Coming out of the Canvey Island clan, alongside such luminaries as Doctor Feelgood, Eddie and the Hot Rods burst on the music scene of the 1970s.

Their high energy rock ‘n’ roll earned them a place as one of the punk pioneers although their sound was not strictly punk rock..

They got together in 1975 with Barrie Masters as lead singer. Since then the group has had a revolving door of members drawn from a pool of musicians, who have all played with top names in the industry including: Paul Gray who joined the Damned, Ed Hollis who joined Elvis Costellos’ band, and Stiff Little Fingers, Steve Walwyn of Dr Feelgood, Mick Rogers from Manfred Mann and Steve Nicol who joined One The Juggler. Barrie remained the one constant in the Hot Rods.

Eddie and The Hod Rods are currently on their farewell tour after 43 years in the business and they will be stopping off in Swindon on October 26.

The ‘Eddie’ in the band’s name was actually a joke dummy who went around with the musicians, but was discarded after their early gigs.

The rock band was a favourite at the famous Marquee Club in London and they were happy to give new acts a helping hand. The Sex Pistols played their first London gig as support for The Hot Rods and then proceeded, in true punk style, to smash up their equipment.

AC/DC took up the Hot Rods challenge of a musical dual, playing alternate residency slots in the long hot summer of 1976, challenging each other to see who could attract the most people through the doors of the Marquee.

The band had moderate success in the UK singles charts with Teenage Depression, I Might Be Lying, Quit This Town and their top ten hit Do Anything You Wanna Do. The rock band also won fame abroad touring the United States with the Ramones and Talking Heads and winning a residency in Nashville. In later years the band spread their wings back to the USA and also toured in Europe and Japan. The Swindon gig is at Level lll, Commercial Road from 7.30pm. Supporting The Hot Rods will be Cheltenham’s The Strays and Swindon’s Rotten Aces.

Tickets are £15 in advance and £18 on the door. For more details or to book visit pighillpromotions.com/tickets - Flicky Harrison