This is a slight remastering of the mp3 files originally downloaded from http://hawkstuff.ratsauce.co.uk/hawklive.asp , with some notes of mine added and artwork from http://covers.hawklord.com/1980-1989/1981/1981-10-21%20Hammersmith%20Odeon,%20London (pretty awful as far as I'm concerned, but I wouldn't do better !)
Date: 21/10/1981
Musicians: Dave Brock Huw Lloyd Langton Harvey Bainbridge Bob Calvert Martin Griffin
Town: London
Venue: Hammersmith Odeon
Set: Angel Voice; Motorway City; Angels Of Death; Psi Power; Coded Languages; Golden Void; Magnu; Dust Of Time; Instrumental; Psychedelic Warlords; Rocky Paths; Psychosonia; Shot Down In The Night; Sonic Attack; Brainstorm; Silver Machine; Master Of The Universe; Urban Guerilla
This is an audience recording, with some real stereo if you listen to the applauses ; deserves a 6 out of ten. The vocals, drums and lead guitar are prominent ; an extra dose of rythm guitar would have been a plus. The synths are mainly present on introductions, especially because there was no one specifically in charge of these, which gives a rather "rock band" feeling, as opposite to the studio album the band was promoting, Sonic Attack, which is quite heavy on bleeps and swooshes. Actually, removing the lead guitar and adding some Calvert, this could be an Hawklords era concert recorded... Particularly when you listen to Martin Griffin's drumming, which is definitely, on this gig, lacking of the blanga blanga power he later displayed as a live HW drummer ; I'm not saying it is bad, but it has a rather 70's feel - probably because of the drum sound, with very little bass drum, a dry snare and LOADS of hi-hats (played quite "tightly").
So, what about the songs and the performance ?
On this gig, we get a rather "minimalistic" Hawkwind, with the band playing, I would say, "dry and fast" ; not so far from the Live 79 era, but without - and it makes quite a difference - the synth extravaganza Tim Blake used to add over the "rocking parts". Which is not bad ; with a bit more energy and a bit less lead guitar noodling, this could have all sounded like early Killing Joke, in some way. New-wave, anyone ? The synths and sequences, when they appear, have a rather particular feeling, at the same time quite primitive (there's not a lot of sound layers interacting, just one or two keyboards) and completely 80's, fairly cold new-wavish stuff, again. Some will hate that, I won't !
(the analysis goes on in the .txt document included in the archive)
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