The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Signed to the label Rough Trade, the band released three albums in their early incarnation: 'The Raincoats' (1979), 'Odyshape' (1981), and 'Moving' (1984). They reformed in 1993 and released the album 'Looking in the Shadows' in 1996.
(Read more at Wikipedia).
Links To Peel[]
"There have been several reviews of the [Raincoats] album, saying that it was really rather miserable and depressing sort of a record. ... I will admit that the Raincoats are not the Undertones. But the Undertones are not the Raincoats.”
(John Peel, BBC Radio One, 12 December 1979)
Peel gave regular airtime to the Raincoats during their initial run of Rough Trade releases around the turn of the 1980s, including an unexpected cover version of ‘Lola’ (originally by the Kinks), plus two sessions. The band were part of a new generation of emerging female musicians in the post-punk era, with personnel links to the Slits and the Mo-Dettes.
After a decade of inactivity, the band reformed and returned to the Peel show in 1993, encouraged by the support of influential long-time fan Kurt Cobain. Another session was recorded, putting the band on the list of Longest Gaps Between Peel Session Appearances, but was not broadcast until after the death of the Nirvana superstar in April 1994, with the DJ reading out a dedication to Cobain from the Raincoats.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- None
Sessions[]
The Raincoats - Peel Session 1979
Three sessions. #3 available on the Blast First CD single – Extended Play (1994).
1. Recorded 1979-03-06. First broadcast 19 March 1979. Repeated 01 May 1979, 27 June 1979.
- In Love / You're A Million / Adventures Close To Home / Fairy Tale In The Supermarket
2. Recorded 1980-12-10. First broadcast 18 December 1980.
- Using My Eyes / Family Treet / Baby Song
3. Recorded 29 March 1994-03-29. First broadcast 16 April 1994. (John reads out a dedication to Kurt Cobain, from the Raincoats, before their first session track is broadcast. The dedication is also repeated before their last track. )
- No One's Little Girl / Don't Be Mean / We Smile / Shouting Out Loud
Other Shows Played[]
- 1979
- 10 April 1979: unknown
- 16 April 1979: Adventure Close To Home (7" - Fairytale In The Supermarket) Rough Trade RT 013
- 18 April 1979: Fairytale In The Supermarket (7") Rough Trade RT 013
- 12 May 1979 (BFBS): Fairytale In The Supermarket (7") Rough Trade RT 013
- 29 May 1979: Fairytale In The Supermarket (7") Rough Trade RT 013 (Peel says his mother has seen the Raincoats on TV on Sunday night and didn't like them.)
- 18 June 1979: Fairytale In The Supermarket (7") Rough Trade RT 013
The Raincoats - Lola (1979)
- 05 November 1979: Lola (LP - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 06 November 1979: No Side To Fall In (LP - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 10 November 1979 (BFBS): Lola (album - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 12 November 1979: Lola (LP - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 15 November 1979: Adventures Close To Home (LP - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 20 November 1979: Off Duty Trip (LP - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 21 November 1979: You're A Million (LP - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 06 December 1979: Adventures Close To Home (LP – The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 12 December 1979: Off Duty Trip (LP – The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 1980
- 07 January 1980: No Side To Fall In (LP - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 05 February 1980: Off Duty Trip (album - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 29 March 1980 (BFBS): Lola (album - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 23 September 1980: Off Duty Trip (album - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 1981
- 17 March 1981: Shouting Out Loud (Cassette-NME/Rough Trade C81) New Musical Express
- 19 May 1981: Baby Song (LP - Odyshape) Rough Trade
- 30 June 1981: And Then It's O.K. (album - Odyshape) Rough Trade
- 1982
- 19 July 1982: Running Away (7") Rough Trade RT09
- 25 July 1982 (BFBS): Running Away (7") Rough Trade RT09
- 01 August 1982 (BFBS): Running Away (7") Rough Trade RT09
- 23 August 1982: Lola (LP – The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 22 September 1982: No One's Little Girl (single) Rough Trade
- 14 October 1982: No One's Little Girl (single)
- 12 December 1982 (BFBS): No One's Little Girl (7" - Running Away) Rough Trade RT093
- 1983
- 03 December 1983 (BFBS): Animal Rhapsody (12") Rough Trade
- 06 December 1983: No Ones Little Girl (EP - Animal Rhapsody) Rough Trade
- 07 December 1983: Animal Rhapsody (12") Rough Trade
- 21 December 1983 (BFBS): Animal Rhapsody (12") Rough Trade
- 28 December 1983 (BFBS): No One's Little Girl (12" - Animal Rhapsody) Rough Trade
- 1984
- 19 January 1984: unknown
- 28 January 1984 (BFBS): Mouth Of A Story (album - Moving) Rough Trade ROUGH 66
- 06 February 1984 (BBC World Service): Mouth Of A Story (album - Moving) Rough Trade ROUGH 66
- 1990s
- 16 April 1993: The Void (album - The Raincoats) Rough Trade
- 30 July 1993: In Love (v/a album - Lipstick Traces) Rough Trade R2902
- 25 February 1994: Fairytale In The Supermarket (7 inch) Rough Trade
- 05 March 1994: No One's Little Girl (7 inch – Running Away) Rough Trade (JP hopes that someone tapes the show so it can be flown out to Kurt Cobain in Rome, to aid his recovery after he fell into a coma after mixing drugs and alcohol. He thinks both Kurt and Courtney will like the Raincoats track a lot.)
- 05 March 1994 (BFBS): Fairytale In The Supermarket (7") Rough Trade
- 19 March 1994: Adventures Close To Home (7 inch - Fairytale In The Supermarket) Rough Trade
- 26 March 1994: Adventure Close To Home (7" – Fairytale In The Supermarket) Rough Trade
- 02 April 1994 (BFBS): Adventures Close To Home (7" - Fairytale In The Supermarket) Rough Trade
- 17 August 1996 (BFBS): Only Tonight (CD-Looking In The Shadows) Geffen
- 2000s
- 08 December 2004 (Rob Da Bank): In Love' (Peel Session)