Berntholer

Berntholer were a Belgian band, fromed in 1981 in Brussels. The band took its name from a line uttered in the Virna Lindt single “Attention Stockholm”. The band consisted of Albanian-born singer Drita Kotaji, Simon Rigot (guitar and saxophone), Manuel ‘Manu’ Poutte (keyboards), and Pol Fourmois (bass). The band’s earliest material was markedly influenced by the prevailing ‘cold wave’ sound of the era, but mixing in elements of lounge, jazz, synth-pop and psychedelia and drawing musical comparisons to Cocteau Twins and The Durutti Column. Berntholer played their final concert in 1985 before parting ways.

Links To Peel
Peel discovered the band through an import, when the band's material was not even released in the UK. The track My Suitor was played regularly on Peel's show, which ultimately entered the 1984 Festive Fifty at number 34.

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1984 Festive Fifty: My Suitor #34

Other Shows Played
(The following list was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and is certainly incomplete. Please add further details if known.)

1984

Others
 * 30 January 1984: 'My Suitor' (Blue Feather)
 * Peel March 1984: Emotions (7" b/w My Suitor) Blanco Y Negro
 * 27 September 1984: My Suitor (7") Blanco Y Negro
 * 19 December 1984: 'My Suitor (7 inch)' (Blue Feather) FF #34 (JP: 'I think I'm right in saying that's the first Belgian record to get into the Festive Fifty: certainly the first one on the Blue Feather label, anyway.')


 * John Peel Around The World: My Suitor