Hoaxwind thrill at the Grey Horse

There are three rock venues in Kingston and I have now seen Hoaxwind at them all :-)

The latest concert was a benefit gig for the RNLI at the Grey Horse where they headlined a mixed and entertaining line-up, admittedly most of which I listened to from the comfort of the front bar where the Young's Ordinary was on fine form.

Hoaxwind took the (small) stage around 10:30 and spent the best part of quarter of an hour trying to fit themselves and their kit on to it. This time was not wasted and I was able to discuss local schools with the band's WAGS, such is rock 'n' roll these days.

Part of the band's setup included the new smoke machine to replace the one that failed at The Peel. This one failed too, which may not have been that bad a thing as it seemed to be pointing straight at me and I've already had one gig seriously impacted badly by smoke. Stick to the light shows guys!


Gradually the band found spaces on the stage and were ready to rock. For some reason Tony Dyson (keyboards) found himself near the front and facing the crowd, both of which go against his normal custom.

This proved to be a good thing as Tony is one of the more enthusiastic and energetic members of the band (not that any of them look bored or listless!) and it was fun to see him cavorting behind his keyboards.

The set list was similar, if not identical, to the recent gig at The Peel apart from the omission, due to time, of Ejection as an encore. Incidentally, the pre gig conversations in the bar exposed the clever Election/Silver Machine mix played at The Peel as a mistake with some of the band starting to play one song and some the other before they converged on Ejection!

Hoaxwind again played with rhythm, verve and a real appreciation for the songs, which produced another very enjoyable performance. My favourites on the night were influenced as much by how I felt about the original versions as by how Hoaxwind brought them to life and I was very pleased to hear again Assault and Battery, Psychedelic Warlords, Orgone Accumulator and Hassan-i Sabbah. Spirit of the Age would have been nice but with such a rich Hawkwind catalogue to plunder them will always be some very deserving songs that get left out.

Summary; great songs, good band, fine pub, cute company, excellent evening.