MY PROG HERO
Inspiring the wider music world…
The Membranes bassist, journalist and author goes triple bad acid, yeah, when it comes to his adoration and respect of the mighty Hawkwind.
I first heard Hawkwind when I was at school and Silver Machine came up on my radar. That was just the most unlikely hit from a band that’s not meant to have a hit. I don’t know who was more surprised: them or their audience! And suddenly they’d made it, which did bring about additional pressures; you could trace Lemmy’s eventual exit from the band because of that massive hit.
They just seemed like a gonzoid version of glam rock: how would you know about underground squat culture and free festivals growing up in Blackpool when you’re 11 years old? But there was always a clutch of older kids you’d get the bus to school with who wore green or blue army greatcoats and they’d write the names of the bands in biro on their little army bags. They’d have Gong and the Yes logo on there, but Hawkwind were really their thing.
When punk started, they were one of the bands that survived. I think that’s because you could perceive their music as being simplistic because it was built around endless bass lines and guitar riffs, but they’re much more musical than
