklords rose to the occasion and brought the cold Friday to a fitting close. Robert Calvert rejoined the band for the evening, and enjoyed it so much he decided to stay on and woudl return to the fold for the next year or so. I found the following quote of a Feelgoods fan site. It comes from a review of the time andsums things up better than I can: “Midnight on Friday. Hawkwind shambled offstage amid amplified exhortations to “smoke plenty of good dope” having blasted the wax out of every ear for miles around. As they strolled backstage – Nik Turner wreathed in orange hair and smiles, Simon House deadly serious and toting a small child – the audience at the first night of the Reading Festival turned their collars against the sudden cold, shivering. The temperature, never particularly high during the whole day, seemed to have taken a sudden plunge as the last rumbling notes of “Silver Machine” died away. Camp-fires were being stoked into life here and there.” Setlist: Mind Journey; Assault And Battery; Golden Void; Ode To A Crystal Set; Psychedelic Warlords; Wind Of Change; The Awakening; Paradox; Spiral Galaxy; Sonic Attack; Magnu; Opa Loka; Master Of The Universe; Welcome; Brainstorm; Silver Machine.
19 Feb
Hawkwind Newcastle City Hall December 1974
Hawkwind Newcastle City Hall December 1974. The Dead Singer tour. Support from Al Matthews.
Hawkwind were back at the City Hall almost a year to the day from the last time I saw them their. But this time they had a new lp and some changes to the line-up. From the tour programme: “Welcome, friend of Hawkwind, to our tour. You probably know that, with the exception of two dates this summer, this is our first tour of Britain since The Ridiculous Roadshow last Christmas. But we have not been idle since we last saw you. In that time we have recorded and released a new album Hall Of The Mountain Grill and toured the United States twice. Tonight we will be introducing you to our two new members. Del Dettmar, of course, has gone to live in a cabin by a lake in a forest in Canada with his wife Ros. Simon House, who plays keyboards, synthesiser and violin joined us from The Third Ear Band, to replace Del. In the summer we also acquired a new drummer. Simon King, who plays a lot of football and supports Chelsea (still?) broke some ribs in a game and Alan Powell, who has drummed with many good bands including Vinegar Joe and Chicken Shack, deputised for Simon on our European tour. 
Then when Simon recovered they discovered they liked playing together and we liked two drummers in the band so Alan stayed on. We hope you like it too. Apart from that most everything else stays the same. Dave, Nick, Lemmy, Stacia, Jonathan Smeeton, Steve, Bob, Douglas, Jon Lee, Val and Richard are still with us. Pete our drum roadie got busted and couldn’t get into the States so Ian replaced him and we acquired a new personal roadie in Stuart.” The new album Hall of the Mountain Grill includes the classic track The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke) which was to become a live favourite. These were the classic years for Hawkwind; they always gave a great live show with special effects, some bizarre madness and some great rock music. The tour was called the “Dead Singer” tour after the name of a short story by Michael Moorcock which appeared in the programme. Setlist: Warriors; Lord Of Light; The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke); Wind of Change; Warriors; Brainstorm; You Know You’re Only Dreaming; The Watcher; The Awakening; Paradox; Sonic Attack; Master of the Universe; Welcome to the Future. Encore: You’d Better Believe It; D-Rider; You Shouldn’t Do That; Seeing It as You Really Are
18 Feb
Hawkwind Ridiculous Roadshow Newcastle City Hall 1973
Hawkwind Ridiculous Roadshow Newcastle City Hall 1973
Hawkwind wanted to draw a line under the hugely successful Space Ritual tour, and this new outing in late 1973 was named The Ridiculous Roadshow tour. The tour called at Newcastle City Hall on 11th December 1973 and I went along with a group of mates. The linne-up at this time was Dave Brock; Lemmy; Simon King; Del Dettmar and Nik Turner. I’m pretty sure that Stacia was still dancing with Hawkwind, and that there was a second dancer. The set was drawn from Space Ritual and from their first three albums: Hawkwind (1970), In Search of Space (1971) and Doremi Fasol Latido (1972). Hawkwind had some classic tracks, which looking back, were really quite groundbreaking and fore-runners of modern dance music. Songs such as Brainstorm, Time We Left This World Today, and Master of the Universe are just great and still stand up today. I bought a Hawkwind ‘best of’ CD at Sainbury’s and have it in the car, and when no-one else is there I can be found driving around with Master of the Universe playing at full volume. How times have changed. Back in the day, Hawkwind were the rebels, the outsiders, the hippies, the proto-punks, and very clearly anti-establishment. And now I buy their CD in Sainsbury’s. Not sure what that tells me! Setlist: Coming Of Hawkwind; Brainbox Pollution; Wizard Blew His Horn; Lord Of Light; Only Dreaming; Standing At The Edge; Brainstorm; Seven By Seven; It’s So Easy; You’d Better Believe It; D-Rider; Sonic Attack; Watcher; Warrior On The Edge Of Time; Master Of The Universe; Welcome To The Future; Silver Machine; Seeing It As You Really Are. And all for £1!
17 Feb
Hawkwind Space Ritual Tour Sunderland Locarno 1972
Hawkwind Space Ritual Tour Sunderland Locarno 1972 
“This is earth calling”…….”In case of Sonic Attack on your district, follow these rules…If you are making love, it is imperative to bring all bodies to orgasm simultaneously..Do not waste time blocking your ears…..Do not waste time seeking a soundproof shelter…….Try to get as far away from the sonic source as possible…Do not panic…”
I am starting the letter H today in my bloggings, and there is no better way to start than reflecting on the times I have seen Hawkwind in concert. I’ve seen the band lots of times over the years, so please indulge me, while I write about those experiences. It will take me a week or so. I blogged some time ago on my first Hawkwind experience, which was when I saw them as one of the support acts for the post-Morrison Doors at Newcastle City Hall. It wasn’t long before I saw the band again. The Space Ritual tour called at Sunderland Locarno in 1972, and was as epic as the legends suggest. Silver Machine and Master of the Universe were great favourites at the Mecca (the Locarno) at the time; the dancefloor always filled up when they came over the PA. So when it was announced that the band were coming to play as part of their Space Ritual tour, there was a lot of excitement, and huge anticipation for the gig. This was the classic Hawkwind line-up with Robert Calvert on vocals; Dave Brock on guitar and vocals; Nik Turner on sax, flute, and vocals; Lemmy on bass guitar and vocals; Dik Mik and Del Dettmar on synthesizers and Simon King on drums. 
The gig was everything you might imagine: very loud, a tightly packed ballroom, lots of flashing lights and strobes, Stacia dancing naked, strong smells of joss sticks and dope, strong bass and rock rhythms, lots of strange noises, weird space-rock, great psychedelic light show, booming sinister vocals from Calvert, Lemmy looking cool. This gig had every ingredient a rock n roll gig should and, as a young kid, I was just blown away and totally hooked on Hawkwind. From that point on I was a fan, and went to see them again and again; although I have to admit that I did lose faith a little during the late 80s and 90s. This is one of those gigs that I would love to experience again. If only I had a time machine…Happy days and happy memories. Setlist: Earth Calling; Born To Go; Down Through The Night; The Awakening; Lord Of Light; Black Corridor; Space Is Deep; Electronic No. 1; Orgone Accumulator; Upside Down; 10 Seconds Of Forever; Brainstorm; 7 By 7; Sonic Attack; Time We Left This World Today; Master Of The Universe; Welcome To The Future; You Shouldn’t Do That. Encore: can’t really remember, but I imagine it will have been Silver Machine
13 Feb
David Gilmour Royal Albert Hall London 2006
David Gilmour Royal Albert Hall London 2006
I went to this gig with David, having bought tickets at the last moment, just before they sold out. I was dithering about whether it was worth the trip to London to see David Gilmour, and by the time I decided I would take the plunge, the only tickets left were standing tickets right up in the gallery looking down on the stage. Security for the concert was such that no tickets were issued and we had to turn up at the Albert Hall with photo ID to obtain entrance to the concert. The tour was to support Gilmour’s new release On An Island, and much of the set was drawn from that album. The tour stopped at the Albert Hall for three nights, and further shows were added including Manchester Bridgewater Hall, which I would have preferred to attend. The set was a mix of tracks from the new album and a good selection of Pink Floyd classics. Gilmour’s band for the concerts was
old Floyd mate Rick Wright on Hammond organ, piano, and synthesizer; from Roxy Music: Phil Manzanera on guitar; Dick Parry on saxophones; Guy Pratt on bass; Jon Carin on synthesizer and Steve DiStanislao on drums. There were also a number of superb special guests including Crosby and Nash, Robert Wyatt, and for the encores the band was joined by Nick Mason on drums, making this in effect a Pink Floyd concert, or at least the same line-up as the last version of Floyd. The lightshow was subtle, but amazing; one of the best that I have ever seen. And I was delighted to see them play Arnold Layne, which I never imagined I would see performed live. It was also great to hear Shine on Your Crazy Diamond and my personal Floyd favourite Echoes, both of which were played true to the original. An amazing gig, and easily on par with some of the Floyd or Roger Waters performances I have attended. My only regret was that we didn’t go along on the first night, when Gilmour was joined by David Bowie for Arnold Layne. Now that would have been amazing to see. Setlist:
Speak to Me; Breathe; Time; Breathe (Reprise); Castellorizon; On An Island (with Crosby & Nash); The Blue (with Crosby & Nash; Red Sky At Night; This Heaven; Then I Close My Eyes (with Robert Wyatt); Smile; Take A Breath; A Pocketful Of Stones; Where We Start; Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) (with Crosby & Nash); Fat Old Sun; Dominoes; Arnold Layne; Coming Back to Life; High Hopes; The Great Gig in the Sky (with Mica Paris); Echoes. Encore: Find the Cost of Freedom (with Crosby & Nash); Wish You Were Here (with Nick Mason); Comfortably Numb (with Nick Mason). A DVD of the concert, entitled Remember That Night, was released in 2007.
12 Feb
Peter Gabriel Newcastle Arena 2004
Peter Gabriel Newcastle Arena 2004
Still Growing Up Tour; “In the Round”
This was the first time I had seen Peter Gabriel for over 20 years. It was also the first gig I went to for many years with my old friend John, who is now living to the USA. So it was a night of seeing old friends again; in more ways than one. It was great to see John again, and to go along to a gig, just like old times. And it was a pretty good gig too. The arena was set out with the stage in the centre, and we had seats right up close. One thing that you can expect from Peter Gabriel is the unexpected and this gig was no exception. Peter moved around the stage on a small two-wheeled vehicle to ensure that we all got a good view of him. At one point he rolled around the stage like a hamster in a giant ball, as shown on the front of the programme. 
Peter’s band for this tour was David Rhodes, Rachel Z, old band mate Tony Levin on his stick bass, his daughter Melanie Gabriel on backing vocals, Ged Lynch and Richard Evans.The set was a mix of tracks from throughout his career. There were several songs that weren’t familiar to me, but I recognised the opener Here Comes the Flood, and old favourites Games Without Frontiers, Solsbury Hill, Sledgehammer and the final encore Biko. A great concert by a truly original artist who never fails to surprise. Setlist: Here Comes the Flood; Darkness; Red Rain; Secret World; White Ashes; Games Without Frontiers; Burn You Up, Burn You Down; Downside Up; The Tower That Ate People; More Than This; Baby Man; San Jacinto; Digging in the Dirt; Growing Up; Solsbury Hill; Sledgehammer; Signal to Noise. Encore: In Your Eyes; Biko. Peter Gabriel is touring again later in the year, but isn’t coming to the North East. I think a trip to Manchester to see him may well be in order.
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