The Hamsters

The Hamsters

The Hamsters are a UK blues rock band from Southend-on-Sea, active from 1987 to 2012. The group works in blues rock, blues, electric blues, rock, hard rock and Americana, and performs under a line-up of Rev Otis Elevator, Snail’s-Pace Slim, Ms Zsa Zsa Poltergeist and Dave Bronze.

Career

The band forms on 1 April 1987 and disbands on 1 April 2012, after a 25-year run. Over that period it performs more than 4,500 concerts and builds a national mailing list of more than 20,000 names. It becomes known for an extensive touring schedule and for handling its own affairs without major record label support.

The Hamsters play throughout the UK and also travel abroad, including a visit to the USA in 1991 and a substantial amount of work in mainland Europe. In November 1992 they perform at three sold-out Jimi Hendrix festivals in Holland, including a show at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.

Members and performances

Slim plays guitar and sings, Rev Otis plays drums and sings a little, and Zsa Zsa plays bass and sings a little. Slim is voted one of the top 100 guitarists of all time in a radio poll on LBC.

Recording activity

The band does not release music officially, but the song “Cloud Of Flies” is later unearthed and appears on Manchester, post-punk and punk compilations, including the 2017 box set Manchester North Of England.