Hawkwind, The Blackheart Orchestra – The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester – Sunday 11th May 2025

HAWKWIND

We’re honoured to be in the presence of legends tonight in the grand and spacious surroundings of the Bridgewater Hall. The Hawkwind live experience is inevitably an ‘experience‘, most recently captured on the Live at the Albert Hall set about which we waxed lyrical – envisaging the event and souvenir as a Space Ritual for the modern age.

Armed with a stage decorated with banner and a projection screen, smoke and lasers belting out and with the recent There Is No Space For Us album undertheir belt, it looks like a Hawkwind show and certainly sounds like it. Dave Brock doing the spoken intro as a scene setting offering of the new sounds accompanied by a behatted Doug Mackinnion pumping out basslines in front of a road worn and hefty stack.

HAWKWIND ? POIGNANT?

With the strum of an easy tempo, Dave (supported by by Magnus Martin and Doug) proffers a world weariness as he sings about being ” just a traveler of time and space,” that’s quite…no, make that incredibly poignant. Almost country rocking, it’s possibly the highlight of the set. Lest we get too dewey eyed, the reverie is dissolved in a frenzy of power as they blast into Paradox and the punky rush of Michael Moorcock’s Lost Chances. The latter a reminder of the Indian Summer effect and outpouring of top notch new music from the current line up that gets its day in the sun during the first half.

It’s a great opening. However, should we need reminding, there’s a rather healthy back catalogue to be explored. Psi Power is the signal for the annals of rock history books to be dusted off. The bombast is out in full force as the quintet launch into a run of legacy classics. There’s even a Stranglers-esque wobbling synth solo that reminds us how Hawkwind were always a band who avoided the genre box tickers. Reverting to Space Rocking type, the psychedelic washes on Assault & Battery/Golden Void and the reedy organ of Steppenwolf see them stepping into laid back and Bluesy improv areas.

With Dave at the mic conducting Spirit Of The Age, it seems to have taken over from Silver Machine as what might be their concession to some sort of ‘feem toon’. You might even point to the encore of Urban Guerrilla as Hawkwind still (tongue in) cheekily still pressing the controversy button. Less bomb making in the cellars these days and more for charities for pet and animal welfare. Talking of which, there’s no Right To Decide tonight, but to steal unashamedly from the lyrics, Hawkwind show that you CAN go forward and you CAN go back.

THE BLACKHEART ORCHESTRA

The Blackheart Orchestra of Rick and Chrissy are regular support buddies for Hawkwind. Last seen at The Temperance in Leamington back in March for the full experience, these support slots give them the opportunity to further broaden the audience although the Hawkwind crowd should already be well versed and on board with their charms. Enjoying the fringe benefits of the Hawkwind endorsement, they even have Richard Chadwick joining for the finale of Astronaut.

Otherwise, it’s a 45 minute snapshot of their catalogue. Kicking off a mind boggling exhibition of musical multitaskery, the Clannadesque opening of The Tide sees Chrissy is clearly not missing cavorting the the chilly waters off the North Wales coast (check the video). With Under The Headlights and the Bloodlines single from the end of 2024, it’s a short set of bangers. Less is more etc.

They reinforce their prog credentials with the masterful The Flood that’s almost two songs in one ranging from tender and fragile to soaring guitar in a joyous and uplifting outpouring. There’s even the thought that as they close, they may even head off into Won;t Get Fooled Again. Guitar heroism isn’t always something you’d associate with The Blackheart Orchestra but leaves you wanting more. Spinetingling.

We’re looking forward to what the rest of 2025 brings.

Hawkwind online: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

The Blackheart Orchestra online: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp / Instagram 

Keep up with At The Barrier: Facebook / X (formerly Twitter) / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube