By DJ Astrocreep
Another chance to see the mighty Hawks live is the prize for another trip over to Manchester on a wet evening. While I’ve now seen them on 17 occasions, the most I’ve watched any band live, they have a way of forever capturing both your imagination and holding your attention that makes them a repeated must see. A single support band are on the card in the form of Solstice, which should mean lots of guitar wankery of the finest calibre. Less than 20 songs between two bands and almost three hours of set time – yep, definitely a progressive gig!
Solstice are admittedly unknown to me prior to the show, though this very quickly changes for the better. Traditional prog rock played in a sublime fashion, I am shocked I haven’t encountered them before, given they started in the year I was born! While there is only one founding member remaining, the solidarity and unity between the band is high, which is easy to observe as the band wind through their meandering few songs. After all, 45 minutes is barely time for a real prog guitarist to get his plectrum working on a song, never mind a more numerous set!
The entire band shows a high level of talent and camaraderie, with neither a note missed, nor an opportunity to smile as they show true love for what they’re doing. There is real depth and technical ability to the skills of each member, making for a mesmerising whole that you cannot help but enjoy. A fantastic set that shows their worth to the prog scene more than four decades after their inauguration.
- Solstice play the Winter’s End Prog festival in Chepstow this Saturday (13 April). They then play MK11 in Milton Keynes on Saturday 20 April (in aid of the Willen Hospice) and The 1865 in Southampton on Sunday 21 April.
On to our mighty headliners for the evening and I have never known Hawkwind to disappoint. This evening is a chip off the old block with regards to that, as the space lord veteran Brock and company show once again why they have stood tall at the top of the space rock pile for so long. Starting with some newer material, they get quickly into their set.
While there is healthy support for their latest (now released) album, there is still some absolute fan favourites sprinkled in to keep us all singing and dancing along at the tops of our voices and feet! ‘The Psychedelic Warlords’, including all three parts, is a huge favourite along with ‘Assault and Battery/The Golden Void’, which is a personal favourite too, though it’s easy to tell I am far from the only one into that song!
While the set winds through more new tracks and an instrumental, it’s not long before we are back on well-trodden territory… after all, it is the ‘Spirit Of The Age’! There is plenty of dancing as I look around from the accessibility area, with people just going for it, fully enjoying themselves in the space ritual that is a live Hawkwind show. The friend I have accompanying me hasn’t seen them live before and is absolutely transfixed by the triple threat sonic and visual attack that they bring in a live setting and is a clear indication of just how awe inspiring their live shows still are, to both old and new fans.
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