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On this day, 24 October 1979, British/American band The Pretenders played Glan Ely High School as part of Radio One’s Week in Wales. Presented by David Jensen it was in front of an invited audience of pupils starting at 4.30pm.
(L-R) Andy Peebles, Noel Edmonds,
Peter Powell and Paul Burnett with leek, during
Radio 1's Week in Wales, 1979.
Formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion). Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983, the band experienced numerous personnel changes; Hynde has been the band's only consistent member.
The band's first single, a cover of the Kinks song "Stop Your Sobbing" (produced by Nick Lowe and recorded at the July Regents Park sessions) was released in January 1979 and gained critical attention. It was followed by "Kid" in June 1979. In January 1980, the band reached No. 1 in the UK with "Brass in Pocket", which was also successful in the US, reaching No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.
