Music like Long Tall Texans

The Hotknives are an English ska band from Horsham in Sussex, England, formed in 1982.

The original lineup of the Hotknives existed between 1982 and 1993. They created three albums, the live albums Live at the Boatman and Live & Skankin, and the studio album The Way Things Are. Their catalogue of songs include the live favourites "Holsten Boys", "Don't Go Away", "Skin Up Harry", "Dave and Mary", "Driving Me Mad", "Julie Julie", "W.L.N.", "Alcoholic Nightmare", "One Man And His Dog", "Believe It", and "Man In The Cellar".

The band featured the vocals and songwriting talents of Mick Clare and Gary Marshall. Clare played guitar and occasional harmonica. Marshall played rhythm guitar. Lead guitarist Dave Clifton also had a hand in writing some songs. Kev Clements, who started out as keyboard player, also wrote some songs, and finished up on the trumpet. Micky Matthews played saxophone and featured on "Turkey Stomp" and "Double Barrel". Mick Merritt and Clemmy played bass and drums respectively. Jim Mills took over keyboard duties from Clements. Paul Mumford and Colin Jones provided additional saxophone at times through the band's history.