Frantic Elevators

Frantic Elevators were a punk band for being the jumping-off point for a pre-Simply Red Mick Hucknall. Formed in 1976 after the band met each other at a Sex Pistols gig, the group consisted of vocalist Mick Hucknall, drummer Kevin Williams, guitarist Neil Smith, and bassist Brian Turner. The band's first single, Voice in the Dark, was released in June of 1979 by TJM records. They hopped over to Eric's Records, the label affiliated with the Liverpool club of the same name, for the You Know What You Told Me single, which was released near the end of 1980. A trio of radio sessions for the BBC followed in 1981, along with their third single, Searching for the Only. After that, an extended recording hiatus ensued, predating what would become their final single, 1982's Holding Back the Years (No Waiting). Just less than four years later, Hucknall re-recorded the song with Simply Red, and it became an international smash.

Links To Peel
Peel heard the band through TJM records and on one show from 12 June 1979, he played three tracks from their single ''Voice In The Dark. However after the band split, Mick Hucknall formed Simply Red, who later became successful with hits like Holding Back The Years, If You Don't Know Me By Now and Fairground'', which became the band's most successful single, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart in 1995. Peel despised Mick Hucknall after meeting him at a party in the mid 80's and found him arrogant and rude. On many occasions on his show, Peel would make disparanging comments on Mick Hucknall and his Simply Red band. On 30 October 1993, Peel played 20 seconds or so of Simply Red's Thrill Me before interrupting it with a comment of ‘Do me a favour!’ and proceeded with a Fall song.

Sessions
The session track 'Hunchback Of Notre Dame' is available on Various ‎– Manchester, So Much To Answer For (The Peel Sessions)(CD, 1990, Strange Fruit)

1. Recorded: 1981-02-25. Broadcast: 03 March 1981. Repeated: 18 March 1981 2. Recorded: 1981-09-19. Broadcast: 30 September 1981. Repeated: 26 October 1981
 * Ding Dong / Searching For The Only One / Hunchback Of Notre Dame / I Am The Man / Production Prevention


 * And I Don't Care (Nobody Stays Here) / After Hanging Around / What To Do? / I'm Not To See Her / Ice Cream And Wafers

Other Shows Played
1979 1981 1985 1986 Others
 * 12 June 1979: Voice In The Dark / Every Day I Die / Passion
 * 26 June 1979: Voice In The Dark
 * 13 August 1979: Voice In The Dark (single) TJM
 * 14 September 1981: Searching For The Only One (7") Crackin' Up
 * 03 June 1985: Searching For The Only One (7") Crackin' Up
 * 04 March 1986: Searching For The Only One (7") Crackin' Up
 * Punk Fiction: Hunchback Of Notre Dame