iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 20h

Following on from the 'Six Bob' tour of a few months before... still 30p at Manchester! #VdGG

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Back on my slow tour of classic SF with Edgar Pangborn's A Mirror For Observers (1954). Pangborn was new to me, but the blurb pulled me in: "two Martians, disguised as human beings, are locked in a bitter struggle for the mind of a child genius." My thoughts here: www.facebook.com/joebankswrit...

042

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I mention in Rock And Role that I unwittingly first heard VdGG on the Friday Rock Show in the early 80s, with Theme One used at the start of the Friday Night Connection... But did you know that the FRS also featured vintage VdGG sessions? Investigate here: www.facebook.com/joebankswrit...

010

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Episode 2 of The Progressive Rock Show series Genesis By Numbers aired last night on Progzilla radio. This week, the panel discussed and played music from Genesis's ninth album, And Then There Were Three... Listen to what we had to say here from 1:00:30 - progzilla.com/the-progress...

010

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Saw The Big Sleep (1946) last night at the CINÉ-REAL 16mm film club. I read the book a long time ago, but had never seen the film, though its reputation as a head scratcher preceded it... And sure enough, it's practically impossible to follow what's going on, or how it all fits together. 1/4

220

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Another excellent night at the Tufnell Park Film Club yesterday, with a screening of 'dark Disney' classic Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983). Scripted by Ray Bradbury, it's a dreamlike and often quite disturbing film, with lots of pondering about mortality, failure and regret...

131

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Peter Hammill vinyl reissues finally happening... www.proper-records.co.uk/2026/09/pete...

130

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

The first episode of the new Progressive Rock Show series 'Genesis By Numbers' aired last night on Progzilla Radio! Featuring music and discussion, this week we explored Genesis's seventh LP, 1976's A Trick Of The Tail! Listen to the episode here from 1:00.45 - progzilla.com/the-progress... 1/2

151

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I've done another illustrated FB essay on a Hawkwind sleeve design, this time for Doremi Fasol Latido. You can view it here: www.facebook.com/joebankswrit... (with grateful acknowledgement to @johncoulthart.com)

1184

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Just 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...

3121

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Continuing 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: www.daysoftheunderground.com/post/peter-h... 1/2

160

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

For 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? 1/2

150

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

After 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 - progzilla.com/the-progress... 1/2

130

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

First 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 www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7r7...

youtube.com

Liars - Ice Pick, Kalamazoo (Official Video)

YouTube video by LIARS

001

Reposted by Joe Banks

Vadim Zaytsev @piperatdawn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Oh yeah, that's good stuff!

Photo of a spread from the book Rock and Role: The Visionary Songs of Peter Hammill and Van der Graaf Generator by Joe Banks, with an old photo and poster of Peter Hammill

Photo of a spread from the book Rock and Role: The Visionary Songs of Peter Hammill and Van der Graaf Generator by Joe Banks, with a photo of Peter Hammill singing on stage

Photo of a spread from the book Rock and Role: The Visionary Songs of Peter Hammill and Van der Graaf Generator by Joe Banks, with some old photos of Peter Hammill

Photo of a spread from the book Rock and Role: The Visionary Songs of Peter Hammill and Van der Graaf Generator by Joe Banks, with a photo of VdGG performing at Royal Festival Hall during their 2005 reunion tour

031

Reposted by Joe Banks

Vadim Zaytsev @piperatdawn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Thankfully, Russian Post didn't screw me over, and I got my copy of Rock and Role by @joebankswriter.bsky.social to complement my good old physical edition of VdGG: The Book. Didn't realize it's so bloody heavy! Excellent quality paper and lots of photos, that's one big meaty boy.

Photo of two books on top of each other:
Van der Graaf Generator: The Book
Rock and Role: The Visionary Songs of Peter Hammill and Van der Graaf Generator

261

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

A new track has been released from Peter Hammill's upcoming album Tears In Time. GREAT chorus... www.youtube.com/watch?v=scX4...

youtube.com

So Much Water

YouTube video by Peter Hammill - Topic

062

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Just picked this up from the local Oxfam Books, which shamefully I have to confess I haven't read before... @breakfastruins.bsky.social

7273

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Saw 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 1/3

2133

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

From 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'...)

150

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Excellent 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... www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2026/09/pete...

psychedelicbabymag.com

Peter Hammill Interview: New Album ‘Tears in Time’ and the Van der Graaf Generator Years - It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine

As a founding member of Van der Graaf Generator and a prolific solo songwriter, Peter Hammill has spent more than half a century making music with an

281

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Stylish 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 1974

0110

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

If 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... thequietus.com/opinion-and-...

thequietus.com

The Suburbs Dream of Violence: J.G. Ballard's Kingdom Come & England's Slide towards Fascism | The Quietus

Louis Pattison re-reads J.G. Ballard's final novel, Kingdom Come, and wonders how correct his augury of England's slide towards fascism was.

281

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

"Hawkwind's Trip Is Over"? Au contraire... Sounds letters page, 26 January & 9 February 1974...

090

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I remember seeing this picture of Brock at the time and thinking, 'how old is this guy??' Answer in 1986: 45

080

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Oh, 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 😉 www.amazon.co.uk/ROCK-ROLE-Vi... #vdgg #peterhammill 1/2

131

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

An 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?

1120

Reposted by Joe Banks

Jay Babcock @jaywbabcock.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Somehow completely missed this piece by Mark Blacklock on the unfinished novel project JG Ballard was working on in his last years, available in his papers at the British Library. h/t @joebankswriter.bsky.social www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2026/0...

newstatesman.com

"How the World Declared War on America"

In the wilderness of America, JG Ballard foresaw the gangster imperialism of Donald Trump

1125

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

In 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 www.daysoftheunderground.com/post/post-ha...

daysoftheunderground.com

Post-Hardcore - Rock & Folk

Publication date: October 2014American Revolution: How Post-Hardcore Changed Music ForeverThere was a time during the mid-1980s when it felt that rock music as a creative force had come to a grinding ...

020

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Great live review from Sounds, 25 June 1977 - "a hard, nasty rock outfit..." #hawkwind

1140

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Amplifier 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... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwnk...

youtube.com

Amplifier "Joy" at Arctangent 2026

YouTube video by Rockosmos

010

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I 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: www.facebook.com/joebankswrit...

082

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Love 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...

072

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Don'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...

1100

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Have 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... www.facebook.com/joebankswrit...

071

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Record 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...

010

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Hey, have you ever wondered what I was listening to in 2014? Almost certainly not, but here's another of my retrospective yearly playlists: open.spotify.com/playlist/4WQ... It's the usual melange of out rock, psych and heavy stuff, plus a smattering of jazz, synth pop and retronica. Enjoy!

open.spotify.com

Another best of 2014 playlist

Playlist · Days Of The Underground · 37 items

020

Reposted by Joe Banks

John Coulthart @johncoulthart.com · 25/08/2026

"MUSIC THAT MELTS"

A music-press ad for Phaedra (1974) by Tangerine Dream showing a vinyl disc melting while it floats in mid-air. Beneath the disc is a praiseworthy quote from DJ John Peel and a bold description: "MUSIC THAT MELTS".

12712

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Free Party - A Folk History, excellent film about the outdoor rave movement by my friend and ex-bandmate Mr Aaron Trinder - now available to stream on Prime! www.facebook.com/reel/1805075...

060

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Lemmy and Mick Farren, 1974, presumably around the time of this piece: web.archive.org/.../cut.../t... (pic from FB by 'Jah Sky') #hawkwind

1183

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Just caught most of this, Radio 4's The Reunion, this week on the 69/70 Isle Of Wight festivals. Some good talking heads, but (unless I missed it) no mention of Hawkwind/Canvas City etc. I feel they missed a trick not inviting someone like Dave Brock to participate... www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

The Reunion - Isle of Wight Festival - BBC Sounds

Artists and organisers of the biggest pop festival of the 20th century are reunited.

030

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

That's actually speed on the ad, isn't it?? #hawkwind

2151

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Melody Maker, 18 January 1975...

050

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

First 'single' from Peter Hammill's upcoming album Tears In Time, inspired by the war in Ukraine... www.facebook.com/reel/1596942...

141

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Went to see Peter Watkins' 1969 film The Gladiators last night, part of the ongoing Watkins season at the NFT. It's got a great central idea - small groups of soldiers compete in computer-controlled 'peace games' rather than global wars - which promises much, but ultimately fails to deliver 1/2

100

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

This is an image - I think - of the 'Hawkwind Lives' sticker sheets that we given out and plastered all over the London Underground in 1970 (they were like old sheets of stamps ie. you had to lick them on the back!)

0120

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Melody Maker ads, 1973 & 75, Clifford T Ward Vs Peter Hammill... Charisma had some very odd ideas about how to promote its artists in the 70s, particularly PH

040

Reposted by Joe Banks

Stephen Graham @stephengraham.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Bet they don't even have Kevin Eldon as Sir George Martin.

0234