The Hamsters are a UK band originating from Southend on Sea in Essex. They are a three-piece band comprising of vocalist/guitarist, drummer and bass player.
The Hamsters originally came together "for a laugh" with no intentions of ever turning pro. They performed their first live show at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, UK on the 1st April, 1987. Due to a combination of humour and a desire to remain relatively anonymous two of the band decided to use pseudonyms as stage names. The original line-up was Snail's-Pace Slim on guitar and vocals, Rev Otis Elevator on drums and Andy Farrell on bass.
They didn't take themselves seriously at the beginning, likewise they don't take themselves too seriously now either, with a popular part of their regular act involving a lot of self-deprecating humour. Even the band's name came about as a tongue-in-cheek joke based on a pseudonym the Sex Pistols used when they were to perform concerts when they thought they would either be banned or were banned from towns. Slim and Otis are intensely private individuals, Slim especially, who prefer that their private lives remain a mystery. Accordingly, it's very rare that they are ever referred to by their real names, even off-stage.
