Sunday, June 03, 2007

Sophie and Peter Johnston: Rediscovered!


Back in the 1980s I was a devoted listener to John Peel's nightly show on Radio 1. It was a bit of a mixed bag of course - you'd love some of the music, you'd hate some of it with a passion - but above all, the great man introduced many talented acts to us thanks to his "Peel Sessions". Many of these bands were or became legendary, but many were undiscovered delights who never managed to get the commercial success they deserved.

Take Sophie and Peter Johnston, for example. They were a brother and sister synth duo from Newcastle, and they made some lovely little electro-pop songs which I taped off the radio - well didn't everyone???? - and they still sound fresh and fabulous today. I had forgotten all about them, but for a strange reason I remembered them today, did a Google search and hey presto - there is a website!!!

The site, www.sophieandpeterjohnston.com, has everything you ever wanted to know about the duo, and there are also sound clips of some of their classic songs like "Television Satellite", "Open Eyes" and "Paradise". There are also anthology CDs for sale - for all of us who have worn out our Peel session tapes!

No comments: