Hawkwind: Friday 22nd August 1975, Reading Festival

Bob Calvert (vocals) / Dave Brock (vocals, guitars, keyboards, synthesisers) / Nik Turner (saxophone, flute, vocals) / Simon House (keyboards, synthesisers) / Paul Rudolph (bass) / Simon King (drums) / Alan Powell (drums) / Al Matthews (bongos) / Stacia (dancer)

This was the first time that I had ever seen Hawkwind and I was amazed. They headlined on the Friday night but I don’t really remember it that clearly. Richard Newell certainly does and here’s what he wrote on his website: “The headliners on the Friday night, they were suitably loud, spacey and heavy – a mind-expanding experience. Singer and lyricist Robert Calvert made a guest appearance at Reading, after which he chose to rejoin the band as a full-time lead vocalist. They started out playing ‘Warrior On The Edge of Time’ and then played ‘Psychedelic Warlords Disappear In Smoke’ and ‘Master Of The Universe’. Bob Calvert wasn’t much of a singer, but he was the perfect frontman for Hawkwind, chanting his space poetry: “In the event of sonic attack…!”
“As the official programme noted in very un-PC terms, “even if you don’t like the music, there’s the ample frontage of Stacia to keep you occupied, as she cavorts about the stage”.
“Visuals were always a large part of the Hawkwind experience, with psychedelic lighting provided by Liquid Len and the Lensmen. Stacia had joined Hawkwind in 1971 as a dancer, typically performing topless and wearing body paint. Reading ’75 was the end of an era, though, as this was the Amazonian dancer’s last gig with the band.
“Their encore was the much-anticipated ‘Silver Machine’ and then, as midnight approached, Dave Brock wished the audience a good night and told them to “smoke plenty of good dope” .

Richard was clearly a fan of the band but, writing in the Melody Maker, Brian Harrigan was rather less enthralled as he reviewed the gig and Stacia in particular, viz. “The Hawklords finally ambled on and, amid much rumbling and electronic squeaking, they gradually got themselves sorted out. Surprise number one was the presence on vocals and percussion of Robert Calvert – ex-Hawk and composer of their one and only singles hit, ‘Silver Machine’. He looked like an alien being’s idea of a Parisian Left-Bank beat with his blue beret and manic staring eyes. Surprise number two was Al Matthews – the man who at this very minute is aiming for the charts with his soul record, ‘Fool’. Old Al was in there on congas. The Hawks didn’t have anything new to offer aside from this but nonetheless they made a considerable impact – although perhaps more on a preaching to the converted level than any other. Witness the thunderous cheers when Calvert clomped like an automaton to his microphone and intoned “In the event of sonic attack…!” You can’t take away from Hawkwind their tremendous power. Anyone seeing them for the first time [me!!] – an unlikely supposition as one looked around at the enraptured faces of the audience – must have been stunned. [I was!!] Where the Feelgoods firmly believe that a song isn’t a song unless it’s no more than three minutes long , the Hawklords like to let things stretch out. So apart from the break between programme proper and encore, there wasn’t a moment when the PA was silent. They segued and slithered from ‘Warrior on the Edge of Time’ to ‘Masters of the Universe’, ‘Brainstorm ‘, ‘Opa-Loka’ and ‘Sonic Attack’.
“The Hawks were surprisingly tight and really rather well disciplined. They pounded and thundered, they eased-off and cooled down, they stormed again and it was all seemingly under control. One would suggest that this was one of their better performances. Simon House, particularly on violin but almost as well on keyboards, displayed a fine lyrical mastery that proved an excellent counterbalance to the ramblings of Turner and the rest of the band.  And then there was Stacia, who is becoming a bit of a bore, stomping around with all the grace of the Statue of Liberty animated by Ray Harryhausen on an off-day. She found herself upstaged when – in the later part of the set – a young chick appeared on stage from nowhere and started writhing conventionally but not erotically all over the place. Stacia joined this unsung heroine for more antics during the encore, ‘Silver Machine’. Midnight came and the ‘Wind departed to a good reception, although a goodly part of the audience seemed altogether too stunned to offer more than a desultory peace-sign.”

For what it’s worth, I enjoyed them and I struck up an everlasting fondness for the band, hunting down many of their albums over the ensuing years. I also made an effort to get to see them again on several occasions, so it can’t have been that bad an initiation can it? I can’t remember whether Stacia kept her kit on or took it off which, seeing as it was her final bow, is a bit of a shame – I feel that I really ought to have remembered that if nothing else! 😂

Setlist: Mind Journey; Assault and Battery; The Golden Void; Ode to a Time Flower; The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke); Wind of Change; The Awakening; Paradox; Spiral Galaxy 28948; Sonic Attack; Magnu; Master of the Universe; Welcome; Brainstorm; Encore: Silver Machine

Here’s what the official newspaper programme said about the band…

Robert Calvert does his stuff…Stacia does hers…

And here’s an audio recording of the whole performance…