Start of show: “A little slow off the mark there, you know. Did you notice that? Anyway, on the day when the ‘Boggles’ go to number one in the BBC charts, we bring you a programme which has a session from Kevin Coyne. And then amongst the records, two tracks from the Specials. Also you’ll hear an Irish reggae band and an Irish show band, plus Ranking Joe, the Wild Beasts, Girl, the Undertones, Snakefinger, Swell Maps, the Adverts, BB King, Stiff Little Fingers, the Ruts, Spherical Objects, Talking Heads, Joy Division and the Vapors. Nothing from XTC, you’ll notice. And we start the programme with a request for the debate and library of the Hopgarden at Eton. It’s the new single from the Jam.”
The Freshmen single later turned up as a Peelenium choice for 1979 and in John Peel's Record Box. This appears to be its first play. Says he knows they are an Irish show band and he’s read something about them in the music press, although he hasn’t digested this. (According to Wikipedia, the release was single of the week in NME.[1])
(JP: “And at this stage I would have played a 12” 45 by another Dublin band, U2, and I was given two copies of this earlier in the week, but if anybody from U2 is listening, both copies were far too warped for me to ever possibly play on the radio. So I’d like another copy of it certainly, because what little bit of it I could hear sounded rather good. Some good bands over there actually, because I saw Zebra and U2 and a few other bands last year sometime I think, and I’m surprised it’s taken them this long to get onto record.”)
Kevin Coyne: A Leopard Never Changes Its Spots (session)