HW: Hawkfest 2003

[PETER WILKINSON]

WELL WELL WELL!!! WHAT CAN ONE SAY ABOUT OUR LOVELY FESTIVAL. LOTS OF YOU
HAVE SAID LOTS SO MY ONLY COMMENT IS  -BRING ON HAWKFEST 2004!!


>From: Nick Lee <nick.lee2 at VIRGIN.NET>
>Reply-To: BOC/Hawkwind Discussion List <BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET>
>To: BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET
>Subject: HW:  Hawkfest 2003
>Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2003 20:46:10 +0100
>
>Got back yesterday from Hawkfest a little too shattered to write
>anything much.
>
>What a wonderful weekend!  Great weather, great music and good times.
>Great to see so many friends, old and new, and put some more faces to
>names.
>Building on last year's blueprint the organisation this was spot on
>things appeared to be running very smoothly.
>
>Soon after arriving I managed to catch an impromptu Spacehead rehearsal,
>the first time they'd played together since the Hawktour and Dibs had
>decided to drop a new song on everyone!  Had a wander about and chatted
>and met a few more people before catching the end of a strong sounding
>set from Litmus and then Mr Quimby's Beard who delivered one of the best
>sets I've heard from them.  Didn't catch too much of Tarantism as I was
>busy chatting outside the mainstage but what I could hear sounded pretty
>good.  Big Amongst Sheep next I was hearing for the first time and
>really enjoyed.  Following was a great set from Arthur and Instant
>Flight, difficult to believe that they'd not played together.  The set
>featured a lovely version of 'Fire' (complete with flaming head-piece)
>and Arthur's showmanship shone through all the way (at one point
>mimicking the techno from the near by rave tent by dangling the mic to
>the floor and stomping about the stage).
>Over to the barn stage next to catch Little Big Men (Man?) with Richard,
>Steve Bemand and Keith K.  Had to wait a fair while before they got
>started and unfortunately they hit the curfew after only about 30
>minutes of playing.  The set consisted of some pretty mellow techno with
>some nice guitar and synth floating over it.  Not a million miles from
>the likes of Banco De Gaia Speaking to Richard later he explained that
>it was the first time he'd done this live and they'd had a few problems
>setting up and had been pretty nervous about.  He also mentioned that
>this was to be his next big project and was hugely enthusiastic about
>the ideas he'd got planned for it.  Maybe a support slot on the Hawktour
>later this year?
>
>
>After another scorching day the Moonloonies were the first act on the
>mainstage (though quite a few of us were lucky enough to have been
>around during Hawkwind's soundcheck and caught versions of Coded
>Languages, Magnu, Utopia and Green Finned Demon), featuring Agent of
>Chaos and some-time Hawk Crum.  I'd been meaning to track down some of
>their stuff for a while and will certainly be making sure that I do now.
>A good opener to the Hawk evening.  Relentless up next were certainly
>that.  A bit like instrumental Anthrax is about the closest comparison I
>can draw, didn't seem to be to some people's taste but as it was quite a
>diversion from the spacerock that surrounded.  Also it featured some the
>most irresponsible guitar playing I'd heard in a while.  Kinda fun to
>see Martin get up and have a sing too.  Managed to miss the beginning of
>Spacehead as I'd popped back to the tent to ready myself for the evening
>and got a bit distracted but I returned to find Dave and Keith K joining
>them for a cracking version of Quark (heavier, but much closer to the
>album version than the 90s version, which was pretty much a new track
>with the old words).  The two Hawks stayed on stage for the rest of the
>set closing with Choose Your Masks.
>Next up we were expecting Harvey but got pretty much a full contingent
>of Hawks playing Coded Languages.  This was followed by a relaxed set
>from Harvey joined variously by Huw (for Waiting for Tomorrow - two
>versions) and Dibs. The lightshow really started to kick in here and the
>footage of the sky-divers falling straight you (I was very near the
>front by this time and the screen was angled almost above me) was
>amazing and completely filled my field of vision - that'll be 6000Lu of
>video projector for you!
>Plenty of folk have commented on the HW set already, for me it was
>stunning.  Everyone having a whale of a time and, as far as I was
>concerned, playing beautifully.  I'd rather hear Alan than Dibs
>admittedly but this was a party for the band and crew as well and who's
>to begrudge Dibs and Keef getting to share a bit of the limelight after
>all the hard work they put in behind the scenes.  For at least one song
>Keef was the only HW guitarist on stage - how's that for a fanboy
>fantasy come true!  Could have done with more personnel on stage for
>Spirit of the Age, it did need some lead from somewhere be it Simon's
>keys or violin or guitar from Dave as on the tour.  A good long set it
>was with welcome returns for tracks such as Utopia, Magnu and Green
>Finned Demon.  Highlights were Hurry On Sundown, Brainbox Pollution,
>Assault & Battery/Golden Void/Where Are They Now and Master of the
>Universe.  The lights were, literally, stunning throughout.  The
>aforementioned beast of a video projector accompanied by an arsenal of a
>dozen or so projectors/Optis with strobeflowers and strobes mounted at
>the stage.
>I did wander over to the barn afterwards to Catch Tribe of Cro.  They
>seemed to be playing well but it was one of those HW performances after
>which other music seemed, well, irrelevant.  Chilled for a while then
>hit the sack.
>
>Didn't catch much on Sunday until Alien Dream having had a trip to
>Garstang for lunch.  I'd not heard any of Mike Blackman's own stuff
>before and was rather impressed, ably assisted as he was by Tom Byrne,
>some of whose own pieces were also played.  Very enjoyable synth/guitar
>stuff.
>Assassins of Silence (Mk II) were up next.  It's a pretty tall order for
>a HW tribute band to play a HW festival, especially after such a strong
>HW show but they played a pretty good set.  New guitarist Kevin and the
>sax player seem to have slotted in well.  Strong versions of Orgone
>Accumulator, Brainstorm, Demented Man (great vocals as ever from their
>drummer, Rob, here).  The vocals on their version of Hurry On Sundown
>didn't quite come off though.
>Caught most of Bruise over on the mainstage next.  Not bad but a bit
>poppy for my tastes, would've like to have heard their version of Silver
>Machine again though.
>The acoustic Levellers were up next and gave us a very entertaining 90
>minutes or so of pumped up folk, complete with a couple of dancing
>Teletubbies!
>
>All in all a hugely enjoyable weekend and I didn't want to leave come
>Monday morning, and nice lunch in Garstang put off the event, but
>unfortunately reality beckons.
>Massive thanks all around to all those who made this possible and I do
>hope that the numbers were there to make next year a viable option (it
>looked pretty busy, but its so hard to tell).  A big hello to all those
>I met and chatted to (too many to list).  Great to finally meet and put
>more faces to names.
>Looking forward to Hawkfest 2004 already, lets make it happen!
>
>Nick

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