HW: Barney Bubbles 229 Club Gig

[Ian Abrahams]

PRESS RELEASE
THE HAWKLORDS HEADLINE AN ALL-DAY BARNEY BUBBLES MEMORIAL BENEFIT CONCERT  
 
 

The 229 Club, 229 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 5PN
Sunday 29th November, 2009 from 2 – 10pm
On 14th November 1983, the art and music worlds lost one of their most important and innovative figures with the death of the legendary graphic designer Barney Bubbles. His work as Hawkwind’s cover artist and stage-set creator established him as key figure in the Ladbroke Grove/Notting Hill counter-culture scene, whilst his subsequent work with Stiff Records (including his designs for Elvis Costello’s album covers and his fractured Kandinsky-esque cover painting for The Damned’s Music For Pleasure LP) established his relevance to the punk/new-wave generation. He directed the seminal video for The Specials’ ‘Ghost Town’ single, worked as art director at Friends magazine and was an early champion of Pennie Smith, who was to become one of rock’s most lauded photographers.
 “...one of the most important graphic artists of his time.” Will Birch, ‘No Sleep ‘Till Canvey Island – The British Pub Rock Scene’.
Barney Bubbles’ long-time friend and admirer, former Hawkwind saxophonist Nik Turner, has been instrumental in organising this memorial concert celebrating the life and achievements of this most singular of multi-media artists, with a view to setting up a foundation/annual award for innovative album cover design, and a memorial plaque for him...
Headliners THE HAWKLORDS, featuring Adrian Shaw, Alan Davey, Harvey Bainbridge, Jerry Richards, Martin Griffin, Nik Turner, Ron Tree, Steve Swindells and Terry Ollis will perform Hawkwind’s 1973 stage extravaganza, Space Ritual, up-dated to 2009, supported by  The New Bubblettes dancers and lighting designs inspired by Liquid Len & The Lensmen.
The day’s extensive line-up also features key 70s Notting Hill band QUINTESSENCE, The Damned founder-member Brian James, fronting his own BRIAN JAMES GANG, Nik Turner’s INNER CITY UNIT and the band created by Barney Bubbles,THE IMPERIAL POMPADOURS. 
Pentameters Players will perform their acclaimed staging of ROBERT CALVERT’s play, ‘The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam’s Dice’.
Also appearing during this memorial concert: JERRY FITZGERALD/LOL COXHILL’S ‘FRE-EX, TRIKIMIKI’S ‘3-D SPACE-WARP’, and D.J. JEFF DEXTER
“Barney was, as far as media direction of the youth of this country, probably the most important artist of our generation.” Douglas Smith, interviewed by Jonathon Green, ‘Days In the Life: Voices From The English Underground’.
www.hawklords.com
The 229 ticket hotline 0207 323 7229 * £20.00 advance, £25.00 door