Lords of Chaos
Hawklords’ blend of cosmic space rock might carry some hallmarks of the band its members were once a part of, but that’s where the similarities end. Now officially in their third decade, the collective continue their purple patch with latest album Time. Guitarist Jerry Richards tells Prog the story behind it and showcases their new line-up.
Words: Dave Ling Images: Karmen
Jerry Richards: space lord.
“People can compare us to Hawkwind all they like. Both of our bands operate in the same time stream, but they’re in a cross-connected multiverse. There’s a wormhole that connects us both.”
The Hawklords were born in 1978 when three Hawkwind members – guitarist Dave Brock, frontman Robert Calvert and drummer Simon King – broke away for the album 25 Years On. When Hawkwind rebooted, to all intents and purposes the Hawklords appeared dead. This wasn’t so, although it took 30 years to prove the theory.
In 2008, saxophonist Nik Turner rallied a group of Hawkwind alumni for a tribute gig to Calvert, who had passed two decades earlier. When, the following year, a similar memorial show for artist and designer Barney Bubbles took place, it became evident that this new version of Hawklords had legs of their own. And so it has proved.
Time – the band’s 10th album since debut We Are One in 2012 – was made by a floating line-up largely comprising Hawkwind personnel from the past.