The Hamsters
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Join us for a very special 2011 New Year show as the cuddly rodents rock out in their 24th year in fine style with their regular show.. As popular as ever and deservedly so, The Hamsters manage to present the big stadium rock sound in an intimate environment, and always throw in a bit of Hendrix for good measure.

The guitar, bass and drums trio The Hamsters have long been established as our premier blues-rock attraction, having performed 4,000 concerts in 24 years.

The band's guitarist/singer Slim's appearing in a new 3-hour DVD documentary about the Fender Stratocaster titled 'Strat Masters'. Players featured in the film are Ry Cooder, Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck, Chris Rea, Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, Robert Cray and Rory Gallagher among others.

"They're fabulous: one of Britain's very best live bands" - Bob Harris, Radio 2

"Nobody does the music of Jimi Hendrix and ZZ Top better (except the real ZZ Top)" – The Times

WE’VE BEEN VOTED THE UK’S BEST BLUES-ROCK BAND BY THE READERS OF BLUEPRINT MAGAZINE.
We've also been asked to contribute a track for inclusion in a new BBC Radio 2 series called "Bright Lights, Big City". It documents the story of British Rhythm and Blues from the Fifties to the modern day. It's presented by former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, and begins on October 31st.

New 75 minute live album, "They Live By Night", to be released in November via Pinnacle. It features 15 tracks, 11 of which have never been recorded by the band before, including brand new material.

In August we broke our own record by appearing before a capacity crowd of 12,000 at the Guildford Festival for the seventh consecutive year.

World Champion Formula 1 driver Damon Hill is a fan, and was spotted wearing a Hamsters tee shirt at the Hungarian Grand Prix!

Slim has been voted one of the top 100 guitarists of all time in a radio poll on LBC .

Our version of Hendrix’s "Voodoo Chile" has been used in an edition of BBC TV’s Top Gear.

Slim is featured in a book called "17 Watts? The First 20 Years Of British Rock Guitar", talking about his early musical experiences alongside such luminaries as Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, George Harrison and David Gilmour.

The band’s album "The Jimi Hendrix Memorial Concerts" was rated Album of the Month in Germany’s leading musicians’ magazine, "Guitar and Bass".

The Hamsters have been voted one of the UK‘s best unsigned bands by Kerrang magazine... (we already have a record deal, but it’s a nice compliment, innit?) Even BBC’s Top Gear magazine recognises the band as the UK’s hardest working, and featured them in an article on in-car entertainment, the Hamsters being the ideal people to ask as they’re always travelling somewhere...
Widely regarded as leading interpreters of the music of Jimi Hendrix and now Z.Z.Top, they’re equally comfortable playing Blues or tearing into a hard-rocking original.
Originally forming for their own amusement and taking their name from the Sex Pistols (who once used it as a pseudonym to outwit hostile councils), the Hamsters enjoy the irony of being an aggressive band with a cuddly name, and although serious about what they do, they don’t take themselves too seriously.
Members have performed with artists such as Eric Clapton, Alison Moyet, Doctor Feelgood, Walter Trout and the late, great gentleman of British Blues, Alexis Korner.
Former bassist Dave Bronze appears on Eric Clapton’s ‘From The Cradle’ album, and has performed as a member of Eric’s band at the Albert Hall concerts several years running.
Having visited the USA in ‘91, they’re now working a lot in mainland Europe, and in November ‘92 performed at three sell-out Jimi Hendrix festivals in Holland, including the most celebrated gig in Europe - the Paradiso, Amsterdam.
Their version of Bob Dylan’s "All Along The Watchtower" is included on an album of Dylan cover versions, featuring artists such as Bryan Ferry, Joe Cocker, The Byrds and many others, released throughout Europe by Polygram in ‘93.
Slim was interviewed for the Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison editions of "Mojo Working", a Channel 4 TV series broadcast through Summer ‘92 documenting the most influential figures in popular music.
Slim also writes for Guitarist magazine when he has time, and was featured talking about his equipment(!) in the September ‘94 edition of Guitar Techniques magazine. He has also been included in the "Guitarist Magazine Book of Guitar Players", published in ‘94. In addition, Guitar Techniques has asked Slim to contribute a recorded lesson on how to play the Blues each month, for inclusion on the CD which accompanies every issue.
The band have been interviewed and filmed live by MTV Europe, as well as being featured in session and interview on Radio One for Bob Harris and Johnny Walker, Radio Two for Paul Jones, for GLR in London, B.F.B.S in mainland Europe and Dutch national radio.
Early in ‘95, the band released ROUTE 666 which entered the New Musical Express chart at number 7. The Observer newspaper even pinched the idea from the CD booklet, for the cover of a colour supplement! Photographs for the album were taken by the celebrated snapper, Gered Mankowitz, who is especially known for his seminal photographs of Hendrix and the Stones, among many other Rock icons.
Bassist Dave Bronze was forced to leave the band at the end of ‘94 because of his growing commitments to Eric Clapton, but not before playing on the majority of Route 666.
For release throughout mainland Europe, the band is signed to a four album licensing deal with PROVOGUE RECORDS.
The Hamsters are: Slim — Guitar, Singer / Rev. Otis — Drums, Sings a bit / Zsa Zsa — Bass, Sings a bit