HAWKWIND WATCH THIS SPACE

Dave Brock, Nik Turner and the other Silver Survivors remember 40 years of Hawkwind and celebrate their most collectable records. By Ian Abrahams

Few bands have enjoyed or endured the twists and turns of fate that Hawkwind have undergone since their first appearance under the by-line ‘Group X’ at All Saint’s Hall, Notting Hill in August 1969.

Hailed as the leading freak band of the 1970s Free Festival scene, championed by key players in the Punk movement, rejected by the Heavy Metal fraternity in a hail of bottles at the Donnington Monsters of Rock festival in 1982... Inspirations for a swathe of festival bands in the 1980s and name-checked by their Rave and Trance successors, they’ve ridden the fickle affections of the music world for forty years.

In their 40th anniversary year, they can boast as a wide a constituency as ever – even if they themselves are split into rival factions: the ongoing line-up of founder member Dave Brock, and Nik Turner’s Space Ritual splinter-group. Brock’s Hawkwind play a special two night ‘happening’ at Porchester Hall in Notting Hill Gate on 28th and 29th August, promising ‘a few surprises with some very special guests joining us for the birthday celebrations,’ and have announced plans for a new album this year, purported to be a sequel to the classic In Search of Space.

Turner, meanwhile, is involved with a reformation of …

by Ian Abrahams
<< Back to Issue 360

You must be a subscriber to view the full article, subscribe now for full access to all online content.

Already a Magazine Subscriber? Register now for online access.