Rudi formed in 1975 as a covers band, playing rock 'n' roll and glam rock hits. The original members were Drew Brown, Leigh Carson, Graham "Grimmy" Marshall, Ronnie Matthews and Brian Young. The band's name was taken from a single called "Oo Oo Rudi" by the Jook. Carson left, and after bassist Johnny Stewart joined, Marshall moved to drums and the group adopted a pop punk sound. The band wore a stage uniform of boiler suits, stolen by drummer Marshall from his place of work. Original Stiff Little Fingers bassist Gordon Blair joined in 1977, replacing Stewart. The band's debut release was the "Big Time" single, the first release for Terri Hooley's Good Vibrations label in May 1978. It received positive reviews in the music press, and was later described by Henry McDonald of The Observer as "one of the most perfect pop songs to come out of this island". The single's success prompted the band to relocate to London. They failed to secure a record deal in London, and suffered a further setback when guitarist Matthews and drummer Marshall were jailed for a week after their Claphamsquat was raided, and they returned to Belfast. In 1979, Rudi contributed "Overcome by Fumes" to the Battle of the BandsEP, and were offered a record deal by Polydor, on the condition that they replaced Marshall, but the offer was declined. A four-track EP of their own followed, and the band embarked on a tour of England. Blair was sacked, later joining the Outcasts, with Matthews moving to bass. A television appearance on BBC2's Something Else in 1980 showcased the band's proposed next single on Good Vibrations, "The Pressure's On"/"Who You", but the band left the label in frustration with Hooley. The band recorded a session for Mike Read's BBC Radio 1 show The Evening Session in June 1980, and a deal with Target Records was proposed, but failed with the label's demise. They were offered a deal with Ariola Records by Pete Waterman, but instead decided to sign with the Paul Weller-funded Jamming! label. Sessions for John Peel and David Jensen's radio shows and two further singles followed between 1981 and 1983, the latter being named "Single of the Week" by Sounds. Rudi supported the Jam on their 1982 Transglobal Unity Express tour. When the Jam split up, the Jamming! label folded soon afterwards, and Rudi found themselves without a label, and also split up. Matthews, Marshall and Young re-emerged with a new band, Station Superheaven. Young later formed a series of bands including the Tigersharks, the Roughnecks and the Sabrejets; in the 2000s, he played in Shame Academy along with Greg Cowan of the Outcasts and Petesy Burns of Stalag 17. A compilation CD of Rudi's recordings was released in 1996 on the Cherry Red label Anagram. Rudi influenced several later bands, including the Saw Doctors and Therapy?, both of whom recorded cover versions of "Big Time".
