The Hitchers - Limerick. (Punk)
061 204530
fourthreethree"@"eircom.net "REMOVE"
http://www.thehitchers.eu
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Limericks finest indie-punk-rockers The Hitchers called it a day in 2001 (yet have done more re-union gigs and had more releases than some bands who brazenly profess to be on the go in the interim) - but for a dozen years previous they travelled the highways and byways of Ireland, the UK and even got further a field a few times. They played virtually anywhere that'd have them, made some records and drank their fill. It's been said that they specialize in delivering high octane, high speed, lo-fi, low brow, amps up to eleven, kit smackin', two and a half minute portions of terrace chant chorus' hum-along heaven. But that's only half the story . . .

Uniquely un-fashionable and largely unloved outside their native Limerick in their earlier years -their fortunes changed for the better when the phone rang one day in 1997 -it was legendary BBC1 DJ John Peel, phoning from his home to tell The Hitchers he was at that moment listening to their debut UK release 'Killed It With My Bare Hands', was suitably impressed and wanted them to come to London to do a session for his show.
The band recorded their Peel Session with producer Mike Engles at BBC Studios in Maida Vale 4 in July '97.
They recorded four tracks -Human Skull, Wannabee, The Urge To Kill, and My Band -three of which later appeared on their seecond album 'For the want of some Better TV'.

Meanwhile their 1997 debut album 'It's all fun and games till someone loses an eye' got rave reviews. At the time the NME said of the record... "a work of lyrical genius... 14 songs you can play whilst washing up and/or shagging without having to break off halfway thru to phone the Samaritans" and garnered The Hitchers a hardcore fanbase in the UK and Ireland.

The Hitcher's second single from ‘Fun & Games’ -the double A-side 'You can only love someone/Strachan' turned up in John Peel's Festive 50 - Peel's annual rundown of the listeners' fifty favourite tracks of the year, 'The John Peel Festive 50' became a Christmas institution more loved than fairy lights and Christmas crackers since its inception in 1976. Listeners of John's BBC Radio 1 show picked the chart by voting for their three favourite tracks of the year before the end of November.

The Hitchers featured at No 21 in the 1997 chart which had Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha" at Number one. Peelie continued to play The Hitchers regularly on his show up until his untimely passing, airing "Strachan" as recently as April 2004.

Steve Lamacq continues to play the band to the present day (summer 06) and the bands Christmas reunions in Limerick have become the stuff of rock'n'roll legend.

In July 2006 the bands 1997 Dave Fanning Session was featured in Classic Session on Dan Hegartys RTE 2fm show.

Their entire 2001 farewell show is now available to watch through www.thehitchers.eu or their myspace page.
Tracks available for download (if any):
Strachan http://artists.cpu.ie//play.php?band_id=203&song_id=566&mode=song_lofi
Killed It With My Bare Hands http://artists.cpu.ie//bands/203/
She Broke My Heart So I Ate Her Liver http://artists.cpu.ie//bands/203/
Wannabee http://artists.cpu.ie//bands/203/