HW: US Tour?

[J Strobridge]

Keith Henderson writes:

> >I noticed that the Strange Daze 98 page
> >      http://www.now-online.com/jmfinity/sd98.htm
> >
> >Has a new thing at the end saying that Hawkwind is considering playing a
> >few other gigs in the US this fall, and are looking for people who are
> >willing to help line things up.
>
> Yep, Dave Brock sayz the same thing on the Mission Control page...let's hope
> something happens, esp. for those who can't make it to SD'98.


I see that Brock says nothing on his Web page about Custom Bike Show in
Kent early in August that was mentioned as a possibility.   Anyone know
if this is still likely to happen?


Off topically:

> On the subject of US tours, I can give you all the sad news that the
> long-awaited Porcupine Tree tour, that was originally postponed from May to
> September, has now been completely nixed.  Apparently due to lack of support
> from their new label, ARK21.  I *knew* that long drive to Baltimore two
> years ago (to see their only full-show live appearence in the states *ever*)
> was worth it.  :)  It truly sucks, though.

I'm afraid that Porcupine Tree have entered that long descent into the
darkness of unknowing.  They are all but defunct now and the
cancellation of the US tour rather confirms it.    They pulled out of
Glastonbury last year (unsuitable weather and unsuitable venue) while
they still had some popularity and declined to play there this year
(unsuitable venue).   The audiences for many of the UK gigs were tiny,
there was no new album forthcoming and their only new tracks sounded very
much like their old ones just heavier and louder - their originality and
any elegance and subtlty was being lost and they were returning to where
they started - playing Pink Floyd clone tracks.   Unless they can come
up with some new material I fear that all we will have to remember them
by are a few glorious CD albums and about 6 different versions of Voyage
34.   Pity but with luck there will be some interesting spin offs.
Barbieri and Steve Janson have produced one album with some excellent
tracks (but also one album so soporific I fell asleep during it) - Steve
Wilson collaborated with Fish 'Sunsets on Empire' to that album's great
advantage but otherwise I think they may have nothing left to offer.

sad
jill

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J.D.Strobridge at ed.ac.uk                         eset08 at holyrood.ed.ac.uk
                                                ELIJSA at srv0.arts.ed.ac.uk
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