'Hawkwind: Days Of The Underground' - a MOJO, Uncut, Prog & Shindig book of the year. www.daysoftheunderground.com. 'Rock And Role: The Visionary Songs Of Peter Hammill And Van der Graaf Generator' out now. www.rockandrole.nethttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mvuxpq5goc2lI've done another illustrated FB essay on a Hawkwind sleeve design, this time for Doremi Fasol Latido. You can view it here: https://www.facebook.com/joebankswriter/posts/pfbid02DekJ5T6H2V6LeHmvpskvpmADcdcChEsqK3FcX3qMXBbhunmZnyJN4eKWtrhiMRs2l (with grateful acknowledgement to @johncoulthart.com)19 Sep 2026 15:10 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvuxpq5goc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mvupbnv5t22lJust popped up on FB and always worth a share... From Melody Maker, 17 Feb 1973, it's Hawkwind playing in Wandsworth Prison: "There wasn't much resemblance to Cash at San Quentin" ;-) Looks like the main source of entertainment for most of the audience was Stacia's participation...19 Sep 2026 12:39 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvupbnv5t22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mvpmqi7vu22zContinuing The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage theme from yesterday, here's a piece I wrote about the album in 2014 for France's venerable Rock & Folk magazine, including a short interview with Peter at the end! (Read the English original here: https://www.daysoftheunderground.com/post/peter-hammill-rock-folk 1/217 Sep 2026 12:10 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvpmqi7vu22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mvncv2xepk2fFor a lot of fans (often including myself!), 1974's The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage is Peter Hammill's finest solo album. But did you know it was rush-released in Italy towards the end of the 1973, presumably to coincide with Peter's Italian tour in December? 1/216 Sep 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvncv2xepk2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mvia52ow2s2kAfter an extended summer break, The Progressive Rock Show panel are back in full effect and chatting this week about Peter Hammill's 1982/83 albums Enter K and Patience, which we've decided to treat as a double album. Listen to our discussion here from 1:00:35 - https://progzilla.com/the-progressive-rock-show-broadcast-sunday-13th-september-2026 1/214 Sep 2026 13:36 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvia52ow2s2khttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mvaqogybf22dFirst track from the upcoming Liars album has just 'dropped' (as the kidz say), and it's a bit of a banger. Their last release, 2021's The Apple Drop, was for me the album of that year, and they have one of the most interesting back catalogues of any contemporary band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7r7cSssVN411 Sep 2026 14:11 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvaqogybf22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mva5dt573s2uA new track has been released from Peter Hammill's upcoming album Tears In Time. GREAT chorus... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scX4lFpDCI411 Sep 2026 08:25 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mva5dt573s2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mv6cd6sz2k2cJust picked this up from the local Oxfam Books, which shamefully I have to confess I haven't read before... @breakfastruins.bsky.social10 Sep 2026 14:49 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv6cd6sz2k2chttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mv3to5csgc2rSaw Went The Day Well? at the estimable @tpfilmclub.bsky.social last night, a WW2 propaganda film made in 1942 by Ealing Studios about incognito Nazis invading a sleepy English village. It's surprisingly brutal, with villagers and Nazis alike axed, knifed and shot ahead of a British victory 1/309 Sep 2026 15:21 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv3to5csgc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mv3rjju3zs2nFrom Sounds, 29 June 1974. This headline makes Hawkwind sound very careless... But it was of course a planned departure. (1970 rather than 1969, and yes, that was the original title of 'Goat Willow'...)09 Sep 2026 14:43 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv3rjju3zs2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3muzcmw7k522tExcellent new Peter Hammill interview here, by Klemen Breznikar at It's Psychedelic Baby. A few familiar answers, but Klemen asks some great questions and winkles out some new insight I think... https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2026/09/peter-hammill-interview.html08 Sep 2026 15:11 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3muzcmw7k522thttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3muwqr42hgc2bStylish Simon House talks about joining Hawkwind. Note that this is the interview where he claims to have played "a few bars" at one of the Jan 74 Edmonton Sundown shows (as opposed to not at all, which has become the subsequent party line...) From Sounds, 1 June 197407 Sep 2026 14:46 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3muwqr42hgc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3muui5e7ltk24If you haven't already seen, this is a good piece on J.G. Ballard's last novel, Kingdom Come, despite a couple of factual inaccuracies. Ballard was definitely a prescient writer, but it's not like you needed a crystal ball to see where we heading, unfortunately... https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/black-sky-thinking/ballard-kingdom-come-anniversary/06 Sep 2026 17:06 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3muui5e7ltk24https://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3murttiyluk2s"Hawkwind's Trip Is Over"? Au contraire... Sounds letters page, 26 January & 9 February 1974...05 Sep 2026 15:57 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3murttiyluk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3muosp6ieqk2gI remember seeing this picture of Brock at the time and thinking, 'how old is this guy??' Answer in 1986: 45 [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 Sep 2026 10:59 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3muosp6ieqk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mummg5uxa22jOh, just noticed another nice Amazon review of 'Rock and Role' has gone up - thank you, Mr M Ward! If anybody else would like to add a review, I would be delighted 😉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/ROCK-ROLE-Visionary-Hammill-Generator/dp/1838491899 #vdgg #peterhammill 1/203 Sep 2026 14:01 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mummg5uxa22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mum2v2zpnk2gAn ad promoting Hawkwind's use of Westone guitars, featuring the only existing live shots from their gig at London's Rainbow Theatre, 18 December 1981, which featured guest appearances from both Robert Calvert and Michael Moorcock. MM top left, RC in the third row?03 Sep 2026 08:48 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mum2v2zpnk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3muhqfl4kuk2iIn response to my reading of Simon Reynolds' Still In A Dream, here's an article I wrote for esteemed French music monthly Rock & Folk which gives my own take on some of the key US bands that Reynolds discusses - Husker Du, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur JR etc https://www.daysoftheunderground.com/post/post-hardcore-rock-folk01 Sep 2026 15:29 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhqfl4kuk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3muft2vqrm22sGreat live review from Sounds, 25 June 1977 - "a hard, nasty rock outfit..." #hawkwind31 Aug 2026 21:12 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3muft2vqrm22shttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3muaj5z7s4s24Amplifier put out IMO the best album of 2025 in Gargantuan, and now here they are with a new track that's a match for anything on it. Wow... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwnkytXDRVo&t=460s29 Aug 2026 18:31 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3muaj5z7s4s24https://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mu5mx7qsgs2sI did a post a few weeks ago about the development of the Church of Hawkwind sleeve. In it, I mentioned that the booklet had included artwork from Nick Randles. Since then, Nick has got in touch to share his story and the original colour illustrations! Go here: https://www.facebook.com/joebankswriter/posts/pfbid02HT7zPrEey4AJha4uRZtdUEmPLekqVc1HWwVg2J8rTERQdowDEahGiwhV2Wy52kzUl28 Aug 2026 15:01 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5mx7qsgs2shttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mu53nwalxk2aLove this ad on the back of Sounds (!), 23 October 1971 - "Paint just took a trip" (and no, 'Paint' isn't some overlooked prog/psych masterpiece if you were wondering). Poor old cat...28 Aug 2026 09:52 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu53nwalxk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mu3rph7i7c2kDon't think I've seen this promo shot of Hawkwind before, guessing early '73. Stacia looks nice, Del's having a laugh. But Lemmy, oh dear...27 Aug 2026 21:21 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3rph7i7c2khttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mu33ybl3y22uHave taken a break from classic SF to read Simon Reynolds' Still In A Dream, his overview/memoir of indie music 1984-1994 aka the 'reinvention of rock' period. You can read what I think about it here... https://www.facebook.com/joebankswriter/posts/pfbid02uCoUDds5AsNSBMDeouRLqqp7PAnMKSBzJbctmS3GYVB9oy6QwwYaczJhX6S5wFrbl27 Aug 2026 14:52 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu33ybl3y22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mtypuh56ks25Record Mirror, 27 November 1971. Interesting selection of records here, and possibly the only time you'll see Van der Graaf Generator advertised alongside Val Doonican. Also, it looks like auto-correct his snuck back to 1971, with Pawn Hearts described as "a national progression" from H To He...26 Aug 2026 16:10 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtypuh56ks25https://bsky.app/profile/joebankswriter.bsky.social/post/3mtydluxcrs2zHey, have you ever wondered what I was listening to in 2014? Almost certainly not, but here's another of my retrospective yearly playlists: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4WQ6dTiExnEcsYP9QDgNks?si=ac9ebb25dc0c42ac It's the usual melange of out rock, psych and heavy stuff, plus a smattering of jazz, synth pop and retronica. Enjoy!26 Aug 2026 12:30 +0000at://did:plc:wuck2rh4gissvohlrgudnvtm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtydluxcrs2z