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Sonic Assassins were a UK band formed in 1977, composed of members fromHawkwind and localDevon band Ark.

Hawkwind main writersRobert Calvert (vocals) andDave 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 theirWest Country gigs. Brock and Calvert instigated the formation of the Sonic Assassins with Ark membersHarvey Bainbridge (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 byMichael Moorcock to describe Hawkwind in a FRENDZ comic strip, 1971.

Sonic Assassins played one gig, at theBarnstaple 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 variousEPs and compilations:

1. "Over the Top" (Calvert/Brock) 7:53 — fromThe Weird Tapes Volume 1 andSonic Assassins EP
2. "Magnu" / "Angels of Life" (Brock) 4:23 — fromThe Weird Tapes Volumes 1 andHawkwind Anthology
3. "Free Fall" (Calvert/Bainbridge) 7:54 — fromThe Weird Tapes Volumes 1 andSonic Assassins EP
4. "Death Trap" (Calvert/Brock) 4:30 — fromThe Weird Tapes Volumes 1 andSonic Assassins EP
5. "The Golden Void" (Brock) 4:43 — fromHawkwind, Friends and RelationsVolume 1 andThe Best Of...

During Hawkwind's tour of the United States in early 1978,Simon House left to join aDavid Bowie tour and Paul Hayles filled in as his replacement.^[1] On returning to the UK, Hawkwind were dissolved and resurrected as theHawklords, with Bainbridge and Griffin forming the rhythm section.

"Death Trap" was recorded a month later for Hawkwind'sPXR5 album, while "Free Fall" was recorded for the Hawklords' 197825 Years On album. Although "Angels of Life" has a "We're angels of life, we're angels of death" vocal, it bears no musical similarity to the "Angels of Death" song from the 1981 Hawkwind albumSonic Attack.

• Hawkwind
• English rock music groups

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