Limericks finest indie-punk-rockers The Hitchers return to Dolans Warehouse, Limerick on Friday 30th of December for their by now annual reunion gig. The band called it a day in 2001 -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 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 second 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...the result is 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 -the double A-side 'You can only love someone/Strachan¹ turned up in John Peel¹s Festive 50 in 1997, 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 since then, playing "Strachan" as recently as April 2004. Like so many other bands that he helped and encouraged, The Hitchers are very proud and delighted to have been associated with John's show. In the year that John was posthumously inducted in the UKs rock'n'roll hall of fame -The Hitchers will be remembering him in their own little way on December 30th. "Don¹t miss this band" John Peel BBC Radio One "the best new Irish band I've heard in the last 20 years" Bob Geldof -XFM. "skewed but feckin' marvellous pop . . . like a cross between The Pogues and Stiff Little Fingers" NME "sizzling with attitude, energy and sheer cheek" Hot Press "sounds like The Sawdoctors fronted by Hannibal Lecter" Irish Times