BARRIE MASTERS
Hot Rods frontman (1956–2019)
LED by charismatic frontman Barrie Masters, whose wild energy became the focus of the band’s hyper-charged rock’n’roll and scintillating R&B, Eddie And The Hot Rods broke through in the same year as punk. But they refused to align themselves to any new movement. “We just didn’t want to get mixed up with the politics, the spitting and the fashion, as it all started to develop,” Masters told Fear And Loathing fanzine in later years. “We just wanted to be a rock’n’roll band.”
The Hot Rods had much more in common with fellow Canvey Islanders Dr Feelgood. Their influence on punk, however, was undeniable. For John Peel, they were the first band “to give me an indication that there was change in the air”. 1976’s Teenage Depression, whose title track landed them a Top 40 hit, preceded debut albums by the Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. The following year’s “Do Anything You Wanna Do” (co-written by manager Ed Hollis, older brother of future Talk Talk founder Mark) was a massive UK hit, leading to a stateside tour with the Ramones. As sales dipped in the late ’70s, the band were dropped by Island and picked up by EMI, who brought in Al Kooper to produce 1981’s underwhelming Fish’n’chips. The Hot Rods split soon after.
Masters was the only constant member during the band’s chequered career, guiding them through various reincarnations over the decades. His sudden death came less than six months after a celebration gig, ‘Done Everything We Wanna Do’, at north London’s Islington Academy.