tHe RiOtS were a three-piece alternative-punk band from Andover, Hampshire.
They aimed to “make a noise that you can sing to†(dubbed "anti-pop" or "ctrl-alt-del punk") while the lyrical content dealt with socio-political themes.
Russell and Neil first met at Test Valley Rock School in 1998 and soon realised they were the only kids into punk music in Andover . After jamming to a few Sex Pistols songs, they decided to form a band.
The name “The Riots†comes from the fact that Russell wanted a band name with “THE somethings†in keeping with the old-school punk tradition. Chris loved The Clash and wanted “Riot†after White Riot. The two were combined forming the name we both know and love today!
Chris Gore left to study a degree in Philosophy with English Literature at Northampton . This made practising somewhat difficult. He played his last gig on 14th Oct 2000 at Test Valley Rock School .
He was replaced by Tom Marler-Hausen, guitarist in Neil’s first band, Citrus. However, this lasted only a year as Tom left to join the policeforce and then nursing.
Neil and Russell had admired Ed Warner (Elvis Is A C*nt bassist) and decided that he rocked sufficiently enough to join The Riots as Tom's replacement. They asked him and he said that he would stand in until they found someone else. But he loved it so much, he decided to stay.
The Riots finally split in 2003 after a headline gig at the Andover Guildhall.
