Punk Globe: The new album sounds great! The energy is vibrant with catchy rocking songs. One  of the things that impressed me was the way I immediately knew I was listening to Eddie and the  Hot Rods, despite member changes, including new lead vocals. How did you manage to hold on  to the core sound of the band while producing a solid album of fresh songs?

Simon: I think first and foremost we are all fans of Eddie and the Hot Rods; we have grown up  listening to the records so then playing in the band together for over 20 yrs we respected the original sound whilst adapting it to play it how we play it. When we wrote the album, we wanted it to sound like a classic Eddie and the Hot Rods album whilst still putting our own stamp on it and it was fairly easy being that we have been together for so long, also our guitarist Richard  Holgarth is a very good producer so he got that English rock sound that not many bands have  these days.

Punk Globe: What do you contribute to the band’s longevity?

Simon: The band was the first to be described as punk in the UK music press. This was before  ‘punk’ became fashionable and ‘punk’ bands formed, and they were described as punk because of their no frills, straight up in ya face loud aggressive live performances. This put the name into  the history books which certainly helped but also that it’s just really good honest rock n roll  played by guys who will sit and share a few beers with the fans if the opportunity arises.

Punk Globe: What inspired the new songs?

Simon: There was no real inspiration as such, myself, Richard and Dipster had wanted to record  new material for a while, but Barrie had been struggling with health issues for a long time and it  just didn’t happen. When he sadly passed away in 2019 the fans urged us to carry on and we decided it was the right time to record the album and launch the next chapter of  Eddie&theHotRods. New bass player Mic Stoner had a few songs, one called Guardians Of The  Legacy, it was perfect and also became the album title. Dipster and Richard also had songs, so it  was just a matter of all working on the arrangements and making a great album.

Punk Globe: What was it like growing up with Eddie and the Hot Rods and ultimately becoming  part of the group?

Simon: I remember at the age of 6 my mum saying “Uncle Steve is on the tv again “ and we  would sit and watch the band performing on what ever show it was, original drummer Steve  Nicol is my mums brother, we were a very close family ,my nan and grandad lived a few roads  away and as kids we were always round there. Barrie Masters family lived in the same village, and both were still teenagers so lived at home with their parents. They would often be at my  nan’s house but to me as a kid it was just my uncle and his mate who we watched on TV. It  became normal to see my uncle in magazines, TV shows, and on the radio. Fast forward 20 years and at 26 I had been playing drums in a few different bands with some degree of success when I  got asked to stand in on a E&HR tour of Holland, of course I said yes, Barrie Masters and Paul

Gray was still in the band, it was strange to be sitting in my uncle’s place yet it also felt  comfortable. We played random shows for a couple of years, but it was in 2001 when Barrie and  myself put the new line up together and that’s when I took over as manager and we decided to  make E&HR great again.

Punk Globe: What is your favorite part of seeing live music come back after a couple of years?

Simon: My favorite part is to see all those smiling faces in front of the stage, it took a long time  for people to go back to crowded venues and understandably so, it felt weird to be back onstage but i’m so glad we are and live music is back.

Punk Globe: Eddie and the Hot Rods have played in countries all over the world. Do you have a  favorite place to play? If so, what makes it so special to you? Also, is there someplace you  haven’t been to and want to play?

Simon: I can’t say I have a favorite; every country is slightly different in their approach to live  concerts, but I think overall everybody just wants to go a bit wild and have a good time, we have  never played any country where the audience just stood and watched. I would like to do  Australia before it all ends

Punk Globe: With all your touring, there must be some good stories. What is the strangest story  you can think of from the road?

Simon: Haha there is a lot I can’t tell! Strangest story? There was a gig in Bratislava (I think) or  somewhere like that, the promoter gave us a key and said this is the key to the hotel, ok nothing  strange about that. We didn’t bother going to check in as it was a bit of a drive from the show, so  early hours of the morning we arrive at the hotel, which is pitch dark, no lights in any rooms  etc, we let ourselves in and there is a reception desk with no one. The restaurant area still has  plates of food on the table just left and it feels a little bit like a scene from The Shining, after a walk around we soon realize we are the only people in the whole hotel, five floors of empty  rooms, all very nice rooms, beds made, etc. It was a strange nights sleep to say the least, when we  woke up people were in the restaurant eating breakfast, we had ours and left, nobody ever asked  about our stay or anything else.. very strange!

Punk Globe: Is there anything I haven’t asked you that you feel like our readers should know?

Simon: I don’t think so, the new album is fantastic but don’t just take our word for it, get  yourself a copy when it’s released in April or pre order from our website, and we hope to see you  when we tour.

Punk Globe would like to thank Simon for the informative interview.  Do you have any internet addresses you would like to share with the reader

Simon:    Web: www.eddieandthehotrods.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheHotRods

Twitter: https://twitter.com/eddiehotrods

Instagram: www.instagram.com/eddieandthehotrods/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe6MjHtJooFs7Md9Z0kCbdw