JOHN PEEL

I will miss having someone like John Peel around. I actually didn't hear his show that often, but was always aware of how unusual he was in the media. A real music fan, and a hero of radio. As radio fades into the past, I can't imagine anyone being in a similar niche again. The thing was that he didn't follow received opinion or "believe the hype". He played the music he liked, and refused to be stale and predictable. So, as a "grumpy old man", he broke the mould.

As an unsigned musician, I am made painfully aware, again and again, of how no one gives your material half an ear; no one cares a great deal about what you've laboured over - it couldn't possibly be in the same league as someone sponsored by a corporation, so why bother?

We planned to send our new demo to John Peel because he really did make the time to listen - and all the tributes tonight are testament to that.