Manchester Ritz 25 Jan

[Ed Mundo]

Hi all,
Just to let you know Hawkwind are on storming form Live.
The Ritz is a FAR superior venue to Academy 2 where they've played for the last several years. More room, sprung floor, balcony, better sound and acoustics. Only draw back was the more commercial beer prices. I was fairly drunk, so details are a bit vague.
Started off with one of the warrior poems (Awakening?), then MoTU and You'd better believe it. They played Hills have ears and Seasons from the new album. Possibly a slower piece also as a middle section (my problem is I tend not to recognise the songs unless they've got a guitar riff or clear melody bit, especially when inserted into another song I do recognise) Also Prometheus from Blood of the Earth. We got the Assault and Battery/Golden Void 'medley', which they've been playing last year and will need for the Warrior play-through tour. The rest of the set included where are they now, arrival in utopia, damnation alley. the encore was Spirit of the age apparently (I'd have been hollering along but have no recollection of it, ah rum!) and Silver Machine.
Dibs was using his skeleton cello and doing more vocal work than before, and doing it better than before too. Dead Fred was doing the organ as on the last tour (but see below) which really helps fill out the sound. Dave's guitar was also well up in the mix and clearly audible despite the full heavy overall sound.
There was no new T-Shirt and the 'tour' T-shirt was the one from last year with 'onward' on it, and last years tour dates on the back (I'd got one in Holmfirth), so I think these January gigs are being seen as the second part of that tour, which the set list (such as I remember it) also suggests. Other T-Shirts were a similar design with this picture from BoTE in a roundel on the back. They also had the Stella Variations and Looking for love in the Lost Land of Dreams CDs and signed posters.
More sensible reviews of the same gig here and here.
Mundo