REVERENTIALLY-referenced late-night Fall-honouring Radcliffe-helmed ‘alternative music’ slot, initially concieved as throwaway cash-in on ‘Madchester’ boom with sessions from Intastella, Paris Angels et al, but spiralled off in another direction when local scene correspondent Marc ‘Lard’ Riley apologised on-air for being a ‘hapless charlatan’ having turned up with the headline-grabbing news that he’d seen two members of Wonky Alice in a pub. Double-act establishment (with occasional interjections from Frank Sidebottom) and shared love of low-rent absurdity (which included a ‘Roadshow’ where Bits And Pieces featured tracks by Napalm Death, and the on-air loss of a shoe down the toilet) notched up the listenership just as the first stirrings of Britpop drifted into earshot, paving the way for even more successful Radio 1 transfer. Mark Kermode took over for the last six months, but the writing was on the wall. So much more than just That Show Where Oasis Made Their Radio Debut.
Arthur Nibble
June 21, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Chris Sievey / Frank Sidebottom RIP. Sad news.
Eight Ace
June 22, 2010 at 11:34 am
Agreed there.
Skytower
October 6, 2010 at 9:50 am
Thirded.
Indeed, it was Sidie who was allegedly honking up shandy and shoes into one of the toilets during their Grange-over-Sands roadshow. I’m certain I’ve still got this on an old cassette somewhere – would love to locate it, pure classic radio.