Eater

Eater stands among Britain's earliest punk outfits, their reputation fueled primarily by the strikingly young ages of the members, cited variously as ranging from 13 to 17. Drummer Dee Generate, widely believed to have been 13 or 14 at the band's inception, is often regarded as the youngest participant in the first wave of punk. The London quartet issued several singles, an EP, and an album titled The Album—all issued via The Label—in a marketing ploy that Public Image Ltd. would later adopt. Their output consisted of lean, power-chord-driven anthems of vitriol styled after the Buzzcocks and, more remotely, the early Jam. Though lacking the skill and range of those pioneering acts, Eater produced energetic examples of standard early punk that retain more value than many guides suggest. The group had dissolved by the close of the 1970s. Phil Rowland, who replaced Dee Generate, later played with Slaughter and the Dogs, while vocalist Andy Blade cut a single alongside former Damned guitarist Brian James during the mid-1980s; beyond those moves, the members pursued little further activity.