The band was formed in 1969 by visionary Dave Brock and although it has been subject to numerous line-up changes it is still led by him. The early line-up featured Dave Brock on vocals and rhythm guitar, Huw Lloyd-Langton on lead guitar, Terry Ollis on drums, Thomas Crimble on bass, Nik Turner on Saxophone and Dik Mik on synthesizer.
The band became established as a space-rock underground band with their renowned concert at the Glastonbury Rock Festival 1970 when they set up in an alternative field and played a free concert, pulling crowds away from the main event. Their debut album, the self titled ‘HAWKWIND’, was released by EMI and to this day still sells steadily. In 1970 they appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival where Jimi Hendrix was spotted in the audience. He was asked to get up and join the band and he replied ‘No I don’t want to spoil it!’ Huw Lloyd-Langton remained with them until late 1971. The band shot to fame in 1972 with their hit record ‘Silver Machine’ featuring Lemmy (now of Motörhead fame) on vocals. (This record featured in the soundtrack of a recent TV Mazda advert in the UK). In 1973 Simon House (Electric Violin) joined, and throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, the renowned World famous Sci-fi author, Michael Moorcock often recorded and appeared with them.
Lemmy was sacked from the band in 1975 after a drugs bust in USA, and went on to form ‘MOTORHEAD’, named after the last track he wrote for the band, a slang term for speed freak. Huw Lloyd-Langton joined Leo Sayer in 1974 and then in 1975 went on to form supergroup ‘WIDOWMAKER’ WITH Steve Ellis (Love Affair), Luther Grosvenor (Mott The Hoople), Paul Nicholls (Lindisfarne) and Bob Daisley (Ozzy Osborne). In 1977, Simon House joined David Bowie. Dave Brock and poet Bob Calvert tour as ‘HAWKLORDS’, performing the stage show ‘METROPOLIS’. Throughout the 70's, Hawkwind released a series of classic albums; ‘IN SEARCH OF SPACE’, ‘DOREMI FASOL LATIDO’, ‘SPACE RITUAL’,
‘HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN GRILL’, ‘WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME’, ‘ASTOUNDING SOUNDS, AMAZING MUSIC’, ‘QUARK STRANGENESS & CHARM’ and ‘PXR 5’. In 1979, Dave formed another nucleus with Huw Lloyd-Langton on lead guitar, Simon King on drums, Harvey Bainbridge (from Hawklords) on bass and Tim Blake from ‘Gong’ on keyboards.
Their live album ‘LIVE 79’ went straight into the national top ten charts chart. In 1980 Ginger Baker replaced Simon King on drums and they recorded their classic album ‘LEVITATION’. Once again, the release went straight into national top ten album chart. Tim Blake and Ginger Baker remaied with the band until after the Christmas Tour 1980. From 1979 to 1985 the band’s singles and albums were never out of the national, independent and heavy metal charts, with albums such as ‘SONIC ATTACK, ‘CHURCH OF HAWKWIND', 'CHRONICLE OF THE BLACK SWORD, 'LIVE CHRONICLES' AND 'XENON CODEX'. Nik Turner who left the band in 1975 briefly rejoined the band 1982-1983 for the ‘CHOOSE YOUR MASQUES’ tour. In 1984 Alan Davey replaces Harvey Bainbridge on bass and Harvey moved over to keyboards and synths. In 1985 the band tour with the spectacular ‘CHRONICLES OF THE BLACK SWORD’, a stageshow portraying music and images based on Michael Moorcock’s epic saga, ‘ELRIC’. During this period the band reached a new audience with the emergence of ambient acts such as The Orb openly acknowledging Hawkwind’s influence.
Huw Lloyd-Langton remained with the band throughout the end of the 80s, departing in 1989 followed
shortly after by Harvey Bainbridge. The band continued to perform live throughout the nineties, and had
some noteable album releases such as, 'SPACE BANDITS', 'PALACE SPRINGS', 'ELECTRIC TEPEE',
'IT IS THE BUSINESS OF THE FUTURE TO BE DANGEROUS', 'THE BUSINESS TRIP', 'ALIEN 4',
'LOVE IN SPACE' and 'DISTANT HORIZONS'. During their entire existence the band have performed numerous free concerts, notably STONEHENGE and have supported various charities, which include SHELTER, when in 1977 at the Blackheath Concert Halls they raised thousands of pounds for the homeless, and even released a charity single version of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" with Samantha Fox guesting on vocals. N.A.S.A. in the USA have also used sound tracks from the ‘LOVE IN SPACE release. In 1997 they headlined the ‘1ST SPACEROCK FESTIVAL USA’. In 2000, the band staged the highly successful ‘HAWKESTRA’ event at the London Brixton Academy, which saw many past members reunited on stage with a nucleus of Dave Brock, Ron Tree, Jerry Richards, Hugh Lloyd-Langton, Simon House, Richard Chadwick, Alan Davey and Tim Blake. In 2001 they were voted the 8th top progressive band in the country on Channel 4 TV. The band have recently released a double live cd recording of their Xmas 2000 'Yule Ritual' show at the London Astoria, as well as the Arthur Brown helmed 'Out of the Shadows' in 2007.The concept of a Hawkestra, a reunion event featuring appearances from all past and present members, had originally been intended to coincide with the band's 30th anniversary and the release of the career spanning Epocheclipse – 30 Year Anthology set, but logistical problems delayed it until 21 October 2000. It took place at the Brixton Academy with about 20 members taking part in a 3+ hour set which was filmed and recorded. Guests included Samantha Fox who sang Master of the Universe. However, arguments and disputes over financial recompense and musical input resulted in the prospect of the event being restaged unlikely, and any album or DVD release being indefinitely shelved.The Hawkestra had set a template for Brock to assemble a core band of Tree, Brock, Richards, Davey, Chadwick and for the use of former members as guests on live shows and studio recordings. The 2000 Christmas Astoria show was recorded with contributions from House, Blake, Rizz, Moorcock, Jez Huggett and Keith Kniveton and released as Yule Ritual the following year.
In 2001, Davey agreed to rejoin the band permanently, but only afiter the departure of Tree and Richards.
Meanwhile, having rekindled relationships with old friends at the Hawkestra, Turner organised further Hawkestra gigs resulting in the formation of xhawkwind.com, a band consisting mainly of ex-Hawkwind members and playing old Hawkwind songs. An appearance at Guilfest in 2002 led to confusion as to whether this actually was Hawkwind, sufficiently irking Brock into taking legal action to prohibit Turner from trading under the name Hawkwind. Turner lost the case and the band now perform as Space Ritual.
An appearance at the Canterbury Sound Festival in August 2001, resulting in another live album Canterbury Fayre 2001, saw guest appearances from Lloyd-Langton, House, Kniveton with Arthur Brown on "Silver Machine". The band organised the first of their own weekend festivals, named Hawkfest, in Devon in the summer of 2002. Brown joined the band in 2002 for a Winter tour which featured some Kingdom Come songs and saw appearances from Blake and Lloyd-Langton, the Newcastle show being released on DVD as Out of the Shadows and the London show on CD as Spaced Out in London.
In 2005 the long anticipated new album Take Me to Your Leader was released. Recorded by the core band of Brock/Davey/Chadwick, contributors included new keyboardist Jason Stuart, Arthur Brown, tabloid writer and TV personality Matthew Wright, 1970s New Wave singer Lene Lovich, Simon House and Jez Huggett. This was followed in 2006 by the CD/DVD disc Take Me to Your Future.
The band were the subject of an hour-long television documentary entitled Hawkwind: Do Not Panic that aired on BBC Four as part of the Originals series. It was broadcast on 30 March 2007 and repeated on 10 August 2007. Although Brock participated in its making he did not appear in the programme, it is alleged that he requested all footage of himself be removed after he was denied any artistic control over the documentary.. In one of the documentary's opening narratives regarding Brock, it is stated that he declined to be interviewed for the programme because of Nik Turner's involvement, indicating that the two men have still not been reconciled over the xhawkwind.com incident.
June 2007 saw the departure of Alan Davey, who left to perform and record with two new bands: Gunslinger and Thunor. He was replaced by "Mr Dibs", a long-standing member of the road crew and bassist for the bands Spacehead and Krel (who had supported Hawkwind during 1992). The band performed at their annual Hawkfest festival and headlined the US festival NEARfest and played gigs in PA and NY. At the end of 2007, Tim Blake once again joined the band filling the lead role playing keyboards and theremin. The band played 5 Christmas dates, the London show being released as an audio CD and video DVD under the title Knights of Space.
The band's official Website is to be found at www.hawkwind.com
HAWKWIND and solo projects: Dave Brock, Nik Turner, Inner City Unit, Lemmy, Motorhead, Huw Lloyd Langton Group, Robert Calvert, Alan Davey, Bedouin, Michael Moorcock Deep Fix, Harvey Bainbridge, Agents Of Chaos ,Space Ritual, Spiral Realms,ect.A truly prolific act !
Kerb Crawler
Hawkwind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Overhead Cam
Mohair motorised wolf
L-L-L-L-Looking for lambs
Power-Assisted Steering
8-Track Stereo
Leopard Skin Upholstery
Kerb Crawler
White side walls with grooves
Kerb Crawler
So fast he hardly moves
Kerb Crawler
He really approves of
Your high heels clicking
Like a pair of cloven hooves
Excuse Me Lady
Are you looking for a lift?
I ain't going nowhere special
I'm just out on the drift
I'll take you anywhere you want
Drop you outside your door
I might drive us down the Autobahn
With my foot right to the floor
Fandago insect in the skyscraper shade
He's a night-city mantis
In the neon parade
Come on, come on
The song "Kerb Crawler" by Hawkwind tells the story of a sleazy male character cruising around the streets in his car with the intention of picking up women. The lyrics describe his car in detail, indicating that he has a fancy vehicle with various features like power-assisted steering, 8-track stereo, leopard skin upholstery, FM radio, and white side walls with grooves. The chorus "Kerb Crawler" signifies the singer's true intention, which is to pick up women by driving slowly and seductively alongside the pavement. He approves of women who wear high heels, and he compares the sound of their footsteps to cloven hooves, which is a reference to the Devil.
The singer's character is further revealed when he approaches a woman and offers to give her a lift. He is not going anywhere specific, but rather, he is just wandering around the city. He is willing to take his passenger anywhere she wants, even if it is driving at full speed down the Autobahn. The second verse introduces a character called "Fandango Insect," suggesting that the sleazy man is not the only one hanging around the city's seedy streets. The final lines of the song, "Come on, come on," serve as a call to action or an invitation to join in his illicit activities.
Line by Line Meaning
Single Mesh Gearbox
The vehicle is equipped with a single mesh gearbox.
Overhead Cam
The vehicle features an overhead camshaft engine.
Mohair motorised wolf
The car is covered with mohair and has a powerful engine.
L-L-L-L-Looking for lambs
The driver is searching for young women to pick up.
Power-Assisted Steering
The vehicle has power steering for ease of driving.
8-Track Stereo
The car features an 8-track stereo system.
Leopard Skin Upholstery
The seats are covered in leopard print fabric.
FM Radio
The car has an FM radio receiver.
Kerb Crawler
A person driving slowly and looking for women to pick up on the side of the road.
White side walls with grooves
The tires have white accents with grooves on the sides.
Kerb Crawler
A person driving slowly and looking for women to pick up on the side of the road.
So fast he hardly moves
Despite driving slowly, the driver seems to be in a hurry.
Kerb Crawler
A person driving slowly and looking for women to pick up on the side of the road.
He really approves of
The driver really likes it when women wear high heels.
Your high heels clicking
He enjoys the sound of a woman's heels clicking on the pavement.
Like a pair of cloven hooves
He thinks the sound is reminiscent of an animal's hooves.
Excuse Me Lady
The driver is addressing a woman he wants to pick up.
Are you looking for a lift?
He is offering the woman a ride.
I ain't going nowhere special
He doesn't have any particular destination in mind.
I'm just out on the drift
He is driving aimlessly and looking for women to pick up.
I'll take you anywhere you want
He is trying to convince the woman to get in the car.
Drop you outside your door
He is promising to drop her off at her desired location.
I might drive us down the Autobahn
He is suggesting that they might go on a high-speed drive on the highway.
With my foot right to the floor
He will drive as fast as possible.
Fandago insect in the skyscraper shade
A metaphorical description of the car driving in the city.
He's a night-city mantis
The driver is portrayed as a predator in the city at night.
In the neon parade
The city is brightly lit with neon lights.
Come on, come on
An invitation for the woman to join him in the car.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVE BROCK, ROBERT NEWTON CALVERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Transcriptor
Still got my new release LP : 1976 was a great year for rapid development of progressive rock with the advent of electronic audio.
Ian Fletcher
An unbelievably great track.
joseph Flamish
Awesome album I had it back in 76 oh man every song on there is excellent I lent the cover to some dude to do it for art class for high school and I never got the cover back but I still have the album hulk wind is my favorite band and they were way ahead of their time
Terry Casey
8 track stereo...most of today's kids would be pushed to remember c90 cassettes...my 7 year boy said to me a while back... " DAD ... no one listens to c.ds anymore .or read books .." ...well I had to laugh....
Jack Duncan
Takes me back to my acid days. So nice 👍🏼😁
Mel Gordon
Still got this on 45🤓👍
jaxtraw
"Fight cyborgs with glue!"
Robert Rumbelow
Acid Dayz you surly had to have or listen to the Space Ritual for that. Or was it just me?
Mel Gordon
Charisma label