The British pub rock/punk rock band Eddie & the Hot Rods was originally formed under the name Buckshee in 1973. They rehearsed in drummer Steve Nicol’s garage in Rochford, Essex. Bassist Rob Steel was known by his nickname ‘The Hustler’. They changed their name to Eddie and the Hot Rods after Dave Higgs joined. He was more experienced and it was his input at this early stage that helped them to gel and get gigs, eventually, in 1975, hitting the London pub rock circuit.
They are often considered as one of the many punk rock bands that sprang from that city in the mid-Seventies, but in fact saw themselves as more influenced by groups like The Who and The Kinks, and other pub rock acts such as Dr Feelgood or Graham Parker & The Rumour. Their brand of energetic R&B was over-trumped massively by the punk explosion, and they withered away. The repertoire consisted of Chicago Blues or Soul covers, plus tunes in a similar vein written by the band’s guitarist Dave Higgs.
Before rising to semi-stardom in 1977, the Hot Rods underwent several changes in personnel: One of the first members to leave the band was Eddie himself, a dummy that featured prominently in the Hot Rods’ early gigs and was discarded as the joke had worn thin. Otherwise, the band consisted of Barrie Masters on vocals, Pete Wall and Dave Higgs on guitar, Rob Steel on bass and Steve Nicol on drums. Ed Hollis, brother of Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis became their manager, and the band were signed to Island Records.
