Gig preview: Eddie and the Hot Rods, Citrus Club

IN an interview on The Clash's Westway To The World DVD, the late Joe Strummer recalls the first time that he ever heard the word 'punk' used to describe a band.

It was in a London listings magazine, and the blurb was for a young Southend On Sea outfit by the name of Eddie And The Hot Rods.

"I remember reading this and going, 'What is this punk? What is this word?'," said The Clash frontman. "Then The Sex Pistols came through and it was clear what they meant."

At the advertised gig that caught Strummer's eye - or perhaps another one entirely, no more is really sure - Eddie And The Hot Rods were upstaged by the Pistols.

And while they didn't go on to have anything like the success of their one-time support band, they are still fondly remembered to this day for their three hit albums and four Top 40 singles - including Teenage Desperation and Do Anything You Want To Do.

The band, who play the Citrus Club tonight, burst on to the scene in 1976 and were soon a big draw on the London live circuit.

Before long they caught the attention of the major labels, eventually signing to Island Records.

In their heyday they could fill almost any venue in the UK and they weren't exactly short on success on the other side of the pond either - sell-out tours with the likes of The Ramones, Tom Petty, The Police, Talking Heads and Squeeze earning them a considerable fan base in the US.

Ones whose music still sounds as good today, Radio 2 jock Mark Radcliffe recently described their song Do Anything You Want To Do as one of the feel-good anthems of all time.

No faint praise, that - so make sure you catch them tonight in the Capital.

Eddie And The Hot Rods, Citrus Club, Grindlay Street, tonight, 7.30pm, 13 (10), 0131-622 7086