John Peel Wiki

Changes to the look of John Peel Wiki will take place in the near future due to a new skin being rolled out over Oct/Nov across Wikia. Please see the Wikia Staff Blog for further details. On this site, the changes will affect the navigation from the left menu, as well as introduce a fixed page width with narrower content space. Please be patient while adjustments are made for the switch to the new system.

UPDATE: As the change is now in force for some users, I have switched the navigation to the simplified one for the new system. Please check Navigation in the Help section if you can't find things. I also initially made small adjustments to the front page layout, but have now reverted to the old look until all users are on the new system.

COUNTDOWN: Just a reminder for people still using Monaco that the final switch to the new skin is due on Nov. 3. After that, it will no longer be offered as an option. Sorry. Nothing to do with me.

Steve W

READ MORE

John Peel Wiki
in: Artists

Felt

Sign in to edit
Felt_-_Primitive_Painters

Felt - Primitive Painters

Primitive Painters

Felt were a 1980s British alternative rock band led by Lawrence, whose surname was never listed in any credits or press; the band's name was inspired by Tom Verlaine's emphasis of the word "felt" in the Television song "Venus". Lawrence and drummer Gary Ainge were the only constant members, though Ainge is not featured on Felt's first release, recorded solo by Lawrence before the band formed. Felt are often cited as a major influence by Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch, as well as by Manic Street Preachers, Christopher Owens of Girls, and American alternative rock group The Tyde. The band released ten albums and ten singles in ten years and then disbanded. (Read more at Wikipedia.)

Links to Peel[]

In the 2012 film 'Laurence Of Belgravia', the band's singer suggested that "the only reason Felt didn’t make it was because John Peel didn’t like us", pointing to the DJ's judgment that the title of their debut album, 'Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty', was the worst of all time. [1]

Felt certainly featured relatively rarely in Peel's programmes (though did eventually rack up 17 independent plays) and unusually for a leading indie band of the era were never offered a session. Their only Festive Fifty entry, 'Primitive Painters', featured Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins, but after playing it during the 1985 rundown of listeners' favourites, the DJ commented, "I have to confess that I was never entirely convinced by that." In November 1984 John said that Spanish House was probably the first Felt record he really liked.

The bad feeling between Peel and Laurence dated back to the band's debut single. After Peel's lukewarm response to the record, Laurence apparently wrote to him to demand in strong terms the return of the two copies he had sent the DJ. Peel reads out an extract from this letter on the programme of 03 April 1980. In 'Laurence Of Belgravia', band member Pete Astor recalled that when he played a Wisdom Of Harry live session at Peel Acres (on 21 December 2000), the DJ was still upset about the incident of many years before and told him, "I've never had a letter as vitriolic and nasty." [2]

Peel was apparently only able to find one copy of the record and sent this with a handwritten note asking for a bill so he could send Laurence the money for the second. [3]

Perhaps surprisingly, a year after Peel's death, 'Primitive Painters' appeared on the Uncut magazine free tribute CD John Peel's Festive 15.

Festive Fifty Entries[]

Sessions[]

  • None

Shows Played[]

The list below is compiled only from the database of this site and may be incomplete. Please add further details if known.

External Links[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.