Phantom FM is back on the air and I’ve been listening to it nearly everyday since it re-launched. Back in the dizzle, when I was holed up trying to learn how to make comics, Phantom played constantly in the background. I first found it while trying to tune in BBC and I heard the unmistakable sound of Minor Threat and that was that. It stayed on.
I even went as far as recording good songs on to special ‘Phantom Mix’ tapes which I still have. Nerd! It was of course broadcasting illegally and I knew the magic would have to end sometime. I think it was late 2003 when it stopped. It then came back under temporary licence (where they had to do regular news updates etc like a ‘real’ station, which sometimes were painful) but then it was gone again.
After loads of legal grief and massive delays, the station was granted a full licence and is now on 105.2FM. I was very wary about the new version, I presumed the financial backers would steer it in a different direction but as soon as I switched it on my Phantom Phave , Jack Hyland was on the mic! Just like he never went away. The next song he played was Debaser and all was well. Then they took an ad break and I braced myself. (Abrakebabra seem to have an ad every break. I’ll write my thoughts about that place some other day), then a news break where Noel Fergedy’s (?) voice goes all Dalek just before he plays the soundbite which is both high-larious and annoying. I was undecided if the new Phantom was any good and not just another SPIN FM/yoof culture disaster, but when the next DJ played The Misfits I knew I was home.
All the old DJ’s (except for the poached) and most of the background music are still there. My favourite programme the Anorak Hour with Ger Roe is still on Sundays mornings. Obviously many old loyalties remain from the countless volunteered hours put in from the old DJ’s but it’ll be very interesting to see it restructure over the next few months. Some of the DJ’s are world class while others clearly aren’t suited to professional broadcasting. No names mentioned but I want to strangle something every time he’s on, awkwardly raising the pitch of his voice at the end of each sentence. GAH!!
So congratulations to Phantom and all the lads, really really hope it stays on course. It's now a commercial venture, competing with several other stations for that all important ad revenue and hopefully they can whip the terrible, insidious FM 104's and Spin FM's.
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Here's another one I done last year
And yes, Blogger has nits. Hence the missing bits off the images, Frank says he's going to turn me over to Wordpress soon. Thank fuck.
And yes, Blogger has nits. Hence the missing bits off the images, Frank says he's going to turn me over to Wordpress soon. Thank fuck.
