Glass Torpedoes – in session for John Peel – January 9, 1980 BBC Radio 1 –
Glass Torpedoes in session tonight. Recorded January 9 and broadcast on the 24th by John Peel for BBC Radio 1 and i their only session done for Peel. Another band whose comparative lack of interest on the parts of the audience is legitimately baffling. Granted, with the onslaught of Punk and later New-Wave and the flurry of DIY labels as well as small labels distributed by majors, it became a very crowded genre in a very short period of time. Not making matters any better was the slow, almost glacial reaction in the U.S. to this frantic bordering on chaotic scene in the UK, with only a few representations of this new-found mania – save for the most glowing representations (i.e. Elvis Costello, The Clash and of course The Sex Pistols) winding up in American record stores or on certain American FM stations.
kls Torpedoes was one of them.
Glass Torpedoes were a Liverpool (Kirkby), UK band originally signed to Rough Trade in 1979. The band released four 7″ singles between 1979 and 1981 before calling it quits. They did support and played gigs with such post-punk bands as Joy Division and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. After the breakup, some of the members formed another band (Ex-Post Facto) to somewhat similar fates.
Moral of the story; not everyone becomes a household name, no matter how good you are. Sometimes it takes luck – being in the right place at the time or having friends of friends of friends.
Here is their first (and only) session for John Peel as it was broadcast on January 24, 1980 over BBC Radio 1.
(Special thanks to Dave Driscoll for the excellent sounding tape).
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