MAKING their second visit from the hinterlands of the Thames River Delta to the Wharf, Tavistock are those highly able and affable rodent rockers the ever popular Hamsters.

Slim has been voted one of the top 100 guitarists of all time in a radio poll on LBC recently — and the Hamster's version of Hendrix's 'Voodoo Chile' has been used in an edition of BBC TV's Top Gear.

Slim is featured in a book called '17 Watts? The First 20 Years Of British Rock Guitar', talking about his early musical experiences alongside such luminaries as Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, George Harrison and David Gilmour.

Now in their thirteenth year together, soon to be performing their 3,000th concert and with a national mailing list exceeding 20,000, the Hamsters are established as the UK's premier Blues-Rock attraction. This has been achieved purely by hard work with the band handling all their own affairs, thereby disproving the popular misconception that it can't be done without major-label 'muscle'.

The bands album "The Jimi Hendrix Memorial Concerts" was rated Album of the Month in Germany's leading musicians magazine, 'Guitar and Bass'.

Widely regarded as leading interpreters of the music of Jimi Hendrix and now Z.Z.Top, they're equally comfortable playing Blues or tearing into a hard-rocking original.

Originally forming for their own amusement and taking their name from the Sex Pistols (who once used it as a pseudonym to outwit hostile councils); the Hamsters enjoy the irony of being an aggressive band with a cuddly name and although serious about what they do, they don't take themselves too seriously.

Members have performed with artists such as Eric Clapton, Alison Moyet, Doctor Feelgood, Walter Trout and the late, great gentleman of British Blues, Alexis Korner.

Former bassist Dave Bronze appears on Eric Clapton's From The Cradle album, and has performed as a member of Eric's band at the Albert Hall concerts several years running.

Having visited the USA in 91, they're now working a lot in mainland Europe, and in November 92 performed at three sell-out Jimi Hendrix festivals in Holland, including the most celebrated gig in Europe — the Paradiso, Amsterdam.

The band will be recording a live album in the Summer, for release in the Autumn of 2001.