Eater Story Part 1

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 Eater Story Part 2 
"They (journalists) always ask stupid questions like 'What does mummy think ?''What about safety pins ?' you know. They ask 'What's behind it ?' Stupid. There's nothing significant or shocking about what we do. We just play for ourselves, to kids like ourselves. There's nothing behind it.' Ian Woodcock SG 6 Jan '77
Why do I like Eater so much.? ... probably because they were the closest to my age in punk when I was growing up and I'm suprised that even now, some 20 odd years later, I can remember most of the lyrics to their songs! Catchy punky songs with lyrics, attitude and venom that helped get me through my early teens. Songs like Space Dreaming and My Business that seemed a lot wiser than their ages at the time and which put more experienced punk bands music in the shade.

" One minute we were awkward, slightly nerdy adolescents, the next we were hometown heroes with a surfeit of 'in depth' sociological journalistic features on us. Our ages meant that we were never taken that seriously ... There were  quite a few changes in our young lives that we had to adapt to - E.G: one night we'd be driven around London with the Clash gate crashing posh music biz parties, meeting our pop star heroes while discussing punk's relevance, taking speed and 'getting off' with girls, many (and in some cases many, many) years older than ourselves. The next morning we'd be back at school, throwing paper aeroplanes at teacher. It was a brilliant double life."
Andy Blade From 'Vacant' (Thames & Hudson 1999).

Eater at The Roxy

They formed in November 1976 with an average age of 16 from Finchley London and named themselves from a T Rex line "Tyrannosaurus Rex - eater of cars".  One of the first wave of punk bands they played their first real gig on November 26th in Manchester with The Buzzcocks as support! They also managed to live a Jekyll and Hyde existence of punk band by night and school by day (they wrote Outside View in their chemistry class!). Eater played all the traditional punk venues like The Roxy and Vortex etc. They supported the Damned at the Roxy and the Damned returned the favour by playing at Eater's school in Finchley where soft drinks were served !!  Overly aggressive at first on stage perhaps to prove they were the youngest and toughest they developed a tight set of songs.
They got much publicity from Dee Generate who was aged 14 joining the band to replace original drummer Social Demise (actually Lufti Andy's brother) who couldn't handle school and punk !!) Original bassist and friend of Dee's Paul Flynn was replaced by Ian Woodcock in late '76. An early gig at the Hope & Anchor was raided by the police to establish Dee was actually 14 years old and allowed in a pub !!! Dee's mum seemed to like the publicity as she was often quoted in the tabloids about her son. When Dee left the band to be replaced by Phil Rowland it was not without some ill feeling that continues up to this day.

Pictures Erica Echenberg

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