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 !
Kiss Of The Velvet Whip
Hawkwind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How your body shudders higher as you climb
You're reaching for the sky as the lash descends
Tingling stars of fire, burning in your head
Lightning in your opening eyes,
Bursting thoughts of power
Feel the velvet whip
Turning sweet thoughts to sour
Feel the pain burning, reaching up your spine
How your body shudders higher as you climb
You're reaching for the sky as the lash descends
Tingling stars of fire, burning in your head
Lightning in your opening eyes,
Bursting thoughts of power
Feel the velvet whip
Turning sweet thoughts to sour
Down and down you slowly slide
Your burning body under mine
Together a world with legs entwined
Silky skin with hardened lines
The scent of leather in the air
The colours change not really there
You taste the sweetness of the pain
Will you ever climb so high again?
Feel the pain burning, reaching up your spine
How your body shudders higher as you climb
You're reaching for the sky as the lash descends
Tingling stars of fire, burning in your head
Lightning in your opening eyes,
Bursting thoughts of power
Feel the velvet whip
Turning sweet thoughts to sour
Down and down you slowly slide
Your burning body under mine
Together a world with legs entwined
Silky skin with hardened lines
The scent of leather in the air
The colours change not really there
You taste the sweetness of the pain
Will you ever climb so high again?
Feel the pain burning, reaching up your spine
How your body shudders higher as you climb
You're reaching for the sky as the lash descends
Tingling stars of fire, burning in your head
Lightning in your opening eyes,
Bursting thoughts of power
Feel the velvet whip
Turning sweet thoughts to sour
The lyrics to Hawkwind's "Kiss of the Velvet Whip" describe the intense physical and emotional experience of BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism) or a similar taboo sexual encounter. The first verse speaks of the physical sensations of pleasure and pain, as the person being whipped feels their body shudder and stars burst in their head. The second verse describes the emotional and sensory experience of being with a partner, with their bodies entwined and the scent of leather in the air. The final verse repeats the physical sensations and ends with a question about whether the person will ever again reach the same height of pleasure and pain.
The use of words like "tingling," "bursting," and "sour" create a sense of intense sensory experience, while the repetition of the chorus reinforces the idea of climbing higher and higher towards an unknown peak. The metaphor of the "kiss" of the velvet whip highlights the ambiguous nature of BDSM; for some, it is a pleasurable and consensual expression of their sexuality, while for others, it is a dangerous and harmful activity.
Overall, the lyrics to "Kiss of the Velvet Whip" are open to interpretation and can be seen as either celebrating or warning against the thrill of BDSM. Either way, they are a powerful and evocative description of a taboo sexual practice.
Line by Line Meaning
Feel the pain burning, reaching up your spine
You are experiencing a physical pain that intensifies and moves up your back.
How your body shudders higher as you climb
As the intensity of the pain increases, your body responds with powerful shudders and spasms.
You're reaching for the sky as the lash descends
Despite the pain, you are pushing yourself to reach new heights as you are struck by a whip-like object.
Tingling stars of fire, burning in your head
The pain is so intense that it is creating a sensation of sparks or flames in your mind.
Lightning in your opening eyes,
The pain is so intense it makes your eyes open wide, revealing a burst of electric energy.
Bursting thoughts of power
The extreme physical stimulation is causing a rush of powerful thoughts and emotions.
Feel the velvet whip
The sensation of a soft, smooth whip is adding an unexpected dynamic to the experience.
Turning sweet thoughts to sour
The previously pleasant thoughts and sensations are becoming unpleasant due to the intensity of the pain and stimulation.
Down and down you slowly slide
As the intense sensations overwhelm you, you start to descend into a lower, almost hypnotic state.
Your burning body under mine
Your body is literally burning with sensations, as if it is on fire, underneath the body of another person.
Together a world with legs entwined
As two people become intertwined, they create a unique and intimate world of their own.
Silky skin with hardened lines
The skin is simultaneously soft and firm, creating a juxtaposition of sensations.
The scent of leather in the air
There is a distinct aroma of leather, contributing to the overall sensory experience.
The colours change not really there
The intense sensations and altered state of mind may cause a distortion of reality or perception of colors.
You taste the sweetness of the pain
Although painful, there is a unique, almost desirable aspect to the feeling.
Will you ever climb so high again?
You may wonder if you will ever be able to reach such an intense level of physical and emotional stimulation again.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVID ANTHONY BROCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind