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    • 2018 Featured Album Reviews >
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      • Joe Bonamassa - Live at Carnegie Hall, an Acoustic Evening
      • Nikka Costa - Nikka & Strings, Underneath and In Between
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      • Simon Thacker & Justyna Jablonska - Karmana
      • Michael Schenker Fest Live
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  • Selected 2019 Gig Reviews...
    • Opeth - SWG3 Galvanizers, Glasgow
    • Félix Rabin - Nice 'N' Sleazy Glasgow
    • Anchor Lane - G2, Glasgow
    • Stray - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
    • Danny Bryant - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
    • Talon - Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow
    • Lifesigns - Smiles of Musical Travel
    • A Whole Lotta Rock 3 - featuring Rattlesnake Tattoo, Prestwick
    • Chantel McGregor - Hard Rock Cafe Glasgow
    • Pete Way Band - Customs House Hotel, Greenock
    • Raintown and Katee Kross - Village Theatre, East Kilbride
    • Danny Vaughn - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • NR Rocks 2019 - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • Arran Rock 'N' Blues Fest 2019
    • Cheap Trick - 02 Academy, Glasgow
    • The Blind Lemon Gators - Tolboth, Stirling
    • Midnight Oil - 02 Brixton Academy, London
    • Ana Popovic - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • Joe Bonamassa - SEC Armadillo, Glasgow
    • Eden's Curse - The Garage G2, Glasgow
    • Félix Rabin - Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow
    • Her Way to Hell - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • The Quireboys and FM - The Garage, Glasgow
    • Erja Lyytinen - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
    • Wille & The Bandits - Hug & Pint, Glasgow
    • Sari Schorr - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • Frankie Miller's Full House - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • A Whole Lotta Rock 2 featuring Brian Downey's Alive and Dangerous, Prestwick
    • John Verity Band - Borders Blues Club, Innerleithen
    • King King (with Sari Schorr) - 02 Academy, Glasgow
    • Burnt Out Wreck (with Scarlet Rebels) - Hard Rock Cafe, Glasgow
    • Buckcherry / Hoobastank / Adelita's Way - SWG3 Glasgow
  • Selected 2018 Gig Reviews...
    • Sensational Alex Harvey Experience DreadnougthRock, Bathgate
    • Uli Jon Roth - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • WinterStorm Rock Weekender III - Troon
    • Ben Poole - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • Dan Reed Network - The Garage, Glasgow
    • Dapper, Paul Gemmell's Black Magic Blues Band - The Union, East Kilbride
    • Lifesigns - Backstage at The Green, Kinross
    • The Nimmo Brothers - Old Fire Station, Carlisle
    • Brian Downey's Alive And Dangerous - Cathouse, Glasgow
    • Chantel McGregor - Hard Rock Cafe, Glasgow
    • Federal Charm and Bad Flowers, Classic Grand, Glasgow
    • Rainbreakers - Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh
    • Hamilton Loomis, Mike Vernon & The Mighty Combo, Lights Out By Nine - Town Hall, Darvel
    • Kane'd - NR Rocks, DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • Zal Cleminson's /sin'dogs/ - Concert Hall, Troon
    • The King Lot (with Those Damn Crows and Fragile Things) Dreadnoughtrock, Bathgate
    • Arran Rock 'N' Blues Fest
    • Kasim Sulton - Hard Rock Cafe, Glasgow
    • Danny Bryant - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • Sari Schorr Band - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • Bourbon Street 5 - Brig Below, Edinburgh,
    • Chris Glen & The Outfit - Concert Hall, Troon
    • Simon Thacker, Justyna Jablonska, Masha Natanson - Glad Cafe, Glasgow
    • The Greig Taylor Blues Combo - Dreadnoughtrock, Bathgate
    • King King - Town Hall, Darvel
  • Muirsical Conversations...
    • Rebecca Downes (May 2019)
    • Ben Poole & Wayne Proctor (January 2019)
    • Dan Reed (November 2018)
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    • Raintown - Paul Bain & Claire McArthur Bain (May 2018)
    • Hamilton Loomis (December 2017)
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    • Gwyn Ashton (Dec. 2012)
    • Greg Lake (October 2012)
    • Ned Evett (August 2012)
    • Steven Lindsay (July 2012)
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    • Jon Anderson (May 2012)
    • Jeremey Frederick Hunsicker (March 2012)
    • Amy Schugar (Feb. 2012)
    • Robert Fleischman (November 2011)
    • Ivan Drever (Sep. 2011)
    • Michael Sadler (June 2011)
    • James Evans (April 2011)
    • Alyn Cosker (Nov. 2010)
    • Scott Higham (Nov. 2010)
    • Kevin Chalfant (Oct. 2010)
    • Francis Dunnery (Sep. 2010)
    • Duncan Chisholm (Aug 2010)
    • Barbara Rubin (July 2010)
    • Alan Reed (June 2010)
  • Muirsical Q&A with...
    • Chantel McGregor (August 2019)
    • Greig Taylor (July 2019)
    • Adam Norsworthy (June 2019)
    • Erja Lyytinen (March 2019)
  • Muirsical Articles...
    • The Fool Guitar - The Fool Story
    • Alex Harvey - Framed in Words. And pictures
    • Journey - That Time Forgot
    • KISS - Elder Statesmen, Elder Statement?
    • Phil Lynott - Remembering Pt. 3
    • Freddie Mercury - The Days of His Life
    • Gary Moore - Last Exit
    • Mott - Without any of the Hoople-la
    • Muirsical Six of the Best
    • Music Town: A Decade of the Darvel Music Festival
    • Pat Travers - The Forgotten Power Trio
    • Playing Tribute
    • Gerry Rafferty - Humblebum to Multi-Million Seller
    • Cliff Richard - The Rock and Roll Juvenile
    • Slade - Thanks For the Memories
    • Talon - On Eagles Wings
    • The Sweet - A Cut Above the Rest
    • Wild Horses - Thoroughbreds or also-rans?
  • A Personal Journey: Definitive Edition (eBook)
  • Steve Perry (vocalist): One in a Million (eBook)
  • A Writer's Muirsings...
    • A Writer's Muirsings: Introduction
    • Superbowl XLVII MVP: Beyoncé (February 2013)
    • Michael Jackson: The Alternative Verdict (Nov 2011)
    • True Colours (November 2010)
    • It's a New Language, Old Bean (October 2010)
    • Finger Pointing (July 2010)
    • Suffer the Little Children (April 2010)
    • Hey 'Banker', can you spare a dime? (February 2010)
    • Earlier Muirsings... >
      • Muirsical Christmas #1's (December 09)
      • 3-D, or not 3-D, Avatar? (December 09)
      • Pains, Planes and Automobiles (November 09)
  • A Man of Letters...
    • A Man of Letters (Introduction)
    • Letter to Danbury Mint #1
    • Letter to Danbury Mint #2
    • Letter to The Catholic League
    • Letter to SKY #1
    • Letter to SKY #2
    • Letter to SKY #3
    • Letter to Leeds City Council Parking Services
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Spirit of the Ageless
Hawkwind (with The Blackheart Orchestra) - 02 Academy, Glasgow, 17th November 2019
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While the Blackheart Orchestra (Chrissy Mostyn and Rick Pilkington) are label mates of Hawkwind (new album Mesmeranto was released in October, as was Hawkwind’s All Aboard the Skylark) there was an underlying sense they may not be the best stage mates given they are, stylistically, very different beasts.

Good news then that while those at the rear bar area of Glasgow’s 02 Academy were more interested in discussing favourite Hawkwind moments prior to the arrival of the space-rock icons, the packed throng down the front were attentive and genuinely appreciative of the Blackheart Orchestra's half-hour support set.

Having caught the duo back in September in a much smaller venue there was also the worry for this reviewer about how their ethereal soundscapes would carry in a much larger hall
– but through the use of guitars, various keyboard devices, loops and electro percussion the Blackheart Orchestra create a far bigger sound than two musicians on stage would first suggest.
​
'Hypnotize' (Mike Oldfield meets Kate Bush) carried across the Academy hall on an ethereal sonic wave, only to be bettered by the pulsing and rhythmic 'Drown Me Out' (one of many highlights to be found on Mesmeranto) and percussively driven new age number, 'Sebastian.'

While a large number of the Blackheart Orchestra’s songs sit within a melancholic framework (leading to Chrissy Mostyn’s "right, that’s our two happy songs out of the way" quip) such melancholy is balanced by bright melodies and uplifting melody lines.

Such traits were heard to good effect on the delicate and haunting 'Wolves' and final song of the set, 'Hey Pluto.'
The latter is built, live, by four hands on one keyboard and layered vocal chants that give the impression a choral sextet have just walked on stage to join in.

PictureKeytar and Theremin pitchin' maestro Tim Blake
​Hawkwind, on their 50th Anniversary tour of the UK, walked out to a rammed 02 Academy and an audience for whom the legendary space-rockers could do no wrong.

And, to be fair, they didn’t put much of a musical foot wrong across the entire ninety minute set, bolstered by lasers and video backdrops that complemented whatever song was front and centre at the time.

Nor did it hurt that the current line-up of ever-present and 78 years young Dave Brock, veteran 'Hawk drummer Richard Chadwick, bassist/ keyboardist Niall Hone and latest recruit, keyboardist and guitarist Magnus Martin (with the band since 2016) were joined on this tour by Hawkwind musical associate Tim Blake.
​
The band's guest returnee featured on keytar but really came in to his space rocking own when he added his atmospheric and sonically sculptured Theremin pitches.

Opening with the semi-hypnotic rock of 'Motorway City' from perennial fan favourite Levitation guaranteed the crowd were on-side from the get-go and ready to enjoy their helping of 'Flesh Fondue' when it followed in all its space-punk romping glory, complete with trademark jagged Dave Brock vocals and guitar (although not quite as vocally defined as normal; Brock was suffering from a cold and, as he so frankly put it, "old age!")
 
'Flesh Fondue' was one of five songs to feature in the set from All Aboard the Skylark, a testament to the band’s policy of making it as much about the new as the classic era/ old.
Skylark is also an album that nods to their folk-pop-prog leanings as much as their space-rock, typified by 'Last Man On Earth,' sung by Magnus Martin.

While a good vocal fit for the more melodic or mellow numbers Magnus Martin is not the strongest voiced singer in the world; that said the band’s three and occasionally four part harmonies worked extremely well and helped fill out the vocal sound.

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​Beyond the musical adventures of the Skylark album (including the brooding '65 Million Years Ago') older material that shone under the lights and lasers included a storming 'Born to Go' (preceded by a narrative snippet of the late Hawkwind great Robert Calvert’s 'The Song of the Gremlin' – nice touch Mr Brock), 'Spirit of the Age' (the Weegie crowd in full voice for the title chorus), Richard Chadwick’s superbly voiced rendition of 'Silver Machine' and a wonderfully full sounding 'Assault and Battery/ The Golden Void,' sweeping us all back to "the edge of time." 

The band’s new wave techno rocker 'Right to Decide' was a perhaps surprising set choice but given the clusterfucked state of political affairs ("You can't do this, you can't do that, you can't go forward and you can't go back") it was frankly, an inspired air punching set closer.

An encore of psychedelic folk rocker 'Hurry On Sundown' (taking us back to where it all started fifty years before) and a Space Ritual ending of 'Master of the Universe' (Niall Hone giving it some serious bass riffing) and 'Welcome to the Future' meant the Glasgow 'Hawk fans went home very happy indeed.

Space ladies and rock gentlemen, the now half century old good ship Hawkwind, captained by the musical spirit of the ageless Dave Brock.

Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ



Photo credits: Ritchie Birnie
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