Astoria Review

[Jon Jarrett]

        Dear All,
                  I shall be posting this on a BBS I use, but I thought
I'd stick it on BOC-L too as I shall only get to include the obsessive
who-played-on-what bit here :-) NB that I'm using initials, not Bernhard's
elaborate codes for the musicians...

<begin included message>

On the 29th we went to see Hawkwind. It was excellent. I can't praise it
enough, It was intended by Dave Brock, Hawkwinds original and now only
leader, to make up for the rarher slapdash though hugely amusing Hawkestra
gig, and boy did it. They were faultless. Everyone was at least good, and
most were excellent. Every minute of rehearsal paid off, and they played
some truly unexpected stuff as well as leaving out their three crowd
standards, `Silver Machine, `Master of the Universe and `Brainstorm Nobody
cared. Having found out what was to be the encore I'm rather annoyed they
didn't play that but the Astoria was intent on getting its club going on
time. Ah well.

        The gig was a nearly all-day affair and opened with an acoustic
set by Huw Lloyd Langton, Hawkwind's ex lead guitarist. I missed it
because I was still in the pub drinking Sam Smith's but I've seen him do
this before and it's nothing special to me though the more folk-rock of
the contingent might get something out of it because he can certainly
play. After him were Morphonic, a two-piece techno outfit in the same
general sound-sphere as Orbital but lacking their complexity, sense of re
flash than Orbital (who don't to my mind really do, or need, flash) but
they were basically nothing special. They are in part the son of
Hawkwind's violinist so that's what they were doing there.

        Next up were Spacehead, who really weren't very good. I have one
CD of this lot's, and it's all-right Hawkwind/Sabbath clone stuff with
lousy vocals, appalling lyrics, a nasty thin instrumentation and the
production value of a microphone in a vacuum cleaner. I was informed that
they'd got better but in fact they have only got faster, thereby losing a
lot of their solemnity and impact. Their leader is the bass-player, Mr.
Dibs and I think he wants to be Bedouin now and not Hawkwind. Sadly he's a
lousy musician and can't sing. And his bass sounds horrible and
tinny. Their guitarist was moonlighting from Dr. Hasbeen and did nothing
but stand there and riff all set. I mean, good and solid but nothing in
the slightest bit exciting. I don't know whether Dibs wanted it that way
or whether he genuinely had nothing to do but it didn't do much for
me. Their drummer was little better. Their synth player was a woman
unknown to me, and I couldn't hear very much of what she did, though what
I could was simple but unusual. Inappropriate maybe; more pop noises than
space noises. But if she'd been louder it might have lifted the otherwise
monotonous would-be-blanga-played-through-speak'n'spells that we
got. Keith Kniveton of Starfield was also playing audio generators; he
remained almost still throughout the set and his noises were for the most
part too high for me to hear. When he came down out of the far ultrasonic
he did a lot to lift the quality of the drab set.

        It wasn't all bad; they did one number called `Chemistry' which
I'm prepared to call good, a song that sounded like their `Astroman'
speeded up which showed off its Hawkwind ancestry rather but was OK, and
something that Kirsten identified as `Paranoid' but was in fact only the
same in the vocal line, less a bit of tweaking. The Hawkwind and Calvert
covers were pleasant through being themselves but were both lame
performances. But it wasn't up to much all things considered. If someone
can force them into a studio and they get a few things down when they're
on an up, it'll be OK. But I shall avoid them live in future.

        There is a damn sight too much of this quality of stuff lurking
about though. Spacerock in the US has gone three ways, slewing into stoner
as in Monster Magnet, slewing into prog-type jazz fusion as in Melting
Euphoria and Quarkspace, neither of whom I get into at all, and in some
few cases actually exploring new places I want to go, as in the cases of
ST37 and Farflung who in different ways (ST37 in a Texas mescaline-fuelled
freak trip to the beyond, Farflung in a deliberate and well-provisioned
attempt to reach the stars using vintage instruments and a set of engine
components borrowed from Hawkwind (though they've been tuned out of all
recognition, mostly down), Chrome and Cluster) are actually going
somewhere. In Britain there's only one way: slavish imitation of Hawkwind.
Spacehead at least show up Sabbath influences (or at least steal their
riffs) too but their work and that of the once-related Krel as far as
they're currently available are basically Hawkwind riffs and tunes set to
new synth textures and words. With Krel's _Ad Astra_ you really can play
spot the Hawkwind thefts, averaging about two per song. There's the
Gong-influenced ethnic festi jazz stuff like the Ozrics, Unlimbo and so
on, yes, which is all great fun although doesn't do anything new now, and
there's Alan Davey taking Motörhead and NWoBHM into space, which is also
good and will go somewhere, but he is one man. Other than that since Omnia
Opera broke up and all the eighties space-goth crossovers like Dark
Empire, Big Amongst Sheep and Underground Zero disappeared, nothing new is
being done here. We have lost space to the Americans, _again_. Someone
should do something. Except not me as I have no new ideas either.

        Anyway, after him came Spiral Realms, which once upon a time was
Simon House, Hawkwind's violinist and erstwhile Prince of Keys with two
other great space synth players, and is now the act that at Brixton was
simply billed as Simon House, i. e. Mr. House on violin and his son from
Morphonic on programmed backing and synth. They opened with some classical
piece we couldn't identify which was actually rather good and then ran
through an uninspiring set of Hawkwind songs written by Simon. They were
OK and Simon's violin-playing was very good, as usual, but basically it's
Hawkwind through a sequencer with all the edge taken out and bad techno
drumbeats. When they left the Hawkwind stuff it was in fact much more
interesting; I don't know if the stuff was new or old Spiral Realms stuff
but it was more genuine than the recycling. Towards the end of the set the
programmed drums seemed to get quieter and even out of step and at that
point things became really interesting. The synth was making some
reasonable if unamazing swoosh, and Simon was light years out through
several nebulae. He really can make that violin of his make some
completely other noises, and he was playing with all the pedals down. If
they had just _left out the drum programs_ this would be at least one of
the futures of music, a free-form exploratory mind-opening electronic
soundscape of molten rivulets and swirling cloud like really early
Tangerine Dream but sharper, clearer and weirder. Sadly I fear what I
could hear trying to get out in that set will never in fact be released,
Simon is slightly too conventionally-trained a musician. But though for me
the drums spoilt it it was in fact pretty good.

        Following on was Tim Blake. He did most of the things he had done
at Brixton but there were important differences. Apart from a short set of
piano vignettes he did by way of illustration of what he would have given
us if a grand piano had been available to him, he did `Tide of the
Century', `Crystal Island' and a pair of other things before finishing off
with a tear-jerking `New Jerusalem'. He can of course no longer sing, but
in fact as far as he now can be he was in voice; he missed a lot of notes
but not by very much and didn't crack the top ones. And of course as a
synth-player and pianist he's excellent. Really gets into his performance
too. Full marks to him say I, although a slightly odd idea of a warm-up.

        And then Hawkwind. I've said it already but they were excellent.
The sound was crystal, and everyone gave their all. It was particularly
nice to actually be able to hear all of Richard's kit and so estimate that
he is in fact a very good drummer. And for once one could hear Jerry play
lead, which is good because so is he. And Ron was himself again, stoned as
all get out but fully in control of his voice, remembering all the words,
and delivering them as himself not as Calvert. Basically they sounded like
they would on a really good live CD. I cannot complain in any way and I
very much hope there is in fact a CD release of the gig as it was in every
way worth it. The details that follow are only for the afficionados
therefore, they being castlist and setlist.

In order of appearance:

Harvey Bainbridge - synths keys & vox;
Richard Chadwick - drums perc & vox;
Alan Davey - bass & vox [2];
Simon House - violin;
Dave Brock - vox, gtr keys synth & programs;
Keith Kniveton - generators;
Jerry Richards - lead gtr & vox;
Ron Tree - lead vox;
Tim Blake - synth, vox keys & programs;
Michael Moorcock (by telephone from Texas) - recitation;
?Theo Travis - sax flute & clarinet [1];
Huw Lloyd Langton - perc;
Captain Rizz - mercifully few vox.

[1] I don't actually know who this was. He came on in a suit for `Angels
of Death' and Dave did announce him but no-one seems to have heard the
name. He looked the right build for Theo Travis though, and played a bit
like him, and I can't think who else it could have been. Interesting links
to Porcupine Tree and so on though.

[2] Wandered past the sound-board as Morphonic finished their set, grinned
evilly and mimed shoving everything all the way up)

In order of audio (with annotated lineup changes):

        (HB/RC/AD/SH/DB/KK)
Intro (dark streaming lengthy stuff this, excellent) =>
Levitation (totally unexpected (which was the theme for the night),
        with a techno mid-section based on the synth-line from `Blue
        Skin')
        (+JR, +RT clearly more than a bit stoned and to mockery from DB -
        but on form once he actually started, and how)
Hippy
Spacebrock (brand new and I didn't know it till I played the CD; I
        thought it must be Alan's; sounds slightly better on the CD
        because of the extra guitar but on the other hand benefitted from
        a full band immensely)
        (-HB, -RT, -JR, -SH, but TB came on to watch from his place)
Space is Deep (started off sounding rather Brock solo, and not as out
        there as the original, and Alan took it into the groove earlier
        than I expected but once it was there - oh yes!)
        (+RT)
Flying Doctor (yes! That was our fault!)
        (+HB, +MM, +SH, +TB, -RT)
Standing on the Edge/Warriors (this was so incredible. Moorcock sounded
        completely eldritch, He wasn't just over the top, he was under it,
        around it and somewhere else completely and yet much more focussed
        and generally giving full voice to his words for maybe the first
        time ever - Kirsten hates this one but had to admit that it was in
        fact cool) =>
        (-TB, +TT)
Angels of Death (with an amazing break in the middle massively enhanced
        by the sax, faultlessly in tune and melodic, and everyone else
        really letting go too)
        (-TT, +TB)
High Rise (I can't express how happy I was when I finally believed they
        were going to do it. Ron was excellent, and I defy anyone to say
        otherwise. Not Calvert's style, but his own, and at his best)
        (-RT, -TB, +HB)
Damage of Life (this completely surprised me. I think it lacked
        intensity compared to what surrounded it but it was still cool,
        and again unexpected)
        (+TB, -HB, +JR)
Lighthouse (excellent but particularly enhanced by Jerry's very
        sensitive guitar atmospherics. Didn't lead in to it just with Tim
        as I expected but with some backing there right from the start.
        Possibly too difficult to shut Alan up? But also cool this way)
        (-TB, +MM, +TT)
Texas Calling/Sonic Attack (top class. Moorcock still unhinged. Calvert
        did not seem so amazing afterward)
        (-MM, -JR)
Free Fall (very well sung by Harvey)
        (+JR, +TB, -TT)
Motorway City =>
Hurry on Sundown (much richer both with all three electronics
        players going)
        (+RT, +HLL, -HB)
Spirit of the Age (again turned into a sing-along with the crowd and
        generally warmer and nicer than I suspect Calvert designed it)
        (-HLL, +TT)
Assassins of Allah (-JR, -RT, +RIZZ) / Space is Their Palestine (+HB, +JR,
        +RT) / Assassins of Allah

        Gods it was incredible. And moreover the sound of the band was
darker and cooler than usual, though not as fried as the Space Ritual. If
this comes out on CD it will be halfway between there and Love in Space in
sound and better than at least one of them. buildup or originality. They
weren't bad and their stuff had a little mo

<end included message>

--
     Jon Jarrett (01223 514989)       jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk
   =====================================================================
        "There's nothin' more dangerous than a wounded mosquito."