Former Hawkwind drummer Martin Griffin has died

Martin Griffin
Martin Griffin (Image credit: Dave Johnson)

Former Hawkwind and Hawklords drummer Martin Griffin has died, it’s been announced.

The news was confirmed by the Hawklords, who say in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we announce that our dear friend and fellow Hawklord Martin Griffin has died.

"Martin became a member of Hawklords '78 after he and Harvey Bainbridge, the rhythm section from Ark, were signed up by Hawkwind – actually Bob Calvert – to record the 25 Years On album of that year.

"A complete and irresistible force of nature, he was a very welcome participant at several Hawklords shows over the last 10 years and always a splendid guest when attending the many shows that we have played in the Plymouth area of the UK. 

"Martin was a fine officer and gentleman of the old school and a terrific drummer, with a style as thoughtful and equally laid back in it's approach as he was.

"He will be very much missed by those of us that knew him, by Harvey in particular and by the Hawk-Fraternity around the world. Our thoughts are with his son Jack and family at this sad time."

Following the 25 Years On album, he appeared with Hawkwind on 1981’s Sonic Attack and went on to play on 1982’s Church Of Hawkwind and Choose Your Masques the same year.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.