Spectrum was an arts show which ran on Ulster Television from
1971 until the end of the 80s. In this edition presenter Derek Kinnen follows Chips,
a Northern Irish showband, on the road. Unusually for the time, Chips performed
with two female singers rather than the more familiar all-male line-ups. And
the normal convention of matching suits was also ditched in favour of a much
more recognisable rock look of the late 60s/early 70s.
Although the actual broadcast edition of the programme is
missing from the archives, these extensive filmed inserts show the band heading
out in their tour van, setting up, rehearsing and sound-checking, eating meals
and playing before packed dancehalls. Before packing up and moving onto the
next venue.
All six members of the band - Robin Irvine (bass), Paul Lyttle
(guitar), Linda Martin (vocals), Annie Ferguson (vocals), Adrian Mullen
(keyboards) and Robin Lavery (drums) - are interviewed for the programme about
the strains of being in a touring band. Meanwhile, Derek Kinnen sets aside his
interviewer role to fully let his hair down and is caught on camera fairly
grooving away while Chips perform at night.
Chips would go onto
perform well into the 1980s through many different line-up changes. However,
singer Linda Martin transcended the small-time fame with the band when she
became a household name through the Eurovision Song Contest. Having failed to win
the Irish heat four times with Chips, Linda found success in 1984 as a solo
artist and went on to finish second in Eurovision itself. However, in 1992 she
became the first person to come back from runner-up disappointment and win the
contest when she sang a song written by Johnny Logan, Why Me?