Music > Live Reviews

Hawkwind

The Nick Rayns LCR, UEA

26/05/17

O Hawkwind my Hawkwind! What a bunch of pioneers you are. What a criminally, ridiculously underrated band you are. How can it be that so many people still don’t recognise your brilliance, amongst a sea of forgettable bands and music? For close on 50 years Hawkwind have been the outsider’s soundtrack, the freaks band, the British Grateful Dead and even in their current guise touring mainstream venues, when they are in full flight it’s one of the most majestic live concert experiences you will ever have.

Cleverly dispensing with the need for a support band, on this tour Hawkwind are supporting themselves with a 30 minute unplugged set which worked brilliantly. Like a warm fat embrace their selection of songs had a wonderful campfire vibe to them, emitting a wistful charm. They’re clearly enjoying it too, lots of banter between the band and hearing these tracks in their stripped down form only serves to highlight what a brilliant ear for melody Dave Brock has. Hearing one of my all-time favourite ‘wind songs Quark, Strangeness & Charm was a treat and ending the acoustic section with The Watcher was an inspired choice.

Returning for the main set, the atmosphere could not have been more different. The screen began with the crazy, fractal visuals and the band embarked on an epic rendition of Earth Calling which was jawdropping. Lasting for nearly 20 minutes, everything that makes Hawkwind great was in this song – rock, punk, jazz, electronica, soaring melodies, mindblowing solos, psychedelic imagery and a sense of complete musical freedom. As great as the two hour set was, this opening number remained one of the highlights. New album Into The Woods was well represented, rightly so, this is not a band who rest on their laurels. Classics such as You’d Better Believe It and Steppenwolf were aired, as well as selections from their most recent works and lesser known cuts like Magnu from the brilliant Warrior On The Edge Of Time album. They could have played anything though – I can’t pretend that the band don’t have a formula, because of course they do, but what a formula, all designed to take us far out. Legal highs? Go see Hawkwind in concert.

Ace drummer Richard Chadwick’s vocals alongside frontman Mr. Dibs and Dave Brock gave the music some impressive harmonies. Magnus Martin’s keyboards were excellent, loud in the mix, the Hammond sound combining with the sax playing to great effect. Young bass player Haz Wheaton has completely energised the band, easy to make comparisons to Lemmy or Geezer Butler, but he is very much his own man, a phenomenal talent. Dave is obviously someone who loves his work, happy to let the others take the spotlight, and even with some technical issues he smiled his way around them and played like the legend he is.

You know what you’re going to get when you go and see Hawkwind, but expectancy should not breed complacency, go see them and look upwards and outwards, not inwards. Leaving the venue to find armed police outside reminded me that we’re living in dangerous times, and what better way to escape reality for a couple of hours than to spend them in the company of the world’s leading exponents of space rock?