Sonic Assassins were a UK band formed in 1977, composed of members from
Hawkwind and local
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
band Ark.
Formation
Hawkwind main writers
Robert Calvert
Robert Newton Calvert (9 March 1945 – 14 August 1988) was a South African-British writer, poet, and musician. He is principally known for his role as lyricist, performance poet and lead vocalist of the space rock band Hawkwind.
Early life
...
(vocals) and
Dave Brock (guitar) were living in Devon towards the end of 1977 and had befriended local band Ark, who had often supported Hawkwind at some of their
West Country
The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...
gigs. Brock and Calvert instigated the formation of the Sonic Assassins with Ark members
Harvey Bainbridge
Harvey Frederick Bainbridge (born 24 September 1949, Dorset) is an English bass and keyboard player. He is best known as the bass player and keyboard player in Hawkwind.
Career
Bainbridge's first musical group was when he was at school. A gro ...
(bass) (b. Harvey Frederick Bainbridge, 24 September 1949, Dorset), Paul Hayles (keyboards) (born 15 November 1948) and Martin Griffin (drums) (born 1950, Plymouth, Devon died 6 January 2020). The name Sonic Assassins had originally been coined by
Michael Moorcock to describe Hawkwind in a FRENDZ comic strip, 1971.
Recording
Sonic Assassins played one gig, at the
Barnstaple
Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...
Queens Hall on 23 December 1977, with a day of overdubs being added some time later at Griffin's studio. During the rehearsals in the run-up to the gig, it was uncertain whether Calvert would be taking part and the set on the night deviated from the one Calvert was expecting which resulted in some improvisations from the frontman, as can be heard on "Over the Top" when he expected the band to launch into a version of "Master of the Universe". The set was to be released as an album, but it was eventually released only on various