We just took a ride on the Hawkwind machine and we’re feeling real mean! They’ve flown right through each decade with the ease of the galactic breeze, and tonight’s show was no different. Cosmically casual in their stage appearance, please welcome…
HAWKWIND
Founding guitarist Dave Brock has weaved an impressive stitch across the fabric of time – you can thank him for his unbounded musical curiosity threading the various lineup changes and stage shows together for over fifty-five years. While notable players such as Lemmy Kilmister and Ginger Baker have enjoyed stints with the band, former member Niall Hone hasn’t strayed too far from the pack opening tonight’s show with his own project Lords of Form.
“Marinade in your anticipation – or I suppose sweat! – for Hawkwind!” Blink and you’ll miss the interval, these drudging riffs and sci-fi synths stretch far beyond the support act. When they do finally land upon our stage, we’re harmonious in our raised pints and praised cheers welcoming the psych-shifting juggernauts. Hawkwind are here to warn us of the Brainbox Pollution which plagues our planet; in all its trucking-along-the-late-night-motorway delinquency, this B-side is gunning down the fast lane of hard rock contagion. It seems we reach our destination quite quickly of pioneering continuum with Arrival in Utopia. Their setlist induces us to a medley of buoyant propulsion with very few breaks in between. Looks like they’re taking this ‘no air in space’ thing seriously!
“As I look within the Hawkwind songbook – because when one gets older, they tend to need the words – I can see we’re in for a wild ride!”
Till I Found You is a gloriously indelible melody of tonal intricacy and tempo changes. A tune from their latest record, it further exemplifies this longevity of resplendence within distortion of genres and grooves. It’s hard to believe this transportive soundscape couldn’t get any more tangible and an impressive lighting display of beams, lasers and flashes could have easily hypnotised you into knowing so – although by this point, You Know You’re Only Dreaming. Those waves of whistling echoes and Beatles-esque chord progressions are reverberating around this room too well. Don’t be fooled by the lack of movement in this crowd, however; it’s by far the biggest compliment to be so richly enchanted by the music that you’ve transcended your physical body.
Saying that, all this space-rock saga needed was a bouncier number to knock us out of our awed wonder. “Peace and love, that’s what we want!” and Levitation had us reaching for the sonically psychedelic stars. A bruiser of a song, this leaden boogie-rock number continued to shift the sing-along equilibrium with Spirit of the Age.
Every song is a trailblazer in experimentation and despite being lesser known than their contemporaries Pink Floyd, Hawkwind are the epitome of counterculture. One of England’s most enduring hard rock bands, it’s undeniable their influence on post-punk, rave, modern psychedelia, and the hearts of the fans in this room tonight.
HAWKWIND PERFORMED FRIDAY 9TH AUGUST
WORDS: TALIA ROBINSON
ROCK CITY NOTTINGHAM
We’re not only Nottingham’s favourite venue and nightclub – we’re the UK’s best live venue with a rich history of performers that have played here. It was an honour to hop aboard the Hawkwind spaceship once again!
Also while you’re at it, why not check out our gig guide and see if any other of your favourite artists like Hawkwind are playing soon! We also have our club nights on a Thursday (Tuned), Friday (Get Lucky) and Saturday (Rebel Rebel) so check those out too!
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