Manchester - Event

Veteran masters of space rock, Gong are on a rare tour as the band celebrates its 40th anniversary with the release of new album, 2032. This date is at the Manchester Academy.

Gong evolved in the late Sixties when Soft Machine founder Daevid Allen relocated to France and began improvising with other musicians. Richard Branson spotted them performing at the 1972 Glastonbury Festival and they subsequently signed to Virgin Records.

A trilogy of classic psychedelic albums followed, recounting the adventures of Zero the Hero on the Planet Gong: Flying Teapot (1973), Angel's Egg (1973) and You (1974). The latter was the last recording by the group featuring guitarist Steve Hillage, although he performs on this tour and recorded the new album with the band.