The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
The ‘Zim Zam Zim’ tour
Arthur Brown (vocals) /
I think that I arrived mid-set for this one. Knowing me, I would have stopped off for a pint or two beforehand just across the road in Lillie Langtry’s, one of the many quality Nottingham hostelries.
I was staggered to find that Brown was still recording; if you’d asked me back then I would have said that his recording career was over by the end of the early 1970s, but a glance through Discogs today shows that he was touring what was only his fifth studio album in ‘Zim Zam Zim’ and that he would go on to record right up to 2019’s ‘Gypsy Voodoo’. And as he is still alive and kicking I suppose that we can expect even more from him any day now!
Anyway, for what it’s worth I really can’t recall anything that he played on this occasion. There is no confirmed setlist for this so I am just going to have suggest that he played tracks from his previous works – spanning several decades! – and, of course, ‘Fire‘ which I vaguely recall that he encored with and which wouldn’t have been much of a surprise, would it? Could be wrong of course… And, looking back, he was the perfect support act for Hawkwind… who was going to notice another loony in amongst all of that lot? 😂
Edit: I have now found an online review of this gig HERE which tells us: “Space rock uberlords Hawkwind are the headline act whilst the support come from the godfather of theatrical rock Arthur Brown. That’s the God of Hellfire himself takes the stage before his friends and former bandmates. Brown is in a chipper mood this evening, despite being stuck in traffic on the M42 for several hours which significantly delayed his arrival, a time that Brown refers to as “constructive”, in Nottingham but fortunately for the gathering masses not his arrival on stage. As the opening strains of Zim Zam Zim, the title track for his sublime new album, begin, it’s a confident and strident Brown that enters the fray, backed by a supremely talented bunch of young musicians whose energy and rhythm allow the great man to do what he does best. “Want to Love” follows and it’s a track that wows the audience who may not be familiar with Arthur Brown circa 2014. It a disturbing but funky tale wrapped in a Tom Waits vibe which confirms to all in attendance that at the age of 73 the ‘God of Hellfire’ is producing some of the best work of his career. Of course the classics like “I Put A Spell On You” are covered and they positively shine with the powerful, and at time, heavy backing. Props too must go to the dancer Angel for keeping the crowd enthralled during AB’s costume change. “Fire” inevitably closes the superb 45 minute set and it’s a rip-roaring version which the crowd join in on like a stadium sing-a-long. All joyous and all brilliant. Arthur Brown and his band are essential viewing for anyone with even a modicum of appreciation for a true visionary artist.”
Incomplete setlist: Zim, Zam Zim; Want To Love; I Put A Spell On You; Fire
Hawkwind
Possible line-up: Dave Brock (vocals, guitars, keyboards) / Tim Blake (keyboards) / Dead Fred (keyboards) / Mr Dibs (bass, vocals) / Niall Hone (bass, guitars, vocals) / Richard Chadwick (drums, percussion, vocals)
Now I will admit to being a little confused here. I really don’t think that at this point I had ever been to Rock City alone, but the two most likely candidates who would have accompanied me both say that they were not there for this gig, and yet I have a ticket, so I was definitely there!
This was only the second time that I had been to Rock City but it’s a great venue and there was a most appreciative crowd in on the night, as you would expect at every ‘Wind gig. This was the third time that I have seen the band and they really don’t get any slower or any less manic – it really was a great gig and, as always, it was a real thrill to see the band in the flesh.
There’s a review of the gig HERE which is good enough for me so I’ll let you read it… “Following AB [Arthur Brown] is never an easy task so it’s a good job the Hawkwind faithful are out in their masses. To be honest it was never going to be anything less than a triumph. This line-up of Hawkwind have been together a while now and the band are as tight as they have ever been. Mr Dibs cuts a classic biker figure, like someone who has just stepped off the set of Easy Rider. Dave Brock is his usual self exuding a calm yet enigmatic presence befitting of his status in the band he founded 45 years ago. The rest of the band play with the enthusiasm of a debut gig with Tim Blake a master of the cosmic keyboard and Dead Fred a master of all he surveys. The reason Hawkwind have stayed such a going concern and influence in the rock and metal circles is in no small part down to the quality of their albums. Their pyschedlic [sic] and other worldly take on the classic rock genre has inspired hundreds of other artists in almost every field and tracks like “Utopia”, played with real verve and energy tonight, shows why they retain such a lofty position in the pantheons of music. The video backdrop, dancers and light displays all add to the ethereal quality of the music that goes from classic track to classic track. “Assault and Battery”, “Sonic Attack” they all keep coming over the course of the night. Were it not for the fact that Rock City has 10 o’clock curfew on Fridays, due to vast numbers of young whippersnappers who prefer to listening to someone playing records rather than live music, you get the feeling the band could play all night. Probably not good for the health of the band but you certainly wouldn’t get any complaints from the crowd tonight.”
Probable setlist: Seasons; Steppenwolf; Utopia; It’s All Lies; Prometheus; Assault and Battery; The Golden Void; Motorway City; Uncle Sam’s on Mars; Sonic Attack; You’d Better Believe It; Orgone Accumulator; Assassins of Allah; Encore: Reefer Madness (from a day later at the Manchester Academy)
Gigs'n'Stuff 