Musings from 20,000 feet

Canceled flights and detours via London do have some advantages. In this case the chance to listen to Hawklords Live 1978 released on the excellent Atom Henge label.

First off a trip back to 1978 and Bob Calvert in all his pomp. The 1978 Hawklords tour is special to me as it was the first time I saw the Hawks live. As the first bars of Automoton segued into 25 Years On, I found myself transported back to that night. Calvert on stage with bullet belt and flying helmet. The definitive urban guerilla delivering the ultimate sonic attack. High Rise and Deathtrap followed, the latter delivered with blistering intensity. Age of the Micro Man mellowed things out a bit then, Steve Swindells swirling synth playing and regae rifs counterpointing Calvert's vocals perfectly. No disrespect to messrs Brock and Wright, but no one delivers Spirit Of The Age quite like Bob and the version recorded here doesn't doesn't disapoint. The classic Urban Guerilla then showcases what Calvert brought to the band, make believe violence on a 100 watt stack and a song which will probably reside in my head yet again for the next 24 hours (I must remember not to sing it to myself going through security at Brussels Airport).

A dreamlike version of Sonic Attack then breaks into a cracking rendition of Psi Power, before proceedings are finally concluded with the classic Brainstorm punched out in inimitable style by Bob.

The auditorium lights come on, walking through a forest of plastic beer cups to the exit, ears ringing and a feeling of profound satisfaction. Roll forwards 31 years and a plane coming in to land. Welcome to the future.

Forget the anemic Live 79, this is the Hawks at their best. Highly recommended.

Willard Grant Conspiracy & Doghouse Roses at Botanique

Tonight the Willard Grant Conspiracy were aided and abetted by a fine alternative Folk act from Glasgow called Doghouse Roses, initially as the support act and later joining the conspiracy. Iona Macdonald has an exceptional voice and backed by quality guitar playing from Paul Tasker, Doghouse Roses are a fine alt Folk group. I look forward to seeing them back home in Scotland some time.

Doghouse Roses left the stage briefly before returning with Willard Grant Conspiracy. A session of top drawer musicianship followed, with Iona's silky vocals providing the perfect counterpoint to Robert's potent brand of Americana. An aural delight to swirl around in the mind and savor, like a fine cognac. Music to warm the soul.

The following pictures were the first I've taken with my newly acquired Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. An excellent lens for low lighting conditions when you don't want to use a flash. Also great for hunting pandas.

Madensuyu at KVS Brussels

24 hours on from Mudhoney's Berlin gig, I was still buzzing from their adrenaline fueled brand of West Coast punk. Madensuyu in Brussels were going to have to be exceptional to take me to the same heady levels of rock nirvana.

And exceptional they were. For a two man band Madensuyu produce a wall of sound that is simply astonishing. Listening to their studio material had given me an inkling of what they could do, but live they are something else. Woman, Fafafuckin', Tread On Tread Light... hypnotic pulsating music that blows the mind.

Ghent's finest have raised my live rock bar another couple of notches and reaffirmed my belief in just how good the Belgian musical scene is at the moment.

Go out and buy their albums. Better still, if you can, see them live, you wont regret it.

Finally, here are a few more images from a truly memorable night in Brussels.

Moshing to Mudhoney in Berlin

The last time I was in a mosh pit was at Motorheads 25th anniversary concert in Brixton, the birthplace of punk, it's ironic then that the band to drag me back into the pogoing fray were the godfathers of grunge, Mudhoney, returning to Berlin after a 15 year absence.

Tracks from their new album, The Lucky Ones, meshed seamlessly with their old classics, as body surfers cascaded onto the stage in a blitzkrieg of the flesh. On that stage lead singer Mark Arm threw himself around like a man possessed, running at the crowd one minute and jerking around in demonic puppet fashion the next. A punk master in all his pomp. "You may have noticed we had Kurt Cobain on stage with us earlier", he quipped. "He was a bit smaller than I remembered him".

Touch me I'm sick in particular brought the house down, with the German audience freaking out en masse. Two encores rounded off proceedings, with the crowd still baying for more.

All in all a fantastic nights entertainment. 10 out of 10 for both the band and the crowd. Brilliant.

Giving The Dog A Bone

A walk up Friedrichstraße today took us into Scheunenviertel, known as the "barn quarter". Amongst other things, this former Jewish center of the city hosts numerous art shops and includes Tacheles. At the turn of the 20th Century Tacheles was one of Berlin's most elegant shopping centers but has since fallen into disrepair and been converted into an alternative art center.

Perusing one of the Tachele artists studio's I came across the surreal work of Hungarian born artist Andras Bartos. A walk further down the road to Oranienburger Str. 27 brought us to a shop full of his work. After much humming and more than enough harring I couldn't decide on a print for myself. Calvin on the other hand immediately went for this macabre canine piece which will be winging its way back to Bonnie Scotland in a few days time.

Dave Grohl - The Greatest Drummer In The World?

Sitting here in our hotel room in Berlin surfing You Tube in search of musical entertainment. Having just played a live version of L7's Pretend We're Dead on iTunes, I went hunting for footage of grunge's finest in full flight. That's when I came upon this clip that reminded me what a damn fine drummer Dave Grohl is.

With Brütal Legend fast approaching, here's young Jack Black and Kyle Gass performing their tribute to the greatest song in the world, aided and abetted by the shiny demon himself.

And here's Dave playing the tributed song. Hmmm is that why Zeppelin didn't have him guesting with them at the O2 Arena.

Although he would have done a bloody good job...



If they ever make a live action Muppet Movie, Dave's getting my vote to play Animal!

Rover's Return

I'll swear that Gym Ball I was working out on tonight is out to get me. Bounce to the left, bounce to the right, roll along on your belly supported by your hands, bounce, bounce, bounce... By the time I'd finished I felt like Tigger.

How can a ball be such hard work. I'm not a number I'm a free fan!

Speaking of balls, here's an old classic from those German metal maestros Accept. It's the title track from their 1983 release and is the opening album in that old charade favourite The 100 Best And Absolute Greatest Heavy Metal Albums In The World Ever.