LIMERICK band The Hitchers mark the 25th anniversary of the release of their debut album with an online event at 8pm this Thursday March 17, St Patrick’s night.
The Facebook Live event will feature the band’s newly remastered debut album about to be released on vinyl for the first time next week and a chat with members of the band and some other surprises on the night.
The band explained, “As St Patricks’ weekend marks the actual 25th Anniversary of Fun & Games’ Theatre Royal launch gig we are going to have us a little online listening party on Patricks’ night if you’d care to join us.
“Very simple idea. Pour yourself a glass of something effervescent then press play or drop the needle on the album at 8pm. As we listen through Niall will be here live on Facebook taking a look under the bonnet of the album (though he’ll try not to talk over the songs), we’ll post thoughts and anecdotes to our social media and answer questions.”
Join in with the event from 8pm this Thursday 17 at this link https://fb.me/e/2UurHfyna
More on the album release at www.thehitchers.ie
About The Hitchers: Releasing two albums and a slew of EPs in the late 90’s the Limerick band came to the attention of legendary BBC DJ John Peel who championed the bands debut UK release It’s All Fun & Games Til Someone Loses An Eye’ and had the band record a session for his show that gets repeat broadcasts to the present day.
The ‘Strachan/You Can Only Love Someone’ double a-side single won many more friends, plaudits and award nominations (pipped to the Best Irish Single gong by Ash’ A Life Less ordinary …no shame in that) as did the bands follow up LP ‘For The Want of Some Better TV’ and the band were an ever present on the gigging circuits of Ireland and Britain earning a reputation for spikey punk-pop, acerbic, witty lyricism, terrace-chant chorus’ and ultimately for fiery live performances.
Though The Hitchers officially de-mobbed in 2001 they have, over the years, regrouped for one-off shows and mini-tours. Media interest in the band is rekindled biennially around the time of world cups and European championships which led to Guardian readers voting ‘Strachan’ the ‘greatest football song EVER’. Warner Bros Germany approached the band for permission to use the song on ’11 Freunde -the album’ where The Hitchers would find themselves in a rarefied air scenario -rubbing shoulders with some of their own biggest heroes including Billy Bragg, The Wedding Present, The Proclaimers, New Order and Half Man Half Biscuit.
In their own words:
”In the UK it’s fair to say The Hitchers are mainly remembered for Strachan. That was the tune that got played most and still gets played and knocked about and that stirs up interest when the world cup or the Euros roll around.
Then in Ireland, despite the fact Strachans fellow ‘Fun & Games’ single Killed It With My Bare Hands gave us our highest chart placing I sometimes think it’s more the Red Mohair Jumper/She’ll Be Sorry era stuff that immediately preceded Strachan and the two albums that rings bells with people.
Then, more locally again, when you come home to Limerick there’s this palpable thing about the ‘teenage’ Hitchers -the one with Eoin and Benny and Bombs in Baskets of Fruit.
So I tend to think of The Hitchers less like a band and more like Dallas. There’s some characters involved integral to the story who are only in it for the first couple of seasons. But still the story runs…”
