On this day in 1982, BBC Radio 1’s John Peel Show broadcast a session recorded with The Ravishing Beauties.

The Peel Sessions, as they became to be known, usually consisted of four songs recorded by an artist live in the BBC’s studios. This exposure often provided the first major national coverage for many bands that would later achieve great fame.

This marked The Ravishing Beauties only session for the John Peel show and featured Virginia Astley (Lead Vocals), Kate St. John (Backing Vocals, Cor Anglais, Oboe, Flute), Nicky Holland (Backing Vocals, Keyboards) and Ben Hoffnung (Percussion). The session was recorded on the 14th April 1982 and featured the following tracks:

Arctic Death
Futility
We Will Meet Them Again
No Need To Cry

Many of these tracks featured on Virginia’s debut release A Bao A Qu, although ‘Futility’ (adapted from the words of a Wilfred Own poem) later featured on Virginia’s 1983 album Promise Nothing.