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Infobox musical artist| name = Hawkwind| image = Hawkwind_Donington_1982.jpg| caption = Hawkwind playing at the Monsters of Rock festival in Donington Park in 1982.| image_size = 250| landscape = yes| background = group_or_band| alias = Hawkwind Zoo Sonic Assassins Hawklords Psychedelic Warriors Hawkdog Agents Of Chaos Hawkon| origin = Ladbroke Grove , England| genre = Space rock , psychedelic rock , protopunk , acid rock , hard rock , progressive rock | years_active = 1969–present| label = United Artists Records|U.A. , Charisma Records|Charisma , Bronze Records|Bronze , Active Records|RCA/Active , Flicknife Records|Flicknife , GWR Records|GWR , Emergency Broadcast System Records|EBS , Voiceprint Records|Voiceprint | associated_acts = Motörhead , Inner City Unit , Space Ritual (band)|Space Ritual , High Tide (band)|High Tide , Tribe of Cro | website = URL| http://www.hawkwind.com/| current_members = Dave Brock Tim Blake Richard Chadwick Mr Dibs Niall Hone| past_members = List of Hawkwind band members|See members article Hawkwind are an English rock music|rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock #refBuckley2003|Buckley 2003 , p. 403, " The addition of Simon House(violin/keyboards) in 1974 mellowed the musical assault without damaging the fabric, but with proto-punk Lemmy on the bass the demands of heavy rock would always be satisfied. " and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk subculture|punk cultures. #Scaruffi2003|Scaruffi 2003 , pg. 114, "''Hawkwind (2) invented "space-rock", a hybrid of hard-rock and acid-rock that united the sonic power of the former and the free improvisation of the latter (and Robert Calvert's sci-fi visions). X In Search Of Space (1971) and Doremi Falso Latido (1972), summarized on their Space Ritual (1973), refined the idea, but theirs was a cult phenomenon that focused mostly on live performance (somewhat similar to what had happened in the USA with the Grateful Dead) while boasting the frenzied, noisy attitude of the MC5. Hawkwind's gargantuan sound also represents a natural (no matter how demented) liaison between hippy culture and punk culture. "
Formed in November 1969 by singer-songwriter and guitar ist Dave Brock , Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and styles of music. Critic Jim Greencite web|url= http://trouserpress.com/entry.php? a=hawkwind |title=Hawkwind |publisher=TrouserPress.com |date= |accessdate=2011-07-01 describes their trademark sound as characterised by "that gargantuan and impenetrable pre-metal/hardcore drone, those great riffs, that inexorable drive to destinations unknown." In the early 1990s, the word "blanga" was coined by Inner City Unit and Robert Calvert guitarist Steve Pond and music critic J. Eric Smith via the Hawkwind Blanga Guide cite web|url= http://indiemoines.com/2012/05/07/blanga-in-praise-of-a-new-hawkwind-album/ |title=BLANGA: In Praise of a New Hawkwind Album |publisher=Indiemoines.com |date= |accessdate=2012-05-12 to summarize this sound, and the word has become a common descriptive term for the music created by Hawkwind and the bands they have inspired. Dozens of musicians have worked with the group; fantasy fiction|fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock was an occasional collaborator.
History
1969: Formation
Dave Brock and Mick Slattery had been in the London-based psychedelic band Famous Cure, and a meeting with bassist John Harrison revealed a mutual interest in electronic music that kicked off this new venture. Seventeen year old drummer Terry Ollis replied to an advert in one of the music weeklies, while Nik Turner and Dik Mik|Michael 'Dik Mik' Davies , old acquaintances of Brock, offered help with transport and gear, but were soon pulled into the band.
Gatecrashing a local talent night at the All Saints Hall , Notting Hill , they were so untogether as to not even have a name, plumping for "Group X" at the last minute, nor any songs, choosing to play an extended 20-minute jam on The Byrds " Eight Miles High ".Mick Slattery — http://www.spaceritual.net/history/index.html www.spaceritual.net BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel was in the audience and was impressed enough to tell event organiser, Douglas Smith, to keep an eye on them. Smith signed them up and got them a deal with Liberty Records on the back of a deal he was setting up for Cochise (band)|Cochise .Douglas Smith — http://www.ibiblio.org/mal/MO/philm/friends/douglas.html Philm Freax presents...
The band settled on the name Hawkwind after briefly being billed as Hawkwind Zoo , Hawkwind being the nickname of Turner derived from his unappealing habit of clearing his throat (hawking) and excessive flatulence (wind). http://www.starfarer.net/intvw999.html Mojo, September 1999 — The Egos Have Landed Another version of the origin of their name says they took it from one of Michael Moorcock 's stories.cite news| url= http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/why-the-great-rocknroll-novel-is-so-elusive-502870.html | location=London | work=The Independent | title=Why the great rock'n'roll novel is so elusive | date=14 August 2005 An Abbey Road session took place recording demos of "Hurry on Sundown" and others (included on the remasters version of Hawkwind (album)|Hawkwind ), after which Slattery left to be replaced by Huw Lloyd-Langton , who had known Brock from his days working in a music shop selling guitar strings to Brock, then a busking|busker .Vintage Guitar Magazine, February 2003 — Huw Lloyd-Langton… Gets on the move again — http://www.huwlloyd-langton.co.uk/press.html www.huwlloyd-langton.co.uk
1970-75: United Artists era
Pretty Things guitarist Dick Taylor was brought in to produce the 1970 debut album Hawkwind (album)|Hawkwind . Although it was not a commercial success, it did bring them to the attention of the UK underground scene finding them playing free concerts, benefit gigs and festivals. Playing free outside the Bath International Music Festival|Bath Festival , they encountered another Ladbroke Grove based band, the Pink Fairies , who shared similar interests in music and recreational activities, a friendship developed which led to the two bands becoming running partners and performing as "Pinkwind". Their use of drugs, however, led to the departure of Harrison, who did not imbibe, to be replaced briefly by Thomas Crimble (musician)|Thomas Crimble (about July '70 - March '71) who played on The Text of Festival|a few BBC sessions , leaving to help organise the Glastonbury Free Festival 1971 and standing in during the band's performance there. http://www.nikturner.com/tirnanog/glastonbury2010.html Nik Turner - Glastonbury, 40 Years On Lloyd-Langton also quit, after a bad LSD trip at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970|Isle of Wight Festival led to his having a nervous breakdown .Mojo, September 1999 — The Egos Have Landed — http://www.starfarer.net/intvw999.html www.starfarer.net
Their follow up album, 1971's In Search of Space , brought greater commercial success, reaching number 18 on the UK album charts, and also saw the band's image and philosophy take shape, courtesy of graphic artist Barney Bubbles and underground press writer Robert Calvert , as depicted in the accompanying Hawklog booklet which would further be developed into the Space Ritual stage show. Science fiction author Michael Moorcock and dancer Stacia also started contributing to the band. Dik Mik had left the band, replaced by sound engineer Del Dettmar , but chose to return for this album giving the band two electronics players. Bass player Dave Anderson (musician)|Dave Anderson , who had been in the German band Amon Düül II , had also joined and played on the album but departed before its release because of personal tensions with some other members of the band. http://www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk/fp1.jpg Hawkwind Family Tree, Pete Frame 1979 Anderson and Lloyd-Langton then formed the short-lived band Amon Din. http://www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk/huweypt.htm Ptolemaic Terrascope talks to Huw Lloyd-Langton, 1992 Meanwhile, Ollis quit, unhappy with the commercial direction the band were heading in.The Saga of Hawkwind (pp95) — Carol Clerk Listen| filename=Hawkwind_SilverMachine.ogg | title=Hawkwind — Silver Machine | description=28 seconds (of 4:39) | format= Ogg The addition of bassist Lemmy|Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister and drummer Simon King (musician)|Simon King propelled the band to greater heights. One of the early gigs this band played was a benefit for the Greasy Truckers at The Roundhouse on 13 February 1972. A live album of the concert Greasy Truckers Party was released, and after re-recording the vocal, a single " Silver Machine " was also released, reaching number 3 in the UK charts. This generated sufficient funds for the subsequent album Doremi Fasol Latido Space Ritual tour. The show featured dancers Stacia and Miss Renee , mime artist Tony Carrera and a light show by Liquid Len and is immortalised on the elaborate package Space Ritual . At the height of their success in 1973, the band released the single " Urban Guerrilla " which coincided with an Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA bombing campaign in London, so the BBC refused to play it and the band's management reluctantly decided to withdraw it fearing accusations of opportunism, despite the disc having already climbed to number 39 in the UK chart.NME, 1 September 1973 — News http://www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk/micro.htm www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk
Dik Mik departed during 1973 and Calvert ended his association with the band to concentrate on solo projects. Dettmar also indicated that he was to leave the band, so Simon House was recruited as keyboardist and violinist playing live shows, a North America tour and recording the 1974 album Hall of the Mountain Grill . Dettmar left after a European tour, emigrating to Canada, whilst Alan Powell deputised for an incapacitated King on that European tour, but remained giving the band two drummers.
At the beginning of 1975, the band recorded the album Warrior on the Edge of Time in collaboration with Michael Moorcock loosely based on his Eternal Champion figure. However, during a North America tour in May, Lemmy was caught in possession of amphetamine crossing the border from the USA into Canada. The border police mistook the powder for cocaine and he was jailed, forcing the band to cancel some shows. Fed up with his erratic behaviour, the band fired the bass player http://www.motorhead.ru/int7trials.htm NME, 28 June 1975 — The Trials Of Lemmy — replacing him with their long standing friend and former Pink Fairies guitarist Paul Rudolph (musician)|Paul Rudolph . Lemmy then teamed up with another Pink Fairies guitarist, Larry Wallis, to form Motörhead , named after the Motorhead (song)|last song he had written for Hawkwind .
1976-78: Charisma era
Robert Calvert made a guest appearance with band for their headline set at the Reading Festival in August 1975, after which he chose to rejoin the band as a full-time vocalist and front man. Stacia , on the other hand, chose to relinquish her dancing duties and settle down to family life. The band changed record company to Tony Stratton-Smith's Charisma Records and, on Tony's suggestion, band management from Douglas Smith to Tony Howard.
1976's Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music is the first album of this era and highlights both Calvert's well crafted lyrics written with stage performance in mind and a greater proficiency and scope in the music. But on the eve of recording the follow-up Back on the Streets (single)|Back on the Streets single, Turner was sacked for his erratic live playingHawkwind Family Tree, Pete Frame 1979 and Powell was deemed surplus to requirements. After a tour to promote the single and during rehearsals for the next album, Rudolph was also sacked for allegedly trying to steer the band into a musical direction at odds with Calvert and Brock's vision.
Adrian "Ade" Shaw , who as the bass player for Magic Muscle had supported Hawkwind on the Space Ritual tour, came in for the 1977 album Quark, Strangeness and Charm . The band continued to enjoy moderate commercial success, but Calvert's mental illness often caused problems. A manic phase saw the band abandon a European tour in France,NME, 12 November 1977 — Hawklord in KGB Wedding Affair — http://www.kadu.demon.co.uk/pages/bobswedding.html Jon's Attic while a depression phase during a 1978 North American tour convinced Brock to disband the group.This Is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic, Chapter 6 — Kris Tait In between these two tours, the band had recorded the album PXR5 in January 1978, but its release was delayed until 1979.
On 23 December 1977 in Barnstaple , Brock and Calvert had performed a one-off gig with Devon band Ark as the Sonic Assassins , and looking for a new project in 1978, bassist Harvey Bainbridge and drummer Martin Griffin were recruited from this event. Steve Swindells was recruited as keyboard player. The band was named Hawklords , probably for legal reasons having recently split with their management, and recording took place on a farm in Devon using a mobile studio resulting in the album 25 Years On . King had originally been the drummer for the project but quit during recording sessions to return to London, while House, who had temporarily left the band to join a David Bowie tour, elected to remain with Bowie full-time, but nevertheless did contribute violin to these sessions. At the end of the album's UK tour, Calvert, wanting King back in the band, fired Griffin, then promptly resigned himself, choosing to pursue a career in literature. http://aural-innovations.com/issues/issue18/03_jones.html Aural Innovations, Issue 18 — Working Down A Diamond Mine Swindells left to record a solo album after an offer had been made to him by the record company Atco Records|ATCO .
1980s
In late 1979, Hawkwind reformed with Brock, Bainbridge and King being joined by Huw Lloyd-Langton (who had played on the debut album) and Tim Blake (formerly of Gong (band)|Gong ), embarking upon a UK tour despite not having a record deal or any product to promote. Some shows were recorded and a deal was made with Bronze Records resulting in the Live Seventy Nine album, quickly followed by the studio album Levitation (album)|Levitation . However, during the recording of Levitation King quit and Ginger Baker was drafted in for the sessions, but he chose to stay with the band for the tour, during which Tim Blake left to be replaced by Keith Hale.
In 1981 Baker and Hale left after their insistence that Bainbridge should be sacked was declined,This Is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic, Chapter 7 — Kris Tait and Brock and Bainbridge elected to handle synthesizers and sequencers themselves with drummer Griffin from the Hawklords rejoining. Three albums, which again saw Michael Moorcock contributing lyrics and vocals, were recorded for Active Records|RCA/Active : Sonic Attack (album)|Sonic Attack , the electronic Church of Hawkwind and Choose Your Masques . This band headlined the 1981 Glastonbury Festival and made an appearance at the 1982 Monsters of Rock|Donington Monsters of Rock Festival , as well as continuing to play the summer solstice at Stonehenge Free Festival .
In the early 1980s, Brock had started using drum machines for his home demos and became increasingly frustrated at the inability of drummers to keep perfect time, leading to a succession of drummers coming and going. First, Griffin was ousted and the band tried Simon King again, but unhappy with his playing at that time, he was rejected. Andy Anderson (drummer)|Andy Anderson filled in while he was also playing for The Cure , as did Robert Heaton prior to the rise of New Model Army (band)|New Model Army . Lloyd Langton Group drummer John Clark did some recording sessions, Rik Martinez started the Earth Ritual tour but failed to end it, being replaced by Clive Deamer.
Nik Turner had returned as a guest for the 1982 Choose Your Masques tour and was invited back permanently. Further tours ensued with Phil " Dead Fred " Reeves augmenting the line-up on keyboards and violin, but neither Turner nor Reeves would appear on the only recording of 1983/84, The Earth Ritual Preview , but there was a guest spot for Lemmy. The Earth Ritual tour was filmed for Hawkwind's first ever video release, Night of the Hawk (Hawkwind video)|Night of the Hawk .
Alan Davey (musician)|Alan Davey was a young fan of the band who had sent a tape of his playing to Brock,Hawkfan 13 — A Chat With Alan Davey — http://www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk/alan3.htm www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk and Brock chose to oust Reeves moving Bainbridge from bass to keyboards in order to accommodate Davey. This experimental line-up played at the Stonehenge Free Festival in 1984, which was filmed and release as Stonehenge (Hawkwind video)|Stonehenge 84 . Subsequent personal and professional tensions between Brock and Turner led to the latter's expulsion at the beginning of 1985.Mojo, December 2005 — Hello Goodbye — http://www.starfarer.net/clippings12.html www.starfarer.net Clive Deamer, who was deemed "too professional" for the band,Music UK, March 1985 — Hawkwind — http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/_hwpress/hw19850500muk.html HawkFanFare was eventually replaced in 1985 by Danny Thompson Jr, a friend of bassist Alan Davey, and remained almost to the end of the decade.
Hawkwind's association with Moorcock climaxed in their most ambitious project, The Chronicle of the Black Sword , based loosely around the Elric series of books and theatrically staged with Tony Crerar as the central character. Moorcock contributed lyrics, but only performed some spoken pieces on some live dates. The tour was recorded and issued as an album Live Chronicles and video The Chronicle of the Black Sword (Hawkwind video)|The Chronicle of the Black Sword . A headline appearance at the 1986 Reading Festival was followed by a UK tour to promote the Live Chronicles album which was filmed and released as Chaos (Hawkwind video)|Chaos . In 1988 the band recorded the album The Xenon Codex with Guy Bidmead, but all was not well in the band and soon after, both Lloyd-Langton and Thompson departed.
Drummer Richard Chadwick, who joined in the summer of '88, had been playing in small alternative free festival bands, most notably Bath's Smart Pils, for a decade and had frequently crossed paths with Hawkwind and Brock. He was initially invited simply to play with the band, but eventually replaced stand in drummer Mick Kirton to become the band's drummer to the present day.
To fill in the gap of lead sound, lost when Lloyd-Langton left, violinist Simon House was re-instated into the lineup in 1989 (having previously been a member from 1974 until 1978), and, notably, Hawkwind embarked on their first US visit in 11 years (since the somewhat disastrous 1978 tour), in which House did not partake. The successfully received full American tour was the first of several over the coming years, in an effort by the band to reintroduce themselves to the American market.
1990s
Bridget Wishart , an associate of Chadwick's from the festival circuit, also joined to become the band's one and only frontwoman. This band produced two albums, 1990s Space Bandits and 1991's Palace Springs (album)|Palace Springs and also filmed a 1-hour appearance for the Nottingham (Hawkwind video)|Bedrock TV series.
1990 saw Hawkwind tour the USA again, the second instalment in a series of American visits made at around this time in an effort to re-establish the Hawkwind brand in America. The original business plan was to hold three consecutive US tours, annually, from 1989-1991, with the first losing money, the second breaking even, and the third turning a profit, ultimately bringing Hawkwind back into recognition across the Atlantic. Progress, however, was someone stunted, due to ex-member Nik Turner touring the United States with his own bands at the time, in which the shows were often marketed as Hawkwind.
In 1991 Bainbridge,House and Wishart departed and the band continued as a three piece relying heavily on synthesizers and sequencers to create a wall-of-sound. The 1992 album Electric Tepee combined hard rock and light ambient pieces, while It is the Business of the Future to be Dangerous is almost devoid of the rock leanings. The Business Trip is a record of the previous album's tour, but rockier as would be expected from a live outing. The White Zone album was released under the alias Psychedelic Warriors to distance itself entirely from the rock expectancy of Hawkwind.
A general criticism of techno music at that time was its facelessness and lack of personality, which the band were coming to feel also plagued them.The Saga of Hawkwind (pp413) — Carol Clerk Ron Tree had known the band on the festival circuit and offered his services as a frontman, and the band duly employed him for the album Alien 4 (album)|Alien 4 and its accompanying tour which resulted in the album Love in Space and video Love in Space (Hawkwind video)|Love in Space .
In 1996, unhappy with the musical direction of the band, bassist Davey left, forming his own Middle-Eastern flavoured hard-rock group Bedouin and a Motörhead tribute act named Ace of Spades.The Saga of Hawkwind (pp418) — Carol Clerk His bass playing role was reluctantly picked up by singer Tree and the band were joined full-time by lead guitarist Jerry Richards (another stalwart of the festival scene, playing for Tubilah Dog who had merged with Brock's Agents of Chaos during 1988) for the albums Distant Horizons and In Your Area . Rasta chanter Captain Rizz also joined the band for guest spots during live shows.
2000s
The concept of a Hawkestra , a reunion event featuring appearances from all past and present members, had originally been intended to coincide with the band's 30th anniversary and the release of the career spanning Epocheclipse|Epocheclipse – 30 Year Anthology set, but logistical problems delayed it until 21 October 2000. It took place at the Brixton Academy with about 20 members taking part in a 3+ hour set which was filmed and recorded. Guests included Samantha Fox who sang Master of the Universe.BBC Suffolk Feature - http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2005/10/25/hawkwind_foster_feature.shtml Hawkwind: The Leader Speaks However, arguments and disputes over financial recompense and musical input resulted in the prospect of the event being restaged unlikely, and any album or DVD release being indefinitely shelved.The Saga of Hawkwind, Chapter 30: The Great Hawkestra Disaster — Carol Clerk
The Hawkestra had set a template for Brock to assemble a core band of Tree, Brock, Richards, Davey, Chadwick and for the use of former members as guests on live shows and studio recordings. The 2000 Christmas Astoria show was recorded with contributions from House, Blake, Rizz, Moorcock, Jez Huggett and Keith Kniveton and released as Yule Ritual the following year. In 2001, Davey agreed to rejoin the band permanently, but only after the departure of Tree and Richards.The Saga of Hawkwind (pp486) — Carol Clerk
Meanwhile, having rekindled relationships with old friends at the Hawkestra, Turner organised further Hawkestra gigs resulting in the formation of xhawkwind.com, a band consisting mainly of ex-Hawkwind members and playing old Hawkwind songs. An appearance at Guilfest in 2002 led to confusion as to whether this actually was Hawkwind, sufficiently irking Brock into taking legal action to prohibit Turner from trading under the name Hawkwind. Turner lost the case and the band now perform as Space Ritual (band)|Space Ritual .The Saga of Hawkwind, Chapter 32: The Hawkwars — Carol Clerk
An appearance at the Canterbury Sound Festival in August 2001, resulting in another live album Canterbury Fayre 2001 , saw guest appearances from Lloyd-Langton, House, Kniveton with Arthur Brown (musician)|Arthur Brown on "Silver Machine". The band organised the first of their own weekend festivals, named Hawkfest , in Devon in the summer of 2002. Brown joined the band in 2002 for a Winter tour which featured some Kingdom Come (Arthur Brown)|Kingdom Come songs and saw appearances from Blake and Lloyd-Langton, the Newcastle show being released on DVD as Out of the Shadows (Hawkwind video)|Out of the Shadows and the London show on CD as Spaced Out in London .
In 2005 the long anticipated new album Take Me to Your Leader (Hawkwind album)|Take Me to Your Leader was released. Recorded by the core band of Brock/Davey/Chadwick, contributors included new keyboardist Jason Stuart (musician)|Jason Stuart , Arthur Brown, tabloid writer and TV personality Matthew Wright , 1970s New Wave singer Lene Lovich , Simon House and Jez Huggett. This was followed in 2006 by the CD/DVD Take Me to Your Future .
The band were the subject of an hour-long television documentary entitled Hawkwind: Do Not Panic that aired on BBC Four as part of the Originals series. It was broadcast on 30 March 2007 and repeated on 10 August 2007. Although Brock participated in its making he did not appear in the programme, it is alleged that he requested all footage of himself be removed after he was denied any artistic control over the documentary. http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/freakzone/tracklisting_20070204.shtml BBC 6 Music, Freakzone, 4 February 2007 — Nik Turner interviewCite journal | last = Cumming | first = Tim | title = Hawkwind: They're still feeling mean | journal = The Independent | date= 30 March 2007 | url = http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/features/article2403301.ece | postscript = In one of the documentary's opening narratives regarding Brock, it is stated that he declined to be interviewed for the programme because of Nik Turner's involvement, indicating that the two men have still not been reconciled over the xhawkwind.com incident.
June 2007 saw the official departure of Alan Davey, who left to perform and record with two new bands: Gunslinger and Thunor. He was replaced by "Mr Dibs", a long-standing member of the road crew and bassist for the bands Spacehead and Krel (who had supported Hawkwind during 1992). The band performed at their annual Hawkfest festival and headlined the US festival NEARfest and played gigs in PA and NY. At the end of 2007, Tim Blake once again joined the band filling the lead role playing keyboards and theremin . The band played 5 Christmas dates, the London show being released as an audio CD and video DVD under the title Knights of Space .
In January 2008 the band reversed its anti-taping policy, long a sore-point with many fans, announcing that it would allow audio recording and non-commercial distribution of such recordings, provided there was no competing official release.cite web |url= http://www.hawkwindmuseum.co.uk/trading%20rules.htm |title=trade rules |accessdate=2008-01-17|date=2008-01-16 |publisher=Hawkwind Museum At the end of 2008, Atomhenge Records (a subsidiary of Cherry Red Records ) commenced the re-issuing of Hawkwind's back catalogue from the years 1976 through to 1997 with the release of two triple CD anthologies Spirit of the Age Anthology|Spirit of the Age (anthology 1976-84) and Spirit of the Age Anthology|The Dream Goes On (anthology 1985-97) . http://www.cherryred.co.uk/atomhenge/news.htm Atomhenge Records
On 8 September 2008 keyboard player Jason Stuart died due to a brain haemorrhage. In October 2008, guitarist Niall Hone (former Tribe of Cro) joined Hawkwind for their Winter 2008 tour, along with returning synth/theremin player Tim Blake. Niall also plays bass guitar alongside Mr Dibs in the live set, on tracks such as Angels of Death and Magnu. Niall's bass sound ( Music Man StingRay bass with a Marshall guitar stack) and style is very different to Mr Dibs, as he uses heavy distortion and psychedelic effects to complement the already heavy bass sound of Mr. Dibs, often playing lead bass. Mr. Dibs has a very solid heavy punky style, using an Ovation Magnum Bass, and an Eastwood Magnum copy, with a Marshall VB400 amp with 8x10 stack. Niall and Mr. Dibs also use Macbook Pros for live electronic improvisation running Ableton Live software, allowing them to manipulate, mix and effect a vast array of sounds and samples in with the overall sound.
In 2009, the band began occasionally featuring Jon Sevink, from The Levellers as guest violinist at some shows. Later that year, Hawkwind embarked on a winter tour to celebrate the bands 40th anniversary including two sold out gigs on 28 and 29 August to mark the date of the first ever Hawkwind gig, and in 2010, held Hawkfest on the Isle Of Wight on the site of the original IOW Festival, on the 40th anniversary of their first ever festival appearance.
2010s
On 21 June 2010, Hawkwind released a studio album entitled Blood of the Earth . http://www.bravewords.com/news/137843 Eastworld Recordings Sign HAWKWIND; Blood Of The Earth Details Revealed, E-Card Available In December 2010, Hawkwind embarked on a UK tour to support the album.
Although Niall Hone was initially employed as a guitarist, he took on more duties on bass guitar (he had played bass from an early age in many bands such as Mandragora (band)|Mandragon and The Captain Sensible Band, and jammed with Dave Brock in the late 1980s in Alan Davey's absence) and since May 2011, he has been playing bass for most of the live shows. Mr. Dibs has moved to more of a lead singer role.
2011 saw the band tour Australia for a second time, and play a series of festivals in Europe, including Sweden Rock Festival . A small UK tour was held December. April 2012 saw the release of a new album, Onward (album)|Onward , on the Plastichead arm, Eastworld Records, and a tour is announced for May and June 2012.
Influence and legacy
Hawkwind have been cited as an influence by artists such as Al Jourgensen of Ministry (band)|Ministry ,cite web|author=Posted 12/15/05 |url= http://www.vh1classic.com/view/playlist/1518001/69502/VH1_Classic_Q_A_Al_Jourgensen/Al_Jourgensen_Part_1/index.jhtml |title="Al Jourgensen - Part 1" & #124; Interview & #124; VH1.com |publisher=Vh1classic.com |date= |accessdate=2011-07-01 Monster Magnet , http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/monstermagnet/biography dead link|date=July 2011 the Sex Pistols (who covered " Silver Machine "cite web|url= http://www.nme.com/news/sex-pistols/38286 |title=Sex Pistols cover Hawkwind, Jonathan Richman at Summercase & #124; News |publisher=Nme.Com |date=2008-07-20 |accessdate=2011-07-01), Henry Rollins of Black Flag (band)|Black Flag ,cite web|url= http://www.seatwave.com/hawkwind-tickets/season |title=Hawkwind tickets – Buy Hawkwind concert tickets on |publisher=Seatwave.com |date= |accessdate=2011-07-01 and Ozric Tentacles .cite web|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2004/12/06/hawkwind_event_feature.shtml |title=Tyne - Entertainment - Hawkwind @ Tyne Theatre |publisher=BBC |date=2004-12-04 |accessdate=2011-07-01
Discography
details|Hawkwind discography col-begin-smallcol-3 Studio albums
1970 Hawkwind (album)|Hawkwind
1971 In Search of Space
1972 Doremi Fasol Latido
1974 Hall of the Mountain Grill
1975 Warrior on the Edge of Time
1976 Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music
1977 Quark, Strangeness and Charm
1978 25 Years On — Hawklords
1979 PXR5
1980 Levitation (album)|Levitation
1981 Sonic Attack (album)|Sonic Attack
1982 Church of Hawkwind
1982 Choose Your Masques
1985 The Chronicle of the Black Sword
1988 The Xenon Codex
1990 Space Bandits
1992 Electric Tepee
1993 It Is the Business of the Future to Be Dangerous
1995 White Zone — Psychedelic Warriors
1995 Alien 4 (album)|Alien 4
1997 Distant Horizons
1999 In Your Area — live and studio
2000 Spacebrock — Dave Brock solo
2005 Take Me to Your Leader (Hawkwind album)|Take Me to Your Leader
2006 Take Me to Your Future
2010 Blood of the Earth
2012 Onward (album)|Onward cite web|url= http://www.hawkwind.com/ |title=Hawkwind Mission Control |publisher=Hawkwind.com |date= |accessdate=2012-05-22 col-3 Live albums
1973 Space Ritual
1978 Live 78 - Hawklords
1980 Live Seventy Nine
1986 Live Chronicles
1991 Palace Springs (album)|Palace Springs
1994 The Business Trip
1996 Love in Space
1999 Hawkwind 1997
2001 Yule Ritual
2002 Canterbury Fayre 2001
2004 Spaced Out in London
2008 Knights of Space col-3 Archive albums
1980 The Weird Tapes (1969–1983)
1983 The Text of Festival (1970–1971)
1983 Zones (album)|Zones (1980 and 1982)
1984 This Is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic (1980 and 1984)
1984 Bring Me the Head of Yuri Gagarin (1973)
1984 Space Ritual Volume 2 (1972)
1985 Hawkwind Anthology (1967–1982)
1987 Out & Intake (1982 and 1986)
1991 BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (Hawkwind album)|BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (1972)
1992 The Friday Rock Show Sessions (1985)
1992 Hawklords#Live|Hawklords Live (1978)
1992 California Brainstorm (1990)
1995 Undisclosed Files Addendum (1984 and 1988)
1997 The 1999 Party (1974)
1999 Glastonbury 90 (1990)
1999 Choose Your Masques: Collectors Series Volume 2 (1982)
1999 '' Live Seventy Nine#Complete '79: Collector Series Volume 1|Complete '79: Collectors Series Volume 1 (1979)
2000 Atomhenge 76 (1976)
2002 Live 1990 (album)|Live 1990 (1990)
2008 Minneapolis, 4 October 1989 (1989)
2008 Reading University, 19 May 1992 (1992)
2009 '' Hawklords#Live|Live '78 (1978) col-end
Videography
details|Hawkwind videography
1984 – Night of the Hawks – 60min concert
1984 – Stonehenge (Various Artists video) – 60min concert with The Enid and Roy Harper
1984 – Stonehenge - 60min concert
1985 – The Chronicle of the Black Sword – 60min concert
1986 – Bristol Custom Bike Show – 15min concert with Voodoo Child
1986 – Chaos - 60min concert
1989 – Treworgey tree fayre|Treworgey Tree Fayre – 90min concert
1990 – Nottingham – 60min TV concert
1990 – Bournemouth Academy – 90min concert
1992 – Brixton Academy – 123min concert
1995 – Love in Space – 90min concert
2002 – Out of the Shadows – 90min concert
2008 – Knights of Space – 90min concert
Remixes
1993 - Remixes - Spirit of the Age|Spirit Of The Age - Solstice Mixes ( 4-Real Records , 4R1) 12" & CD single
1996 - Remixes - Future Reconstructions - Ritual Of The Solstice ( Emergency Broadcast System Records , EBS117) 2x12" & CD album
1999 - Remixes - Epocheclipse|Silver Machine - Infected By The Scourge Of The Earth ( EMI , DECLIPSE1999) 12" & CD single
2000 - Remixes - The Hawkwind Remix Project (Unknown,WARLORD777CD) CD album
Members
mainlist|List of Hawkwind band members
Dave Brock – singing|vocals , electric guitar , keyboard instrument|keyboards (1969–present)
Niall Hone – bass guitar , electric guitar , sampling, synthesis and keyboards (2008–present)
Tim Blake – keyboards, vocals (1979–80; 2000–02; 2007–present)
Richard Chadwick – drum kit|drums , vocals (1988–present)
Mr Dibs – vocals, bass guitar (2007–present)
Quotation
Former member, Nik Turner , stated in 1972 - cquote|We wanted to play the Windsor Sex Olympics but only half the band turned up. NME - September 1972cite book | first= John | last= Tobler | year= 1992 | title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years | edition= 1st | publisher= Reed International Books Ltd | location= London | page= 242 | id= CN 5585 | isbn= 0600576027
Book references
Cite book |last=Buckley |first=Peter |title=The Rough Guide to Rock |publisher=Rough Guides |year=2003 |location=London |isbn=1-85828-201-2
Cite book | last=Scaruffi |first=Piero |title=A History of Rock Music:1951-2000 |publisher=¡Universe, Inc. |year=2003 |isbn=0-595-29565-7
Other references
Reflist|colwidth=30em
Further reading
There are three biographies of Hawkwind.
Kris Tait – This is Hawkwind: Do Not Panic (1984, published by the band and now only available second hand)
Ian Abrahams – Sonic Assassins (Published by SAF publishing; ISBN 0-946719-69-1)
Carol Clerk – Saga of Hawkwind (Publisher: Music Sales Limited ISBN 1-84449-101-3)
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/hawkwind/index.html Hawkeye On Hawkwind
http://www.aural-innovations.com/issues/issue13/hawk09.html Scot Heller's Review of the Hawkestra Concert
http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/windsor-menu.html Hawkwind at the Windsor Free Festival
http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/henge-history-1977.html Hawkwind at the Stonehenge Free Festival
http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/rock-at-the-oval-9-16-72.html Hawkwind at the The Oval 1972
http://www.ibiblio.org/mal/MO/philm/hawkwind/ Philm Freax: Hawkwind X-In Search of Space Original photos by Philm Freax.
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