Tag Archives: Sparks

The Off The Chart Summer Special

The Off The Chart Summer Special

Ah, summer. Long days full of blazing sunshine, a gentle breeze wafting across the sandy beach, perhaps a stroll along the promenade for an ice cream.

*checks notes*

Ah. That’s except for viewers in Scotland, who will have to put up with the usual torrential rain, gale force winds blowing wet sand into their face, and being divebombed by seagulls intent on stealing your soggy chips.

Bits and Pieces entry form

Click to enlarge and download

Regardless, we decided it would be a smashing idea to do a Summer Special in the mould of the old Radio 1 Roadshow and so, unlike previous summer specials which were just regular studio shows with copious sound effects overlaid on them, this year we actually went out for real to record on the beach in North Berwick. Join us as we play a load of summery ’80s records, reminisce about the summers of our youth (and those of our listeners) and, because it’s the summer roadshow, play Bits and Pieces!


Listen to Off The Chart on Noisebox Radio at 9pm every Tuesday! You can stream Noisebox Radio via their website, their apps for iOS or Android, or through TuneIn and MyTuner, or ask your smart speaker to “play Noisebox Radio” – and don’t forget to tweet along using the hashtag #OffTheChart. If you’re not around, you can hear the show again on Noisebox Radio at 10am on Friday, or catch up on Mixcloud after that.

Get the Extended Mix!

If you enjoy Off The Chart but find it’s just not long enough, why not join us on Patreon or Mixcloud Select? For a small monthly subscription you get access to the exclusive Extended Mix of the show every week with bonus 12″ mixes, additional chatter and the week’s top ten singles in full!

Our subscribers also get access to exclusive shows including Further Off The Chart in which we play some of the records that come up in conversation on the regular shows. You can even download shows to listen offline in the Mixcloud app! Please consider backing us – we really appreciate it and your subscription allows us to keep producing a new episode every single week.

Spotify playlists

If you’ve missed a previous edition they’re all on our Mixcloud page, or for a taster of the music we play, listen to our Spotify playlist Way Off The Chart including one track from each show!

We also have a Spotify playlist for our #ICEOTWF feature, including all (well, most) of the international hits we’ve played since the feature began in March 2017. There are all sorts of oddities in here, all of which were hits somewhere in the world but not in the UK!

Mixcloud Select: “You forgot cranberries too?”

You forgot cranberries too?

To introduce our new Mixcloud Select site, we’re reactivating our classic Virtual CD Of The Month feature and reissuing the original virtual CDs that we tried to entice people into backing us on Patreon! From December 2017, You Forgot Cranberries … read more

Off The Chart: 16 June 1983

Off The Chart: 16 June 1983

We’re going back to this very day in 1983 on this week’s Off The Chart as Steve and Julian rifle through the week’s UK singles chart, playing some of the hits you don’t hear so often. There’s also three tracks … read more

Virtual C90: May 2018

Virtual C90: May 2018

This month’s virtual mixtape includes new music from Tony Hadley, James, Swing Out Sister, Half Man Half Biscuit, Sparks, The Alarm and Johnny Marr, plus new takes on old faves by The Cure and Echo & The Bunnymen, as well … read more

Virtual C90: January 2018

Virtual C90: January 2018

This month our virtual mixtape takes a look back at 2017 with tracks from some of the year’s biggest releases, from Blondie to Gary Numan, Sparks to Squeeze, Depeche Mode to The Fizz! Enjoy! read more

Virtual C90: September 2017

Virtual C90: September 2017

This month’s Virtual C90 includes new music from George Michael, Michael Jackson, OMD, Sparks, Bros, The Fizz, Squeeze, The Waterboys, U2, The Blow Monkeys and Hue & Cry! Plus the usual mix of ’80s hits, misses, mixes and remixes. Enjoy! read more

Virtual C90: August 2017

Virtual C90: August 2017

This month’s Virtual C90 includes new music from Depeche Mode, Erasure, Marc Almond, The Fall, Motörhead, Belinda Carlisle, Sparks and Nick Heyward, plus a previously unreleased outtake from The Smiths and the usual mix of ’80s hits, misses, mixes and … read more

Off The Chart: 29 July 1985

Off The Chart: 29 July 1985

We’re off back to this week in 1985 on Off The Chart for some of the week’s less remembered hits, a look at the day’s events, three tracks from a hit album, a song from the US Billboard Hot 100 … read more