Peel Session
In the Fall of 2004, the Bloody Hollies set off for their first European tour. It was a pretty exciting time for the band. Not only were we still touring on our Sympathy for the Record Industry debut "Fire at Will," we were fresh off of a successfull U.S. tour that was highlighted by an unbelievable first SXSW performance. Although we had some line-up issues in that we had to find a last minute replacement drummer to come to Europe with us, it didn't seem to stop the momentum of the band. Soon before our scheduled departure to Amsterdam, we recieved the news that we had been invited to play on John Peel's "Peel Sessions" on the BBC's Radio 1. So by now you can imagine that we were feeling pretty good about how far the band has come in only one short year after our record was released. I couldn't believe how good things were going. Not only did we have a Peel Session to look forward to at the end of the tour in London, we were being treated to some great crowds on just about a nightly basis.
Of course, no band that was as "under-radar" as we were could possibly expect our streak to continue. Soon, gaps in shows, lodging, money, and all of the typical stressors associated with touring were starting to mount up. But the gig we all had our sights set on from the very beginning of the tour was only about a week away.
On October 26th, 2004, the band was sitting in a "common area" in a hostile in Nuremberg, Germany. Everyone was feeling pretty good, enjoying the company of some new friends. We even spent the day on an unforgetable trip to some pretty sobering Nazi historical sites. I settled down in front of a computer to check email, and I noticed John Peel's name on the little news section of the Yahoo main page. Of course, it said "Legendary BBC DJ, John Peel dies at the age of 65"
I sat there for a few minutes to soak it in, turned around, and told everyone what had happened. I don't really remember any real depression about the situation among the members of the band, but obviously, we were shocked. I definately felt worse for his family, and his staff at the BBC. The next day, I recieved an email from his assistant Louise, and to my surprise, the "Peel Session" we were originally supposed to record, was still on, and we were to report to the BBC Maida Vale Studios.
On November 4, we arrived at Maida Vale to record a Peel Session. By now you can imagine how anti-climactic this situation had become. Although we were still excited to be at the BBC. We actually enjoyed the day, roaming around from studio to studio, thinking about what legendary bands had come in and out of the doors. It was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. The actual recording of the session was probably the most forgetable part of the day. Also, at this time, I had already begun thinking about "If Footmen Tire You" and the different path I wanted to take the sound of the band. When we arrived, I didn't even have lyrics for the songs we were to record! They were still new, and I couldn't really figure out what to do with them. Eventually by the end of the day, the songs were called "Eleven Times Too Many" "Whatcha Running From?" and "Cut ME Loose." If you listen to the Footmen album, you'll recognize them as "We're So Anxious" "Raised by Wolves" and "Cut It Loose."
We were satisfied with the recording though. I remember that the engineer was having a great time recording us as well. When we were done recording, everyone sat around behind the mixing board and listened to our very own "Peel Session." We loaded up our instruments, said thanks to everyone, and that was it!
The Bloody Hollies "Peel Session" was played on BBC Radio 1 approximately 3 weeks later by interim DJ Rob Da Bank.
I have no evidence whatsoever that we were the last band he invited to play. I see things written about us and our so-called "hard luck" story, that we somehow missed our big chance, and that things might have been different for the band if John Peel was alive and well when we recorded the session. The fact is that no one in the band ever felt this way at all. We were flattered to be asked, and treated it as an honor to play. No one ever felt that we were about to hit the big time because of this. So because of this, there was absolutely no selfish, self-pitty over the death of John Peel among anyone in the band. We were just glad to be acknowledged in some way shape or form, especially when it was from someone as respected, and admired as John Peel.
-Wesley Doyle