Eddie And The Hot Rods
Eddie and the Hot Rods is a pub rock band from Essex, founded in 1975. The band is best known for the 1977 UK Top 10 single “Do Anything You Wanna Do,” released under the shorter name, the Rods. Through breakups, reformations, and a final run with longtime singer Barrie Masters, the story keeps circling back to high-energy rock and busy touring calendars.
How The Band Got Started
The group formed in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex in 1975. Guitarist Dave Higgs, previously in the Fix with Lee Brilleaux, started the lineup with drummer Steve Nicol, bassist Rob Steele, and vocalist Barrie Masters, born in Rochford on 4 May 1956. Early shows featured a stage prop named “Eddie,” which the band retired once the joke wore thin. Manager Ed Hollis, brother of Mark Hollis, helped steer the early push.
By May 1975, the band had a Saturday-night residency at The Kensington in London. In October, they shared a joint residency with the 101ers at The Nashville, trading headline slots. A wave of positive live reviews led to a signing with Island Records in November 1975.
Commercial Momentum
Personnel shifted in 1976. Harmonicist Lew Lewis and bassist Paul Gray replaced Pete Wall and Rob Steele. Lewis stayed through the first two singles. A marquee moment arrived at London’s Marquee Club where the Sex Pistols opened and chaos followed, including smashed gear. The incident generated press for the Pistols, which the band wryly countered in the NME the next week. During the long, hot summer of 1976, the Hot Rods alternated weeks with AC/DC at the Marquee, trying to cram more bodies into the room.
The band hit the UK Singles Chart at the end of 1976 with the Live at the Marquee EP and with the single “Teenage Depression.” Their debut album, Teenage Depression, also reached the UK Albums Chart. A second live EP, Live – At the Sound of Speed, captured the ramped-up shows. Guitarist Graeme Douglas, formerly of the Kursaal Flyers, first jammed with the band during a gig that produced the EP, then joined full-time and added lead guitar overdubs to keep the live feel intact.
With Douglas, the band moved toward a more radio-friendly approach. In summer 1977, the Douglas and Ed Hollis song “Do Anything You Wanna Do” reached number 9 in the UK. The album Life on the Line connected with the same audience. That year, they played the Reading Festival and toured the United States with the Ramones and Talking Heads. A one-off single with MC5’s Rob Tyner appeared under the name Rob Tyner & the Hot Rods.
The follow-up phase brought hurdles. Life on the Line faced sleeve issues due to a CBS contractual claim over Douglas, which led to his picture being removed on some editions. The band toured in Canada in 1978 and kept recording while the market shifted around them.
Albums, Labels, and a First Split
In early 1979, the band released Thriller, recorded at Abbey Road and marked by a fuller studio sound and more effects. Island Records dropped the band after sales lagged, and by May 1979 they were rumored to be close to splitting. Members tried other projects, with Paul Gray touring with the Members and Masters and Nicol working in the band Plus Support. A new deal with EMI followed in August 1979. The album Fish ’n’ Chips arrived in 1981 with new bassist T.C. (Tony Cranney). The group disbanded later that year.
Reformations and Touring Miles
Gray had already joined the Damned and Douglas departed. Masters teamed with the Inmates. Ed Hollis worked with artists such as the Damned, Elvis Costello, and Stiff Little Fingers. Nicol joined One the Juggler.
Masters and Nicol brought the Hot Rods back in 1984 with Tony Cranney and new guitarist Warren Kennedy. They recorded the single “Fought for You.” Cranney was later replaced by Russ Strutter for the live mini-LP One Story Town. The band split again in 1985.
A 1992 European tour reunited the classic lineup of Masters, Nicol, Higgs, and Gray. Higgs left afterward, and Steve Walwyn of Dr. Feelgood stepped in. Gordon Russell, also of Dr. Feelgood, joined briefly and was followed by Mick Rodgers of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. The band recorded Gasoline Days in 1994, released in 1996 by Creative Man. More lineup changes followed, including Madman Keyo and Jess Phillips.
In the 2000s, Masters fronted a new lineup with Simon Bowley on drums, Dipster Dean on bass, and Gary Loker on guitar. After an extensive 2001 UK Naughty Rhythms tour with Dr. Feelgood, the Hamsters, and John Otway, guitarist Richard Holgarth joined and Loker exited. Better Late than Never arrived in 2005 ahead of the 30th anniversary tour. The band expanded to a five-piece for Been There, Done That in 2006, with Chris Taylor on guitar.
Founding guitarist Dave Higgs died in December 2013. In early 2018, the band announced their retirement from headline tours. In March 2019, they opened for Stiff Little Fingers across the UK, with Adam Smith of Newtown Neurotics on bass for that run. A one-off celebration, “Done Everything We Wanna Do,” took place on 13 April 2019 at O2 Academy Islington, with past and present members and guests joining Barrie Masters.
Masters died on 1 October 2019 at age 63. An inquest later determined a drug-related death. The band had already announced that he would retire at the end of 2019 due to health issues. After a pandemic break, they returned to the stage in 2021 with longtime bassist Ian “Dipster” Dean on vocals and Mic Stoner on bass, touring the UK with Nine Below Zero.
Guardians of the Legacy
On 27 March 2022, the band performed the new single “Guardians of the Legacy” on The Heritage Chart Show with Mike Read on Talking Pictures TV. The song became the title track of an album issued in October 2022, marking the anniversary of Barrie Masters’ passing.
Musical Style
The band’s early setlists paired 1960s R&B covers with originals that drew on the drive of Dr. Feelgood. The shows had a younger crowd than most pub rock acts. The group was often tied to the early punk conversation due to energy, speed, and attitude, which carried into a 1977 US tour billed as punk. As the years rolled on, the market placed the band outside strict genre boxes. The through line remained loud, fast rock and roll.
Members
- Barrie Masters, vocals, 1975-2019, constant member until his death
- Dave Higgs, guitar, founder
- Steve Nicol, drums, founder
- Rob Steele, bass, early lineup
- Pete Wall, guitar, early lineup
- Lew Lewis, harmonica
- Paul Gray, bass
- Graeme Douglas, guitar
- T.C. (Tony Cranney), bass
- Russ Strutter, bass
- Warren Kennedy, guitar
- Steve Walwyn, guitar
- Gordon Russell, guitar
- Mick Rodgers, guitar
- Simon Bowley, drums
- Ian “Dipster” Dean, bass, later vocals
- Gary Loker, guitar
- Richard Holgarth, guitar
- Chris Taylor, guitar
- Adam Smith, bass, March 2019 tour
- Mic Stoner, bass
Studio Albums
- 1976, Teenage Depression, UK Albums Chart 43, Island Records
- 1977, Life on the Line, UK Albums Chart 27, Island Records
- 1979, Thriller, UK Albums Chart 50, Island Records
- 1981, Fish ’n’ Chips, EMI Records
- 1996, Gasoline Days, Creative Man Records
- 2005, Better Late than Never, Voiceprint Records
- 2006, Been There, Done That…
- 2011, 35 Years of Teenage Depression
- 2022, Guardians of the Legacy, Outro Records, vinyl; Renaissance Records, CD
Live Albums
- 1985, One Story Town, Waterfront
- 1994, BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Windsong
- 1998, Live at the Paradiso, Pub
- 2002, Get Your Rocks Off, Jungle
- 2009, New York: Live, recorded at Southpaw, Brooklyn
Compilations and Sessions
- 1977, Rods, promo, live and out-takes
- 1992, Curse of the Hot Rods, also known as 1979 Freerange Studio, Covent Garden sessions, Street Link
- 1993, Live and Rare, Receiver
- 1994, Ties that Bind, Dojo
- 1994, The End of the Beginning, The Best of Eddie & the Hot Rods, Island
- 1996, Get Your Balls Off, Skydog
- 1996, Doing Anything They Wanna Do…, Anagram
- 1998, Take No Prisoners! The Best of British Punk, Delta Music, UK
- 2000, Do Anything You Wanna Do, Spectrum
- 2009, The Singles Collection, Captain Oi!
- 2012, Do Anything You Wanna Do, The Best Of, Spectrum Music
EPs
- 1976, Live at the Marquee, Island, IEP 2, UK Singles Chart 43
- 1977, At the Sound of Speed, Island, IEP 5, UK Singles Chart 56
