Eater (band)

Eater were an early British punk band from London who took their name from a Marc Bolan lyric. In 2001, the band’s second single, "Thinking of the USA" (originally released in June 1977), was included in a leading British music magazine’s list of the best punk-rock singles of all time. In 1999, the track also appeared on the five-CD box set 1-2-3-4: A History of Punk & New Wave (MCA Records/Universal Music Group).

Biography

The band was formed in 1976 by four high school friends: Anglo-Egyptian singer and guitarist Andy Blade (real name: Ashruf Radwan). guitarist Brian Chevette (real name: Brian Haddock), drummer Dee Generate (real name: Roger Bullen) and bassist Ian Woodcock.

The band's name came from a line in the 1970 T. Rex song "Suneye"; Eater later recorded a cover version of T-Rex's "Jeepster."

Eater were known for being one of the youngest bands, if not the youngest band, in the punk scene. They were 14-17 years old when they formed the band.

Despite originating in north London, the band made its first public performance in Manchester, featuring Buzzcocks as their support act. Eater’s live set at this November 1976 was built mainly around speeded-up versions of Velvet Underground and David Bowie songs such as "Queen Bitch" and "Sweet Jane".