His eyes were green , when he saw blue gene , he had to join the game
He knew Tommy Steele, was not for real, went to London and changed his name
He couldn't sing, but he sure could swing, and wasn't afraid to shock
He dressed in black , like a Cadillac, and his playboys could really rock
Vince was wild and Vince was strange
Swinging a motorcycle chain
Son of god from another planet
Rebel in a leather jacket
Sound check kill, change of bill, Olympia has a star
Rip up the stage , see him rage , and move to electric guitar
Howl and crawl , bounce off walls , and dance like a tiger on ice
Here and now, pop art slam pow , as sharp as a knife
He lost his noise, and his poise, rambled under the lights
Got big too quick, it made him sick, a strange compelling sight
The riots stopped , he was dropped , dressed in robes he preached
He still wired, a failed messiah, became a legend on the streets
Vince was wild and Vince was strange
Made love with his ego , was deranged
Sweet hands were crushed, fading glory
Then David Bowie told his story
Vince Taylor became Ziggy Stardust
And the Playboys the Spiders from Mars
Vince Taylor became Ziggy Stardust
And took it all too far
about
The Hamsters formed in 1980 as a reaction against the raincoat clad pseuds, whose dreadful negative tuneless drones were being given space in all the live music venues around the city. A young latter day punk rock crowd embraced them for their unquestionable ' don't care what you think ' attitude, while being puzzled by the primitive but ambitious sound collages the band created. The art-rock crowd of City Life reading chin strokers derided them as yobs , rude and very crude.
They didn't fit in , they stood apart,
Rather than this being a weakness it became the Hamsters strength , they had no one to pander to and so did what they pleased , what came natural ,
Their reputation spread , wildly differing opinions of their merits were heard , but they were on people's lips. They gained a deserved but highly exaggerated reputation for being trouble magnets and drew bans from many venues , but as doors were being slammed in their faces other doors opened , high profile gigs with the likes of Joy Division , The Fall and Orange Juice were played , guest spots around the country on the ' Weird Tales tour' with The Mob , Androids of Mu, Astronauts and Zounds spread the word nationwide.
Recordings were made , and over the years have been made available both in the UK and USA ( see the German Shepherd compilation Bloody Hell! ) but a mere 20 months after forming the Hamsters split.
There was never a Hamsters single ,
Until now
Reformed in November 2014 to play live it was decided to play some new material , a week before the first gig at the Crescent, Salford as part of the German Shepherd live weekend , 4VT was written and opened the set that momentous evening,
Now it's been taken into Simon ' Ding' Archers 6 db studio in Salford , belted out with gusto and without further ado is presented to you ,
Here is the first ever Hamsters single , ! ! !
credits
released April 10, 2015
Hamsters are
Damien Hughes , drums and guitar
Nigel Blinston , guitar and whistle
Jon Rowlinson , bass and vocals
Ian Moss , vocals
Stephen Middlehurst & Bob Williams - Spirit and inspiration
Sleeve designed by Todd Rempling and Ion-Morph
Recorded , engineered , mixed by Ding
Mastered by Christophe
at 6 dB Studios in Sunny Salford
Love it. Sorted me out in my self employed one man office in depths of Manchester loosened me up and helped the creative stuff to happen.
Nice One! Steve Elson
From the first deadened cowbell to the last dissonant guitar interval, Dutch quartet Geo's new record is shaped for impact. Bandcamp Album of the Day Apr 25, 2024