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.
The Housemartins, East End Park Ground, Leeds 30.8.1987
The core members of this combo who referred to themselves as 'the 4th best band from Hull' were:
Paul Heaton, Dave Hemingway (who went on with roadie Sean Welch to form the Beautiful South), Norman Cook (now better known as Fatboy Slim), and Stan Cullimore. The Gargoyles (one of the 'better' bands) provided members Dave Lang, Ted Key and Hugh Whitaker. Their celebrated appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in 1985 was followed by a series of dynamic and uplifting chart singles, two full albums and one compilation before a split in 1988. Although they remain friends and have worked on each other's projects, they have resolutely refused to reform. They also performed a capella under the pseudonym Fish City Five, and in this style almost had a Christmas number one in 1986 with the Isley Brothers' Caravan Of Love. Their songs betrayed a curious mixture of Marxist and Christian influences (the aforementioned song's EP apologised for the seeming frivolity of their early style, and carried the legend, 'Power to the people...respect to the steeple').
JP booked them for four sessions, and in fact persuaded them to record one under the Fish City Five pseudonym. He regretted the fact that Caravan Of Love was not number one at Christmas 1986 (having been knocked off the top spot by Jackie Wilson's Reet Petite), and pointed out that the song had already been heard in their session first broadcast on April 14th that year.
