It's simply impossible to put serious stuff aside during certain critical points of our lives. Yeap, life sucks but what matters most is health - be it body, mind or spirit. I've seen many live gigs in my pitiful life but Hawkwind's November 5th performance was something that put me into serious thinking. Not in terms of music itself (wouldn't even describe myself as an average fan, though there's plenty of respect) but mostly under conditions of messages. The following report is meant to be 'nutty' enough so as not to spoil the "spirit":
Prelude to ruin: The doors of Gagarin 205 welcomed not more than 300 faces at 9:00 pm. It was a bit weird. I know this didn't have to do with the band's previous 'controversial' appearance in Greece (many fans were greatly disappointed by the Dave Brock & Co's low appetite to serve their cosmic storm back then...). Hawkwind's latest release ("Take Me To Your Leader") seems to be getting along with the fans' taste and I was really curious what this gig would end up to.
Removal machines: A beer is your best friend in hard times and while chatting on this norm with my pal Leo ("boobs will be boobs even if cockroaches rule the world tomorrow first thing in the morning") Athenian heroes Lord 13 took command of the stage and this was a good startup! Raw sound, plain onstage appearance and a set of Rock_Stoner_Cult-resembling tunes that fit perfectly to a Saturday night gig, resulted in a warm applause after 25'- 30' of performance. I'd seen them again once more in the dark past and my judgment may look hopeful but this band certainly deserves a "wider" opportunity. Ah, not to forget: "Full Speed" kicks ass and I think my money will become a memory if I carry on drinking that much...
Garage dayz: As if an anti-war march had arrived outside the venue, 700+ breeze-faced fans had summed it up to a wonderful crowd for 700 Machines. Hmmm... Standing with one foot into the Garage_Surf mode of the 60's_70's while the other (foot) was flirting with MC5 and The Stooges, the band delivered a rather equally remarkable show, while I was applauding their singer_guitarist for the Voivod t-shirt that he wore. Not much to add, the atmosphere was getting warm enough.
Astral riders: The "pause" button was visibly set with the projector awaiting for the final move. That was it: a delirium of music, noises, psychedelic visual effects and "smoke" everywhere dominated the next 100 minutes of our lives. I felt like I was being taken by force to a velvet spaceship overloaded with a drugs Top-10, strictly ordered not to come back unless the 'load' is 'unpacked'. If my petite Hawkwind collection holds not more than 3-4 albums (maybe the less 'stoned' ones) then I was not aware of what was to follow.
Alien smolder: Dave Brock is the silent force - we knew this! I was thrilled by his lunar eye sight, I could easily set my dreams alight for his sake. Rather plain as an onstage performer, it was clear that when He handled the main vocals, this was The time! Alan Davey - a really remarkable performer, not in terms of musical intelligence but surely regarding the onstage 'spirit' - has been a great helping hand all these years for Brock. In addition, drummer Richard Chadwick - even if I can't give credit to a Real drummer who was 'replaced' at certain points by a @$#@&%*@#%@$ pre-programmed drum machine - is the perfect backup to the Hawk's renaissance. Last but not least, the Hawkwind spaceship captain, keyboard player ................ (fill in the gap please) needs no info on how he supplied all this stellar voyage. Whole genres and trends owe so much to Hawkwind's mystical space journey and...
Skies beyond: tunes like "Right Stuff" or "Greenback Massacre" can hollow out your most internal deliberations; songs like "Angela Android" (another very good track from the "TMTYL" 2005 release) and "Paradox" are capable of demolishing vital organs of spiritual illusion and - not to withdraw this feeling - "Assault & Battery" conflicts with the vast majority of the programmed code of ground thinking. Add a great, well-balanced sound with lots of space for 'shredded' experimentation; add the contribution of the classic butterfly (I liked the term, thanks pal!) dancers - especially the female one and...
Stationary travelers: The voyage was thriving! I could easily 'read' the faces of hundreds of Hawkmen leaving the venue bewitched by the effect of "Brainstorm", "Seven By Seven" and "Ejection". The lunar strain took control! "Hassan I Sabha", it was written.
Damage: Songs in no particular order. Brain cells, the same...
