15 August 2011
Claudia Andrei
Ex-Hawkwind member Nik Turner will play a one-off jamming session together with musician Godfrey Old on August 21st at Pentameters Theatre, Hampstead, to celebrate the work of poet, writer and fellow ex-Hawkwind member Robert Calvert.
Pentameters is currently showing ‘Mirror Mirror’ (extended run until September 4th) by Calvert. The evening promises to be a multi-media event much in the spirit of the 70’s, with selected poetry, the play itself plus the jamming session afterward, during which Turner and Old will perform various songs including ‘Orgone Accumulator’.
The event will begin at 5pm sharp (it is a Sunday matinee performance) with the music part expected to kick off around 6.30pm.
Please note this is a closed performance, so any latecomers won’t be admitted.
Pentameters Theatre above The Horseshoe Pub, 28 Heath Street (entrance Oriel Place) – Hampstead tube station.
Tickets £12 and £10 concessions / Box Office: 020 7435 3648
About The Play:
‘Mirror Mirror’ is a futuristic fantasy set in 2030 and was written in 1979 by Robert Calvert, inspired by his friend, Helen Mirren.
It portrays Eleanor Bryant (Eva Gray), her psychechromic dress which responds to her feelings and moods, a multiperspectival mirror which reflects her image as others see her, and her encounter with a Mirror Technician from Reflexotronics (Mark Donahue).
The play is directed and produced by Léonie Scott-Matthews who first presented Robert Calvert at Pentameters back in 1969, reading from his play ‘The Box’. He subsequently read his poetry there and Léonie commissioned him to write the successful play ‘Stars That Play With Laughing Sam’s Dice’.
Biographies:
ROBERT CALVERT
Robert Calvert was a writer, poet and musician who became an infrequent member of Hawkwind and their ‘resident poet’ after meeting David Brock in the early 70’s. It was Calvert who wrote Hawkwind’s signature song ‘Silver Machine’ and also ‘Urban Guerilla’. The left the band soon after to pursue a solo career and increasingly focusing on theatre, penning the drama ‘Stars That Play With Laughing Sam’s Dice’ about the life of Jimi Hendrix. In 1977 Calvert joined Hawkwind again for a while and then went on to form The Hawklords with Dave Brock, however, the band disbanded soon after and Calvert returned to his solo projects. He died of a heart attack on August 1988.
NIK TURNER
Nik Turner is a British saxophonist, flutist, singer and composer. He is best known as a founding member of space rock pioneers Hawkwind and stayed with the band until 1976 - briefly rejoining them in the early 80’s.
While playing with Hawkwind, Turner was known for his experimental free jazz stylizations and outrageous stage presence, often donning full makeup and Ancient Egyptian-style inspired costumes.
He was one of the earliest and closest friends of Robert Calvert and one of the most important musical collaborators throughout his life. Turner is the main figure in keeping Calvert's music alive today on stage, as he is frequently playing a number of Calvert's songs at his own gigs.
GODFREY OLD
Godfrey learnt to play harmonica in the 60’s and took up bass guitar in the 70s when he became a founder member of an avant-punk band The Blue Screaming. The band was favorably reviewed in Melody Maker and dished out a single called ‘Bland Hotel’ produced by Steve Broughton. It even received airplay on John Peel’s radio show.
In the early 80s, Godfrey trained as a mime artist, devising and performing sketches at various cabaret venues, thus appearing at Pentameters Theatre, where he subsequently became an in-house artist and provider of live soundtracks. It was here – and through Pentameters founder Léonie Scott-Matthews - that he became acquainted with Robert Calvert and also befriended Nik Turner.
Godfrey currently plays the odd jam session around Camden with ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Weston (who turned down Dave Brock's offer to join Hawkwind in 1969, being a dedicated blues man).
