HAWKWIND A NEW DAY FESTIVAL - MOUNT EPHRAIM GARDENS, FAVERSHAM SATURDAY 22ND AUGUST 2026
As somebody who’s never touched a recreational drug, and barely even bothered with alcohol, I’m not sure that I’m really Hawkwind’s target audience. But despite being pretty boring and sensible, the psychedelic warriors are the reason I’ve ventured to the beautiful Mount Ephraim Gardens this evening. It’s not the first time they’ve headlined A New Day Festival, nor the first time the band have performed reasonably near to where I live, but I’ve missed them on every occasion - a situation I’ve been determined to rectify.
Less a gig, more of an immersive experience, it’s quite something to be part of an audience cloaked beneath lasers and lights, an effect enhanced by the position of the stage at the base of a gentle slope. The band appear largely silhouetted against a colourful backdrop, often giving the illusion of whizzing through some alternate dimension - apt for a band who invite us to sing along to ‘Traveller of Time and Space’.
Far from conventional headliners, catchy singalongs are not really the order of the day (though opener ‘Right to Decide’ is easy enough to pick up). ‘Levitation’ is spectacularly heavy, the bass hitting you in the chest with a real wallop, centred around a characteristically hypnotic riff. Pleasing in its eccentricity, ‘There Is Still Danger There’ blends a spoken word interlude with washes of synths before inviting you to dance. ‘Underwater City’ follows, elegant and pretty, a gentle instrumental with the risk of being lost on short attention spans. And yet, the festival is the busiest I’ve seen it, young and old convening to appreciate this enduring ‘space rock’.
The power of Hawkwind to transcend age is reflected on the stage; Founder Dave Brock turned 85 just a couple of days ago, and drummer Dylan Clarke is a fresh-faced 18. It’s pretty incredible that Brock has been the driving force of the band for more some 57 years; he’s looking (and sounding) remarkably good on it. For a man who seems to be looking ever skyward, Brock is a down to earth presence on stage, jokingly referencing ‘Born to Go’ as being “from the 70s… the 1870s”. Yes it’s old, but it’s a classic, as sprawling and entrancing as it ever was.
I’m not sure anyone anticipated ‘Silver Machine’, but it’s a welcome surprise, and the perfect conclusion for an excitable festival crowd. A band unlike any other, Hawkwind continue to exist quite apart from anything else. It’s the closest to a trip I’m ever likely to experience, and that’s good enough for me!
Phone photos by Laura DQ
