The Quarkness - A Tribute to the Spirit of Hawkwind

The Quarkness play The Continental on Friday 29 January, a tribute to the spirit of Hawkwind. They'll be working through classic tracks from the band's golden age, from the piledriving early '70s blanga period through to the Robert Calvert-led 'Quark' years and beyond. It's a new venture for a line-up of experienced musicians, and they're giving the visuals as much weight as the music: Zenjen Lighting, who have provided lights and projections for Space Ritual, Hawklords and numerous UK festivals, front a psychedelic lightshow that runs alongside the set.

The band itself brings together a fair few familiar names. Karl Benson, from Half Man Half Biscuit, is on guitar and vocals; Roddie Gilliard, of the Muffin Men, takes keys, synthesisers and vocals; Mandy Bruce, from Iconoclasts and the Slingbacks, is on bass and vocals; and 'Spekki' Sarah Lucas, also of Iconoclasts, is on drums. It's a line-up of musicians who've each spent plenty of time in other bands, coming together here to run through Hawkwind's back catalogue.

The set covers a broad stretch of the Hawkwind years, from the heavy, driving sound of the early seventies through to the more eccentric, Calvert-led era that gave the band its name. The lightshow is a big part of that: Zenjen Lighting have worked with Space Ritual and Hawklords, so they're well-versed in the kind of projections and lights that go with this particular sound. It's a show for ages 16 and over, with under-18s needing to be accompanied by an adult.

It's at The Boatyard at The Continental, South Meadow Lane, Preston PR1 8JP, starting at 8:00pm. Tickets are £12 in advance for standing, with a £1.20 booking fee.