Hopefully everyone reading this already knows that Eater was one of the early British punk bands. Forming in North London in 1976, Eater was one of the youngest bands in the burgeoning UK punk scene, with the members being aged 14-17 at the band’s inception. Eater issued a series of singles and one album for The Label between 1977-1978 before splitting up in early 1979. Their sole long player, aptly titled The Album, was underappreciated upon its initial release. Critics originally considered Eaters’ music as average and adolescent. Over time, the band and the album became more highly regarded as fans of the UK ’77 punk sound started digging past the Damned, the Buzzcocks and other better-known contemporaries to realize that Eater had a chaotic tunefulness and penchant for singalongs that early listeners didn’t quite catch.
Eater has reformed a few times since their initial break up, with Andy Blade relaunching the band full time in 2022. Eater's latest archival release, Wasting Time – The Lost 1978 Sessions, features 4 tracks originally recorded for the band's unfinished second album. Blade recorded vocals and finished up the tracks just last year. Of the 4 tracks, fans will recognize an alternate version of "What She Wants." The original version was the A-side of Eater's final single of the band’s initial run in 1978. Eater's classic, snotty, Marc Bolan-inspired punk is well represented in the EP's other 3 songs: "Wasting Time," "Point Of View" and "Typewriter Babies." They all stack up well next to "What She Wants," with "Point Of View" being the strongest of them all in this writer’s opinion.
Any Eater fan in general, and especially a fan of their 1977-1978 material, will want to check out Wasting Time – The Lost 1978 Sessions. If Eater is new to you, this EP would even be a fine jumping off point before digging into their early singles, other archival material and The Album. Wasting Time – The Lost 1978 Sessions is available as an orange vinyl 12” via Cleopatra Records and is also available digitally. As time has gone on and more sounds of the past have been rediscovered, Eater has benefitted greatly. That’s fantastic news for punk rock fans and this fan hopes to see/hear more of it.
