HAWKWIND & HANTERHIR

Psych-rock legends HAWKWIND have been plying their trade since 1969, releasing 37 studio albums, along with countless live platters and compilations, along the way yet tonight is just the third time I have seen them, Thanks to a combination of youthful stupidity and an excess of bad lager, I have absolutely no recollection of my first Hawkwind experience. The second time was over 21 years ago, with the then 3-piece Hawks playing the Waterfront.

Oft-derided as old hippies, even in their early days, in many ways Hawkwind represent the dark underside of the 60s/70s underground. Yes, they were idealists but with grittiness and things certainly weren’t all peace and love and flowers in the Hawkwind universe. Tonight shows that they still deliver the goods. And then some.

De facto band leader, vocalist/guitarist and sole constant Dave Brock may be 84 but he looks barely older now than he did in the 80s (which, to be honest, was bloody ancient). Whilst, to paraphrase my gig buddy Stu, he’s no Pavarotti, neither the voice nor the guitar playing have diminished with age. Richard Chadwick has been in the band for 37 years and is an absolute powerhouse on drums. Superb guitarist Magnus Martin is approaching ten years in the band. Bassist Doug Mackinnon joined in 2021 but has the look for someone who has either been in Hawkwind or been a fan since forever. Resplendent in white, keyboardist Thighpaulsandra almost certainly has the most diverse musical CV of anyone on stage tonight - having played with Julian Cope, Coil Spiritualized, Tim Burgess and more - but plays like he was born to be in this band.

By my reckoning, the oldest song in the main set is 1972’s Urban Guerrilla and the newest is Changes (Burning Suns and Frozen Waste) from this year’s There Is No Space For Us, both of which rock like muthas. Yes, there is the occassional hint of Spinal Tap “oh, how they danced, the little children of Stone’enge” about proceedings but that is just part of the fun. For the most part, the music is hard, driving rock and the band are all having a ball, swapping smiles and even laughs when jamming out on the likes of (the Hawklords’) Psi Power or first encore Spirit of the Age.

The crowd ranges from teens quite possibly attending their first Hawkwind gig to life-timers probably not much younger than Mr Brock. Whilst there is no pit to speak of, there is plenty of enthusiastic, high-energy grooving and even some good ol’ Woodstock-style idiot dancing. A good portion of the crowd sing along word perfectly to even the newest song and the chap next to me seems to be having the best night of his life. Finishing the encore with the “hit” Silver Machine, sung by Chadwick, ensures the set ends on a high, for some punters, no doubt in more ways than one...

Of course everyone was here for Hawkwind but that didn’t stop Cornish prog-folk-rockers HANTERHIR garnering an enthusiastic response for their mostly enjoyable opening set. Lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist Ben Harris has a strong voice and the makings of a decent frontman. He is ably supported by Lou Macchi (flute, violin, shruti box), Grant Kellow (bass, vocals), Peasy (guitar) and Mike Hewitt (sax, keys). Star of the show is the dervish on drums that is Jason Brown, however. The music takes in the Canterbury Sound, Jethro Tull, Moody Blues and even a bit of the Kinks circa Arthur..., with touches of post-punk and post-rock to the guitar. Unfortunately, the mix is a touch muddy, with the various instruments merging into each other without clear definition and the between song chat edges closer to annoying than amusing. For all that, the penultimate song - about too many second/holiday homes driving locals out of - comes on almost like Killing Joke covering Zep with added flute and sax.