2003 tour and the museum

THIS MIGHT SOUND LIKE A FUNNY THING TO SAY FROM A HAWKWIND WEB SITE BUT IN A PERVERSE WAY I'M REALLY QUITE GLAD THAT THIS ALBEIT SHORT LIVE EXCURSION IS OVER. WHY? YOU MAY ASK, WELL THANKS TO ATTENDING A COUPLE OF THE DATES, NAMELY CAMBRIDGE AND THE ASTORIA WE'VE HAD ONE OF THE MOST SURREAL 10 DAYS OR SO THAT EITHER OF US CAN REMEMBER!

IT ALL STARTED THE SUNDAY BEFORE LAST (18.05.03) A FAMOUS DATE IN HAWKWIND CIRCLES AS IT IT MARKED THE FIRST SHOW OF THIS LITTLE JAUNT, FOR ME HOWEVER THERE WAS A MORE IMPORTANT EVENT ON THE SAME DAY (IF THAT'S POSSIBLE) NAMELY MY WIFE'S 40TH BIRTHDAY. SOMETIME SOON I'LL BE PUBLISHING A FAR BIGGER PIECE ON HOW YOU IN THE MOST UNSELFISH WAY POSSIBLE MANAGE TO COMBINE THESE TWO EVENTS AND STILL HAVE A MARRIAGE TO SPEAK OF AT THE END OF IT! SUFFICE TO SAY THAT WE HEADED OFF TO THE FIRST SHOW WITH A COUPLE OF WILLING (ALTHOUGH NOT FANS)FRIENDS IN TOW. I'M NOT GOING TO WRITE A FULL BLOWN REVIEW, THERE'S PLENTY OF THEM ON OUR 2003 TOUR REVIEW PAGE, BUT I THINK IT IS FAIR TO SAY THAT THIS GIG WAS FAR FROM A CLASSIC IN HAWKWIND TERMS. THE BAND CAME ACROSS AS A BIT "RUSTY", WHICH WE'LL GIVE THEM THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT FOR AS IT WAS THE FIRST SHOW IN SOME FIVE MONTHS. TO ME THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WAS THE SOUND, ALTHOUGH NOT EAR SPLITTINGLY LOUD IT CAME OVER AS A TOTAL "WALL OF NOISE" WITH NO SEPARATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS. FOR MUCH OF IT SIMON HOUSE WAS TOTALLY INAUDIBLE FROM WHERE I WAS AND COULD HAVE NOT BEEN PLUGGED IN FOR ALL I KNEW. HOWEVER SAYING THAT, CAMBRIDGE WILL PROBABLY BE THE GIG I REMEMBER MOST AND THE REASON FOR THIS IS THAT SOME SIX SONGS OR SO INTO THE SET THE BAND TAKE A QUICK BREAK WHERE DAVE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY "GOOD EVENING" TO THE CROWD AND THEN SAYS SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF - "I HOPE YOU'VE ALL BEEN DOWN TO THE HAWKWIND MUSEUM, ALL TUNE INTO THE HAWKWIND MUSEUM". I MEAN HOW F**KING COOL IS THAT. I MUST ADMIT THAT WE'D HAD A BIT OF CORRESPONDENCE WITH PEOPLE CLOSE TO THE BAND IN RECENT WEEKS, BUT DIDN'T FOR ONE MOMENT EXPECT SUCH A COMPLIMENT. AFTER RECOVERING MY COMPOSURE (GOOD JOB I HAD THE WIFE THERE IN RETROSPECT, SHE'S A NURSE) A BEER WAS REQUIRED TO STEADY THE NERVES AND IT WAS WHILST PURCHASING THE SAID BEVERAGE THAT I NOTICED THAT KRIS WAS ON THE T-SHIRT STAND, WITH MY EGO SUITABLY MASSAGED AND MY CONFIDENCE RIDING HIGH I DECIDED TO GO OVER AND INTRODUCE MYSELF AS OBVIOUSLY WE WERE KNOWN TO THEM. ON DOING SO SHE BURST OUT LAUGHING, ONLY TO EXPLAIN, ONCE SHE HAD REGAINED HER COMPOSURE THAT HER AND DAVE LOVED THE SITE ESPECIALLY THE "HAWKFILMS" SPOOF. WE HAD A MOST PLEASANT CONVERSATION WITH THE ONLY DOWN POINT BEING THAT I CHOSE TO TAKE MY LEAVE OF ABSENCE FROM THE HALL JUST AS THE BAND PLOUGHED INTO THE 2 NEW NUMBERS THAT THEY PLAYED THAT NIGHT, STILL YOU CAN'T HAVE EVERYTHING !. SHE SAID THAT DAVE WOULD LIKE TO MEET US, BUT I HAD TO DECLINE AT THE TIME AS I FELT I HAD ALREADY TAKEN ENOUGH LIBERTIES WITH MY WIFE FOR DRAGGING HER TO A HAWKWIND GIG AS THE ULTIMATE TREAT FOR HER 40TH BIRTHDAY, I DID HOWEVER EXPLAIN THAT BOTH MYSELF AND SIMON (HE MISSED THIS GIG ) WOULD BE AT THE ASTORIA AND AFTER A QUICK BIT OF CORRESPONDENCE THE FOLLOWING WEEK, WE WERE DULY INVITED TO THE AFTER SHOW BASH (I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE CALLED IN SHOW BIZ CIRCLES) IN LONDON THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY. BEFORE WE GO ON TO THAT HERE'S A COUPLE OF PICTURES FROM CAMBRIDGE, IF TRUTH BE TOLD THE ONLY USABLE ONES FROM A LOAD I TOOK, WHY ARE THE HAWKS SUCH A HARD BAND TO PHOTOGRAPH?

ALAN, DAVE AND SOME CHAOTIC ILLUMINATIONS

MY MATE JEZ (HALF CUT) AND MY WIFE CHERYL (SOBER) BUT STILL SURPRISINGLY SMILING POST GIG, ALTHOUGH NOT HAPPY THAT THIS PICTURE IS BEING USED!

AND SO IT WAS WITH BOTH EXCITEMENT AND A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TREPIDATION THAT WE SET OFF FOR THE ASTORIA EXACTLY A WEEK LATER. WITH A FEW PINTS OF A VERY PLEASANT WADSWORTH'S SUMMER ALE SUITABLY CONSUMED IN THE NEARBY WEATHERSPOON'S PUB WE HEADED OFF TO THE VENUE AND ON GETTING INSIDE VIRTUALLY THE FIRST PERSON WE SAW WAS KRIS, WHO ALTHOUGH LOOKING A LITTLE FLUSTERED QUICKLY RECOGNISED US AND PROMPTLY HANDED OUT A COUPLE OF TICKETS FOR THE PARTY, NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL SERVICE!. THE GIG ITSELF WAS AS HAS ALREADY BEEN WIDELY REPORTED A "STONKER", ONE OF THE BEST I'VE SEEN. IT WAS A BIT QUIET AT THE START AND TO BE HONEST "MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE" LACKED IT'S USUAL SUCKER PUNCH, BUT FROM THERE ON IN THINGS TOOK A DRAMATIC UPTURN WITH SEEMINGLY EVERY SONG OUTDOING THE ONE BEFORE. A HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SHOW HAD TO BE "SPIRIT OF THE AGE", WITH THE VOCALS BEING HANDLED TONIGHT BY RADIO AND TV PRESENTER MATTHEW WRIGHT, WHO IT AS TO BE SAID DID A SPLENDID JOB. MORE THAN ANYTHING YOU GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT HE REALLY UNDERSTOOD WHERE THE SONG WAS COMING FROM AND HOW IT SHOULD BE APPROACHED, WELL DONE MY MAN!. THINGS CONTINUED ON APACE TILL THE FINAL THREE SONGS OF THE MAIN SET, NAMELY - ASSAULT AND BATTERY, GOLDEN VOID AND WHERE ARE THEY NOW, THESE FINAL TRIO WERE ABSOLUTELY MIND BLOWING AND PROBABLY AS GOOD AS I'VE SEEN THE BAND. THE SOUND WAS GOOD, THE PLAYING POWERFUL AND PRECISE AND THE CROWD WERE LAPPING IT UP, IF YOU WERE THERE I'M SURE YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. AFTER THIS THE AUDIENCE WERE DESPERATE FOR MORE AND THAT'S WHAT THEY GOT, IN ALL HONESTY WHATEVER THE BAND DID NOW WAS GOING TO BE A LET DOWN AND ALTHOUGH WE GOT TREATED TO A NEWIE "ANGELA ANDROID" AND THE NOW OBLIGATORY "SILVER MACHINE" IT WAS INDEED NOT A PATCH ON THE MAIN SET. JUST A QUICK POINT ABOUT THE LAST SONG, PERSONALLY I THINK THE VERSION THEY DO NOW WITH ARTHUR ON VOCALS IS AS GOOD AS I'VE EVER HEARD IT, WITH A REAL "LETS GO FOR IT" VIBE COMING ACROSS. HOWEVER I'M REALLY NOT SURE THAT IT SHOULD GET PLAYED SO REGULARLY, BACK IN THE 80'S WHEN I SAW THE BAND LOADS, IT WAS A TREAT TO HEAR THIS TRACK AND IN MANY WAYS I'D BE QUITE HAPPY IF IT STAYED THAT WAY, THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER TRACKS TO PLAY!, I MEAN IT'S NOT AS IF YOUR AVERAGE HAWKWIND FAN COMES TO HEAR THE HIT SINGLES!!

WITH THE GIG OVER IT WAS TIME TO BID A FOND FAREWELL TO OUR 2 MATES, MARK AND PETE WHO CAME TO THE SHOW WITH US, FOR ME AND SIMON OUR NIGHT WAS JUST ABOUT TO BEGIN. THE AFTER SHOW PARTY WAS BEING HELD IN A SMALL CLUB ALMOST OPPOSITE THE ASTORIA. RATHER THAN DIVE STRAIGHT IN WE DECIDED TO HAVE A BIT OF A BREATHER AND TAKE STOCK OF THE EVENING THUS FAR. HOWEVER IT WAS NOT LONG BEFORE EXCITEMENT MIXED WITH ANTICIPATION GOT THE BETTER OF US AND WE HOT FOOTED IT OVER THE ROAD AND ON SHOWING OUR TICKETS TO THE DOOR STAFF WE WERE QUICKLY USHERED INSIDE. AS WE STROLLED UP TO THE BAR (WELL SIMON STROLLED, ALCOHOL WAS INVOLVED, ONLY LACK OF ROOM STOPPED ME FROM BREAKING INTO A SPRINT) LITERALLY THE FIRST PERSON WE NOTICED WAS NONE OTHER THAN THE STAR OF TONIGHT'S "SPIRIT OF THE AGE" MATTHEW WRIGHT. WHILST WE WERE WAITING FOR OUR DRINKS ( WAITING FOR A PINT OF GUINNESS TO SETTLE DOES HAVE IT'S ADVANTAGES!) WE MANAGED TO GRAB HIS ATTENTION AND HAVE A CHAT. WHILST HE IS IN HIS OWN WAY A DARN SIGHT MORE FAMOUS THAN THE AVERAGE HAWKFAN, HE SEEMED THOUROULY DECENT GUY AND WHEN WE COMPLIMENTED HIM ON HIS PERFORMANCE HE WAS CHUFFED TO BITS. ALTHOUGH HE MAY PRESENT A NATIONAL TV SHOW 5 DAYS A WEEK AT THE END OF THE DAY HE CAME ACROSS AS THE SAME AS THE REST OF US - A COMPLETE HAWKWIND FANATIC, BUT NOT ONLY THAT,ONE WHO ON THIS NIGHT HAD FULFILLED A FANTASY!

SHORTLY AFTER OUR FIRST BRUSH WITH THE "CELEBS" THE MAIN EVENT TURNED UP. LED BY SIMON HOUSE AND FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY DAVE AND RICHARD IT WAS FAIR TO SAY THAT "THE HAWKS HAD ENTERED THE BUILDING". I MUST AT THIS POINT MENTION THAT DAVE WAS ALSO CARRYING A NUMBER OF PLASTIC CARRIER BAGS WITH HIM AS HE CAME IN. TO THIS DAY I'M NOT SURE WHAT WAS IN THEM, BUT I HAVE TO SAY IT MADE QUITE AN IMPRESSION ON ME. I MEAN IT'S NOT EVERYDAY THAT YOU GET TO MEET ONE OF YOUR HEROES AND THEN WHEN YOU DO HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S JUST BEEN DOWN THE LOCAL SOMMERFIELDS TO DO HIS SHOPPING!. MR HOUSE DISAPPEARED FROM OUR VIEW ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WHILST RICHARD APPEARED TO FIND SOME FRIEND AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM WHILE THE CAPTAIN SET UP SHOP AT THE END OF THE BAR. A FEW PEOPLE CAME OVER AND SPOKE TO HIM, BUT IN A BRIEF LULL WHEN HE WAS WITHOUT COMPANY WE SAW OUR OPPORTUNITY AND WENT AD INTRODUCED OURSELVES. HE KNEW STRAIGHT AWAY WHO WE WERE AND CHATTED AWAY HAPPILY, COMPLIMENTING US ON THE HAWFILMS FEATURE AND OTHER RELATED MATTERS. HE WAS ONLY DISTRACTED WHEN HE NOTICED THE LARGE SPREAD OF FOOD SET OUT IN AN ADJOINING ROOM AND TOLD US HE WAS STARVING AND WOULD HAVE TO GO AND GRAB A BITE TO EAT, "NO PROBLEM DAVE, IT'S YOUR GIG MAN!"

COULD THIS REALLY BE HAPPENING TO US, A COUPLE OF LIKELY LADS, WHO SIX MONTHS PREVIOUSLY DIDN'T KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT WEB SITE DESIGN ( AND YES I NOW SIX MONTHS ON WE STILL KNOW DIDDLY SQUAT!), ARE NOW STANDING HERE, TALKING TO ONE OF OUR HEROES ON A ONE TO ONE BASIS, S**T WE'D BETTER HAVE ANOTHER DRINK. NOT LONG AFTER THIS KRIS TURNED UP, LOOKING IT HAS TO BE SAID, A BIT STRESSED OUT. IT TRANSPIRED THAT JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT COULD GO WRONG, HAD GONE WRONG BACK AT THE VENUE. SAYING THAT SHE STILL FOUND PLENTY OF TIME TO SPEAK WITH US AND WAS DELIGHTED THAT WE HAD BROUGHT ALONG COPIES OF ALL THE "HAWKFILM" PICTURES TOGETHER WITH SOME OTHERS THAT DID NOT MAKE THE FINAL CUT. SHE WAS SO CHUFFED IN FACT THAT SHE WENT TO FIND DAVE TO TELL HIM AND WHEN SHE FOUND HIM GAVE HIM THE FOLDER AND TOLD US TO JOIN HIM, WHICH WE DUTIFULLY (!) DID. HE CHUCKLED TO HIMSELF AS HE WENT THROUGH THE PICTURES AND POINTED OUT CERTAIN ONES TO THE CHAP SITTING NEXT TO HIM, WE TALKED SOME MORE REGARDING THIS AND THEN CONVERSATION MOVED TO OTHER MATTERS SUCH AS HAVE YOU CONSIDERED USING A BIG NAME DANCE ACT (LEFTFIELD, CHEMICAL BROS, THE PRODIGY ETC) TO COME IN AND REMIX SOME STUFF (TOO MUCH MONEY) AND ALSO FOOTBALL. AS MOST OF YOU WILL BY NOW HAVE HEARD THE RADIO NEWCASTLE SESSION AND INTERVIEW, YOU'LL BE AWARE THAT DAVE'S TEAM IS NEWCASTLE UNITED, SO WE TALKED ABOUT THEM AND THE GAME IN GENERAL, JUST NORMAL CONVERSATIONS ANYBODY HAS, BUT NOT USUALLY WITH DAVE BROCK OF HAWKWIND. AFTER A WHILE DAVE INTIMATED THAT HE WANTED TO MAKE A MOVE BACK TO HIS HOTEL, THOSE WHO WERE AT THE ASTORIA WILL BE AWARE THAT HE WAS SUFFERING FROM A BAD COLD AND I THINK THIS HAD TAKEN IT'S TOLL ON HIM SO HE MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO LEAVE (I HOPE IT WASN'T BECAUSE WE WERE BORING HIM TO SLEEP). BEFORE HE DID LEAVE HOWEVER, HE GLADLY POSED WITH THE TWO OF US FOR A PHOTO WHICH YOU CAN SEE BELOW.

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SIMON, THE CAPTAIN AND ME (DAVE)

SIMON, MATTHEW WRIGHT AND ME (AGAIN)

THE BIGGEST IRONY OF THE PICTURE WITH DAVE IS THAT IT WAS TAKEN BY NONE OTHER THAN RICHARD CHADWICK, WHICH JUDGING BY THE RESULT, IF YOU EVER GET TIRED OF DRUMMING RICH THEM MAYBE A CAREER AS THE NEXT DAVID BAILEY IS BECKONING, ANYWAY CHEERS, NICE ONE. WE ALSO MANAGED TO HAVE A QUICK WORD WITH MR CHADWICK, EXPLAINING THAT IT WAS NOT US WHO HAD COMPARED HIM TO ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL, BUT WAS IN FACT OUR FRIEND FROM ACROSS THE POND MR STARFARER. ON RELEASING YOUNG RICHARD FROM OUR CLUTCHES, WE TURNED OUR ATTENTIONS TO ARTHUR BROWN WHO TURNED OUT TO BE A MOST PLEASANT INDIVIDUAL WITH WHOM WE HAD A BRIEF CONVERSATION. I HAD BEEN A BIT DISAPPOINTED IN RETROSPECT THAT I HADN'T TAKEN UP KRIS'S OFFER TO MEET THEM LAST WEEK AT CAMBRIDGE AS I HAD SINCE FOUND OUT THAT AS WELL AS A TOP VOCALIST, ARTHUR IS ALSO A TRAINED COUNSELLOR, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE THE SAME LINE OF WORK THAT MY WIFE IS IN. TYPICAL I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, I'VE ALREADY PUT HER THROUGH MORE THAN ENOUGH ON HER BIRTHDAY, I CANT NOW EXPECT HER TO GO AND MEET "MY" HEROES, THEN I FIND OUT THIS BIT OF INFORMATION, I'M SURE SHE AND MR BROWN WOULD HAVE GOT ON LIKE A HOUSE ON "FIRE" (INTENTIONAL PUN!). THINKING ABOUT IT, MAYBE THE PAIR OF THEM SHOULD GO INTO BUSINESS TOGETHER OFFERING COUNSELLING SERVICES AT HAWKWIND GIGS AS THERE ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE A FEW INDIVIDUALS WHO COULD DO WITH SOME THERAPY. ANYWAY I DIGRESS BUT JUST TO SAY ANOTHER TOP BLOKE, HE ALSO SPOKE WITH GREAT AFFECTION ABOUT BOB CALVERT!!

TIME WAS NOW MOVING ON AND AFTER A QUICK WORD WITH NEIL AND MARIE OF CHAOS ILLUMINATIONS AND T-SHIRTS RESPECTIVELY, WE FELT IT WAS TIME TO MAKE A MOVE, WE'D HAD A SPLENDID EVENING AND DIDN'T WANT TO OUT STAY OUR WELCOME. THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT WE HAD MISSED THE LAST TRAIN HOME BY SOME CONSIDERABLE TIME AND SO HAD TO FIND A WAY OF PASSING SOME 4 HOURS. WE DID THIS BY HAVING A KEBAB (NOT BRILLIANT, BUT I'M STILL HERE TO TELL THE TALE), A SLEEP ON A BENCH ON THE EMBANKMENT FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AND THEN WALKING THROUGH THE DESERTED STREETS OF LONDON TO FENCHURCH STREET STATION TO AWAIT IT'S OPENING FOR THE FIRST PASSENGERS OF THE DAY.

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT! WHAT A WEEK, WE'RE STILL GETTING OVER IT AS I WRITE THIS PIECE. I'D JUST LIKE TO FINISH BY SAYING A BIG, NO A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE, I WON'T LIST YOU ALL INDIVIDUALLY AS I'M SURE TO LEAVE OUT SOMEBODY REALLY IMPORTANT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY -