A different kind of Hawkwind gig.

HAWKWIND

VENUE THE LONDON PALLADIUM

DATE 28/10/2021

In good spirits: Dave Brock.

Magnus Martin and new boy Doug MacKinnon.

KEVIN NIXON

Capturing the spirit of the age… and those preceding it!

They’re seated now, but the crowd are on the cusp of dancing!

The lively Thighpaulsandra.

It’s fair to say that The London Palladium has rarely seen anything like it; the venue’s security certainly haven’t. Onstage Hawkwind are blasting their way through a rarely heard rendition of Uncle Sam’s On Mars from 1979’s PXR5, which also manages to include a snippet of The Iron Dream from 1977’s Quark, Strangeness And Charm, and it proves too much for the ’Wind faithful. They’re on high-spirited form, although, it should be noted, certainly not rancourous in any way.

As a beaming Dave Brock looks down from his side of the stage, which is where Prog is seated, those who have ‘tuned in’ to tonight’s Hawkwind vibe from the off – and judging from a rather pungent odour, someone’s snuck some ‘reefer madness’ into a vape – can hold back no longer and take to dancing in the aisles, limbs flailing, those who choose to remain seated protecting their drinks with no little concern. As the band move into a riotous Spirit Of The Age the celebrations become more intense, the whirling dervishes enticing others to join in as the venue security try to quell the uprising. Initially they’re fighting a losing battle, but eschewing brute force in favour of Covid-cautionary persuasion, a mini-riot is avoided.

To be honest, it’s not difficult to see why the band have inspired such feverish devotion tonight. Aside from the fact there’s a lot of people – both onstage and in the crowd – who have been waiting too long to let their hair down, Hawkwind are on blistering form. With a set that contains a fair bit of the band’s latest album, Somnia, it manages to avoid the ‘greatest hits’ approach they took when they celebrated 50 years on the planet at London’s Royal Albert Hall back in 2019. So, as the hypnotic beat of opener Magnu gives way to Brainbox Pollution from 1972’s Doremi Fasol Latido, the excitement in the audience is palpable. This is a different kind of Hawkwind gig, a point rammed home when they dip into 1992’s Electric Teepee from Right To Decide.

“It’s not difficult to see why the band have inspired such feverish devotion tonight. Hawkwind are on blistering form.”

Alongside mainstay Brock and longtime drummer Richard Chadwick, guitarist, vocalist and keyboard player Magnus Martin, onboard for five years now, is a calming presence in an almost dreamlike state – fitting given the subject matter of new album Somnia, which he himself inspired. The new boys, bassist Doug MacKinnon (once of cult stoner/psych trio Cybernetic Witch Cult) and keyboard player Thighpaulsandra (who has trodden the boards with space rock drood Julian Cope among others), are lively additions, presenting more visual flair than the stoic Brock.

Brock may be an octogenarian now but he’s in very good spirits and seems far less detached onstage tonight than he might have previously appeared. A ripsnorting take on 1980’s Levitation sees the right-hand aisle full of dancing fans and despairing security once again. Prog is quite frankly astonished that they manage to quell the revellers as Brainstorm, invested with a snatch of Golden Void, brings the main set to a close.