CANTERBURY FAYRE 2001

Awesome return to form from these space rock legends. While it may not have the same vibe as the eternal classic Space Ritual, it does recall the inspiration and enthusiasm of that long past time. You have to remember that this live performance occurs 29 years afterwards. They play a great assortment of material from the classic 70's period to the obscure 80's period while eshewing their techno phase of the 90's. And while the late Bob Calvert's spirit is missed, Arthur Brown fills his role to recreate the poet's role. The other sad part is missing presence of Nik Turner, the other defining member of Hawkwind. However, all is not lost because the violin of Simon House fills that role wonderfully.

Being a fan of all era's of Hawkwind and an afficiado to the tune of 63 commercial cd's and 30 odd bootleg recordings, I can't recommend this recording enough to the people that thought Hawkwind burned out a long time ago. As was always the case about Hawkwind, they were and still are a better live band than they are a studio band. Hawkwind is an experience and is best appreciated outside the confines of the studio. This is an almost essential recording because it proves that the old bugger's can still play inspired, energetic music!