The Black Assassins
Encyclopedia
The Black Assassins were an early eighties punk rock band from Brisbane
, Australia
.
Keen exponents of the have a go and do it yourself ethos of the time, The Black Assassins formed in Brisbane in the middle of 1981, and played their first gig one week later at the QIT Campus Club from which they were banned from ever playing again. A review of their first performance saw them dubbed " the ugliest ... musicians ever to scar the stage" by the Brisbane's Courier Mail newspaper, after which they became known as "Brisbane's Ugliest Band.
The Black Assassins went on to play a total of 14 gigs in and around Brisbane during the following year before the bass player and guitarist moved to Sydney and formed the band Mutant Death. The Black Assassins continued to play sporadically in Brisbane till 1985, including supporting the Dead Kennedys
at Brisbane's Festival Hall in 1983, and played one gig in Sydney
in 1989.
The band was highly theatrical and usually pre-spent all the money they were paid for gigs on props and costumes for their performances. Their songs and stage act were energetic and highly political, focussing on issues of the day, having fun with imagery evoked by their name and the topics of their songs. It often involved doing things with dummies of corrupt politicians and interaction with members of the audience.
The Black Assassins were:
Sirhan Chapman, Keyboards & Vocals;
Lee Harvey Hinckley, Drums & Vocals;
Mohammed El Jackal, Guitar & Vocals;
Ruby Oswald, Bass and Vocals.
The Black Assassins finally released a CD of their music, 23 years late in November, 2005, The Black Assassins Greatest Hits. Recorded in six hours at Brisbane's Sunshine Studios, the album was produced and mixed by John Willsteed (of the Brisbane band Xero (band)
and who later played with The Go-Betweens
). The album features 13 of the band's most popular songs with audiences of the time.
In December 2005 the band played their first gig in Brisbane for 20 years to launch the CD.
In 2007 The Black Assassins played a short set at the Jets Sports Club in Sydney on 5 May, and played one song at PIG CITY, a http://www.qmf.org.au/02_cal/index.aspQueensland Music Festival
event held at the University of Queensland in Brisbane on 14 July
You can read reviews of The Black Assassins Greatest Hits CD and their live performances in the early eighties at: http://www.blackassassins.net/Reviews.html
You can listen some of the Black Assassins songs on their myspace blog and their numberonemusic site.
You can also find out more information about the band at the their website: http://www.blackassassins.net
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Keen exponents of the have a go and do it yourself ethos of the time, The Black Assassins formed in Brisbane in the middle of 1981, and played their first gig one week later at the QIT Campus Club from which they were banned from ever playing again. A review of their first performance saw them dubbed " the ugliest ... musicians ever to scar the stage" by the Brisbane's Courier Mail newspaper, after which they became known as "Brisbane's Ugliest Band.
The Black Assassins went on to play a total of 14 gigs in and around Brisbane during the following year before the bass player and guitarist moved to Sydney and formed the band Mutant Death. The Black Assassins continued to play sporadically in Brisbane till 1985, including supporting the Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
at Brisbane's Festival Hall in 1983, and played one gig in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1989.
The band was highly theatrical and usually pre-spent all the money they were paid for gigs on props and costumes for their performances. Their songs and stage act were energetic and highly political, focussing on issues of the day, having fun with imagery evoked by their name and the topics of their songs. It often involved doing things with dummies of corrupt politicians and interaction with members of the audience.
The Black Assassins were:
Sirhan Chapman, Keyboards & Vocals;
Lee Harvey Hinckley, Drums & Vocals;
Mohammed El Jackal, Guitar & Vocals;
Ruby Oswald, Bass and Vocals.
The Black Assassins finally released a CD of their music, 23 years late in November, 2005, The Black Assassins Greatest Hits. Recorded in six hours at Brisbane's Sunshine Studios, the album was produced and mixed by John Willsteed (of the Brisbane band Xero (band)
Xero (band)
Xero was a Brisbane, Australia punk rock and new wave band from the early 1980s.The initial lineup was Irena Luckus, Barbara Hart, Chris Anderson, Debbie Penny, Peter Adams and John Hunt, Deborah Thomas, Vic Allen and Lindy Morrison, soon joined by John Willsteed. Lindy Morrison was later replaced...
and who later played with The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
). The album features 13 of the band's most popular songs with audiences of the time.
In December 2005 the band played their first gig in Brisbane for 20 years to launch the CD.
In 2007 The Black Assassins played a short set at the Jets Sports Club in Sydney on 5 May, and played one song at PIG CITY, a http://www.qmf.org.au/02_cal/index.aspQueensland Music Festival
Queensland Music Festival
The Queensland Music Festival is a series of musical events staged in a number of locations in Queensland, Australia usually around late July, every second year. It is financially supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and a wide range of other partners...
event held at the University of Queensland in Brisbane on 14 July
You can read reviews of The Black Assassins Greatest Hits CD and their live performances in the early eighties at: http://www.blackassassins.net/Reviews.html
You can listen some of the Black Assassins songs on their myspace blog and their numberonemusic site.
You can also find out more information about the band at the their website: http://www.blackassassins.net
External links
- The Black Assassins website
- Brisbands website
- Number One Music
- The Black Assassins Blog
- The Black Assassins YouTube video channel