HW: Back from Bristol

[Jill Strobridge]

I'm probably the last one back!    Returned the long way round via
family and some archaeology.   Both Astoria and Bristol have been fully
covered but, nonetheless, here are some personal comments.   First
thanks to the band for keeping the tour going despite difficult
conditions.   I think everyone had gone down with flu by the time they
got to Bristol and I noticed that Kris came onstage before the show
distributing huge bottles of water to keep everyone going.   Checked out
the venue early and found it without too much trouble thanks to the
directions on the web page.  In fact I arrived there more or less as the
bus did and walked past in time to see Alan and Arthur being led away up
some mysterious Bristolian backstreets - I assume to find some
accommodation!

Bristol is a nice venue - smaller than I expected and with too many
steps to trip you up at the bar but a tall ceiling so the light show
came over well.   The sound desk appeared to be round the side of the
stage behind the speakers so there was definitely more white noise than
at London, however a couple of quickly contrived ear plugs took care of
that and I got a good position in the centre.

Time Captains is a good track to start with - Hawkwind enough and with
Arthur Brown's presence to immediately grab the audience attention.
Most people round me didn't recognise it but clearly felt they should
and with the light show it has quite an audience wake up effect .
Followed with Master of the Universe which almost everybody knows and
the reaction is "Hey, wow, yeah".   It really is - honest!    Gremlin
was fantastic - especially the Astoria version and Time is - well,
different.  Almost a ballad but strangely compelling because of its
difference - slightly alien in a way and Watcher expands on this with a
Hawkwind track that most people realise they know and had completely
forgotten about!   Out of the Shadows I particularly enjoyed at Bristol
and I liked the middle section (has it been adjusted? I heard no
techno!) - just a rather nice electronic sequence that could perhaps
have done with an underlying layer to hook into (I love multiple layers
of sound - you can choose which bit you want to listen to while the rest
just gets on with creating the effect).   Chronoglide Skyway doesn't go
on long enough IMO - the glorious sweeping melody gets played once and
then stops abruptly when you want it to keep going!

Steppenwolf is mesmorising and was particularly good at the Astoria.
Arthur dresses the part and although there is something OTT in the
howling this is unquestionably redeemed by his truly powerful spoken
rendition of  "a wolf man who walks alone in the gas lamp shadows of the
streets at night".  Curiously I find his presence more compelling when
he is standing still than when moving - you watch him and it's very
difficult to look away!   I was also pleased that not having to read the
lines gave him more of a chance to perform.    Thoroughly enjoyable and
I have to say that this is one of the tracks where I'll feel deep regret
if this version were never to be seen or heard again.   For the rest -
the new tracks were interesting though I felt that Sun Ray was everyone
playing exactly the same beat and there needed some variety - but maybe
this is just me.   Assassins of Allah was terrific in London with the
additional keyboards but lost momentum rather in Bristol however Assault
and Battery/Golden Void with light show is always something to enjoy and
Where Are They Now has an extraordinary choral almost nostalgic feel to
end the set on.     Angela Android is an oddity - the band seem to enjoy
it - it's fast and there's plenty of variety - it's fine but I'd like to
hear it again.  Silvery Machine was pretty chaotic at Bristol but it
really didn't matter since everyone on stage seemed happy to have made
it through the evening and even to have recovered somewhat - certainly
enough to be laughing around each other.   Which was good and I was glad
to see it!

I'm sorry I only managed two gigs - but it was definitely worth doing
and while Bristol probably wasn't as polished and smooth a performance
as London the variety not only of the new tracks but the way the older
material is finding a new presentation is very interesting.    Thanks to
the band and everyone else involved!

Greetings to everyone I met!     jill

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Jill Strobridge <jill at theta-orionis.freeserve.co.uk>
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