Space Ritual (band)

Space Ritual are a British space rock band, formed in 2000 fronted by Nik Turner, and composed principally of former Hawkwind members. They play a mix of early Hawkwind material and their own compositions.

The Hawkestra event took place on 21 October 2000 at the Brixton Academy which featured nearly all past members of Hawkwind, but disagreements between various participants led to any restaging of the event being unlikely. Chris Hewitt who had worked with Nik Turner back at Deeply Vale in the late 70s put on two gigs in 2001 with Nik's chosen name "The Isle of Wight line up of Hawkwind". These two gigs were at Stairways in Birkenhead and The Empress Ballroom in Blackpool. Chris Hewitt then started to manage the band and put together The Greasy Truckers Party 2001 at The Astoria in london, featuring members of the Hawkestra on 21 October 2001 at the London Astoria which, despite being invited, all of the then members of Hawkwind refused to participate.

Turner's band continued performing further gigs and eventually went by the name of xhawkwind.com. An appearance at Guilfest in 2002 led to confusion as to whether this actually was Hawkwind, sufficiently irking Dave Brock into taking legal action to prohibit Turner from trading under the name XHawkwind, a case which Turner lost.

Turner then chose to name the band Space Ritual.net, after Hawkwind's 1973 live album The Space Ritual Alive, having previously used the name Space Ritual during the mid-1990s for a North America tour. The gigs in 2002 and 2003 were named Greasy Truckers Parties and featured SpaceRitual.net with many ex members of Hawkwind plus dancers, Striking Lighting's superb lightshow and lots of other artists, Inner City Unit, The Theory, Richard Kid Strange, Tractor (band), Guitar George Borowski giving the feel of a touring circus type event.

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