I’ve been to a few HRH events over the last couple of years, but this was different for two reasons - It was in London at Shepherds Bush Empire, meaning we could commute, and Janet came along as well! In fairness she only attended the second day, and only because of Uriah Heep, but she still was there.
HRH have made a name for themselves in the rock concert world by being the JD Wetherspoons of music festivals - inner-city locations with zero frills and quite terrible food (HRH that is - Wetherspoons’ food is by comparison quite excellent). HRH also do festivals at camp sites, but more on that in a couple of weeks.
The Shepherds Bush Empire is a very good concert venue, although the excess of bars in the stalls means that there is always a lot of chat downstairs. What this weekend highlighted is that they don’t do food and don’t let it in the door. This means that for an all-day event like this, you have a couple of thousand people drinking for ten hours with no food unless they leave the venue and walk in the rain to a kebab shop or pub. Few wanted to do this, so the venue ran out of cheap beer on day one, and expensive beer on day two. Personally, I took advantage of each break to nip out for a pint, a snack, a coffee and even a flu jab; normally getting back as the next band started their second song.
Meanwhile, on stage…
Monkey Trial kicked things off - a trio in the mould of The Orb - very ambient and very dull.
4th Labyrinth are a German band fronted by a Russell Brand-esque keyboard player and with a coloured female bass player who this day was head to toe in red sequins. They were very good and great fun.
Pearl Handled Revolver are very much in the Doors style, and brought an excellent bit of menace to the music.
Krankschaft describe themselves as acid rock. I.e. they sound like a small Hawkwind. They had the most memorable back projections of the day, full of written messages from the singer as he wasn’t allowed to waste time talking between songs. The downside is I don’t remember much of the music.
Caravan were my top band of the day. I’d not really listened to them before and they occupy the space between mid-period Genesis and Jethro Tull. Even the guy sitting behind me whinging about the lack of cheap beer didn’t dent my enjoyment (much).
The Pineapple Thief however, was a disappointment. There was no light or shade, just continuous mid-tempo rumbling, like modern Marillion, or the loud bits of Radiohead. I left early and was punished by there being no trains for half an hour.
Sunday started with Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate, who have an album’s worth of material about Marvin The Paranoid Android. Despite this, they turned out to be warm and funny and possibly the most emotionally intense of the bands on the bill.
Pre-Med are more metal than prog. A great band and fronted by a singer with the voice of Siouxsie Sioux and a nifty style of 'air-theremin'.
Hawklords are a difficult proposition - originally a Hawkwind spin-off in the 70s but now a band on their own right. For this weekend they also had NikTurner - legendary Hawkwind saxophonist who at nearly 80 years of age looked and sounded like he should have been left at home. The band had some good moments, but this was very much for the Hawkwind faithful.
Vintage Caravan, on the other hand are a young Icelandic trio of the Hendrix/Cream persuasion and probably the biggest hit of the weekend. They overwhelmed our desire to leave and get something to eat, so dinner was a packet of peanuts from the local off-licence.
We should have gone for a full dinner and thus avoided Gong, but I’d wanted to see them ever since hearing Electric Camembert. What we got was some acid rock with a tedious 20-minute trance section in the middle and very little to enjoy.
But Uriah Heep did the business. 49 years on the stage and still giving it their all. We got a few new songs, a smattering of classics and the big singles. We also got a tedious 10-minute instrumental workout, but then, this is prog, and even the rock bands have to deliver such things.
Overall it was an enjoyable weekend, but the Empire just doesn’t have the facilities (or hot water supply) for 10-hour music events, and I’d much rather pay the extra to be in Sheffield next time.
Videos
Pulled off the web as usual - credits by following the links. It was hard to find video from the night itself.
Pearl Handled Revolver - Rabbit Hole
Caravan - Nine Feet Underground
Proper, 'Canterbury Scene' prog!
Pre-Med - Higher
The bass player on this video is no longer with us, but the band decided to continue, which was definitely the right decision.
