Prog legends Van der Graaf Generator have been announced as headliners for the Sunday night in The Big Top at this year's Beautiful Days Festival in August.
They join an eclectic bill that also features Hawkwind, The Orb, Levellers, Show Of Hands and more. The festival is the Levellers’ independent family music festival organised by DMF Music since its inception in 2003, and takes place this year between August 20-22 at Escort Farm in Devon.
"Sunday night headliners are Van der Graaf Generator featuring Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton & Guy Evans – the three surviving members of the original group formed in 1968," says an announcement on the festival website. "Darker and wilder than most of their contemporaries VdGG were known for sprawling, dense and complex songs on six albums recorded for the Charisma label between ‘69 and ‘76."
At the same time, rare footage of Peter Hammill performing with Peter Gabriel at WOMAD in 1982 has surfaced on Facebook. The Van der Graaf generator/Hammill Facebook group run by VdGG author Jim Christopulos has unveiled footage of Gabriel and his band, which included Hammill as well as drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist David Rhodes performing A Ritual Mask, the sing Hammill wrote for the 1982 Music And Rhythm WOMAD album.
"I’ve always wondered what that must have been like so I emailed Peter Gabriel this past Saturday afternoon asking if there was any video footage of Hammill leading the band on A Ritual Mask," says Christopolus. "They found raw, unedited footage of Hammill/PG’s Band performing A Ritual Mask! The rarest of video footage, hidden away unseen in 40 years, and raw/unedited but still magnificent."
You can wacth the footage here.
Peter Hammill features on the cove of the brand new issue of Prog Magazine, which s in store now. Or you can buy online here.
