
The Room were a new wave band from Liverpool formed in late 1979. They released three albums and several singles before breaking up in 1985. Two of the band members went on to form Benny Profane, Dust and Dead Cowboys. The Room formed in 1979 with an initial line-up of Dave Jackson (vocals), Robyn Odlum (guitar), Becky Stringer (bass), and Clive Thomas (drums, percussion). Early releases on their self-financed independent label, Box Records saw the band compared to Joy Division, The Fall and fellow Liverpool band Echo & the Bunnymen, and gained them strong support from the music press.
The group reunited in the early 2020s and, after a 38-year hiatus, released a new album Restless Fate in 2023.[1]
Links to Peel[]
Peel was a fan of the group's music and played twice tracks from their debut album on a cassette, called Bitter Reaction, which Ken Garner mistakenly took as a session in his The Peel Sessions book. The band did three sessions for his programmes. They also recorded two sessions for Janice Long in 1983 and 1984.
Sessions[]
Three sessions. #3 available on The Peel Sessions EP, 1988 (Strange Fruit SFPS062).
1. Recorded: 1981-09-26. Broadcast: 05 October 1981. Repeated: 04 November 1981
- Heat Haze / Bated Breath / Escalator / Rewind / Conversation
2. Recorded: 1982-05-22. Broadcast: 30 June 1982. Repeated: 19 July 1982
- No Dream / Chat Shows / Candle / Summer Sex Signals
3. Recorded: 1985-04-14. Broadcast: 29 April 1985. Repeated: 15 May 1985, 25 June 1985
- The Storm / Here Comes The Floor / But When Do We Start To Live? / Jeremiah
Other Shows Played[]
- 1981
The Room - Motion
- 13 January 1981: Who Are Your Friends (cassette - Bitter Reaction) Box
- 13 January 1981: Waiting Room (cassette - Bitter Reaction) Box
- 13 January 1981: Fever (cassette - Bitter Reaction) Box
- 13 January 1981: Car Crash (cassette - Bitter Reaction) Box
- 04 February 1981: Who Are Your Friends (cassette - Bitter Reaction) Box
- 04 February 1981: Waiting Room (cassette - Bitter Reaction) Box
- 04 February 1981: Car Crash (cassette - Bitter Reaction) Box
- 04 February 1981: Fever (cassette - Bitter Reaction) Box
- 21 July 1981: In Sickness & Health (7") Box
- 20 October 1981: Chat Shows (v/a LP - Moonlight Radio) Armageddon
- 1982
The Room - Things Have Learnt to Walk that Ought to Crawl
- Peel May June 1982: Things Have Learnt To Walk That Ought To Crawl (7") Red Flame RF 703 Technical problems mean that John has to restart the record
- 12 May 1982 (BFBS): Things Have Learnt To Walk That Ought To Crawl (7") Red Flame RF 703
- 03 June 1982 (BBC World Service): Things Have Learnt To Walk That Ought To Crawl (7") Red Flame RF 703
- 21 June 1982: Chatshows (album - Indoor Fireworks) Red Flame RF3
- 15 July 1982: In Sickness And Health (album - Indoor Fireworks) Red Flame RF3
- 18 July 1982 (BFBS): Bated Breath (album - Indoor Fireworks) Red Flame RF3
- 29 July 1982 (BBC World Service): This Party Stinks (album - Indoor Fireworks) Red Flame RF3
- 25 November 1982: One Hundred Years (7") Red Flame
- 29 November 1982: One Hundred Years (7") Red Flame
- 29 November 1982: Things Have Learnt To Walk That Ought To Crawl (7") Red Flame
- 1983
- 29 November 1983: Sleep Tight (LP - Clear!) Red Flame
- 1984
- 04 June 1984: New Dreams For Old (7") Red Flame RFB 40
- 09 June 1984 (BFBS): New Dreams For Old (7") Red Flame RFB 40
- 11 June 1984 (BBC World Service): New Dreams For Old (7") Red Flame RFB 40
- 19 November 1984: Jackpot Jack (album -In Evil Hour) Red Flame RFA 42
- 26 November 1984 (BBC World Service): A Shirt Of Fire (album -In Evil Hour) Red Flame RFA 42
- 27 November 1984: Whirlpool (album -In Evil Hour) Red Flame RFA 42
- 02 December 1984 (BFBS): A Shirt Of Fire (album -In Evil Hour) Red Flame RFA 42
- U.K. Buzz (#002): New Dreams For Old
- U.K. Buzz (#003): A Shirt Of Fire
- 1985
- 19 March 1985: The Friendly Enemy (12" - Jackpot Jack E.P.) Red Flame
- 25 March 1985: Crying Red (12" - Jackpot Jack E.P.) Red Flame
- 25 March 1985 (BBC World Service): The Friendly Enemy (12" - Jackpot Jack E.P.) Red Flame
- 01 April 1985: 'Jackpot Jack (12"-Jackpot Jack E.P.)' (Red Flame)
- 07 April 1985 (BFBS): 'Jackpot Jack (12" -The Jackpot Jack EP)' (Red Flame)
- 08 April 1985 (BBC World Service): A Shirt Of Fire (12” EP – Jackpot Jack) Red Flame
- 15 April 1985: Jackpot Jack (12") Red Flame
- 28 October 1985: Things Have Learnt To Walk That Ought To Crawl (v/a album - Goodbye To All That) Red Flame
- 1986
- 11 March 1986: Never (2xLP - Nemesis) Red Flame
- 14 April 1986: Jackpot Jack (2xLP - Nemesis) Red Flame
- 1988
- 18 June 1988 (BFBS): Jackpot Jack (2xLP - Nemesis) Red Flame
- 21 November 1988: Here Comes The Floor (12" - Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit
- 06 December 1988 (Radio Bremen): ...But When Do We Start To Live? (12" - The Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit
- 1990
- 08 August 1990: 'Things Have Learnt To Walk That Ought To Crawl (7")' (Red Flame)