Were Hawkwind as loud as modern noise bands?
AU: Well, amplifiers are just louder now. Bands like Sunn O))) and Om are ridiculously, beautifully loud. But it’s in the same spirit. DD: What do you like about Sunn O)))? AU: They’re pretty avant-garde. A lot of what they’re doing is about harmonics between the notes – when amps and guitars are together, played at terrific volume, they speak differently. The guitars start to vibrate to each other’s strings. So one amp will set all the other guitars going. And there’s often a slight discrepancy of tuning between instruments that gives you this beating sound. I remember seeing Sonic Boom play, and he had four guitars set up that he wasn’t even playing, just resonating. DD: Are noise people frightening? AU: Yeah sometimes! Steven O’Malley and the other guy in Sunn O))) were not frightening, but Glenn Branca’s a pretty frightening guy. He’s a lovely man but he has a full-on attitude. You can’t make music like that if you don’t have it, I think. He’s gone through so much – years of people
