[infobox title=’Les dates avec Radiohead’]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultans_Of_Ping

Un groupe irlandais formé en 1988, qui a eu son heure de gloire en Angleterre avec le titre “Where’s Me Jumper”

En 1992, Radiohead en a assuré la première partie. Ils n’étaient alors pas vraiment connus…

[quote ]RADIOHEAD, it would appear, are working up a head of steam about this, that and several others. As befits a band who play like their, erm, lives depended on it. “We’re calm people normally, but on a stage we get such a buzz,” apologies singer Thom Yorke. “And response is really important – you can’t go on in front of 50 people and do a Manic Street Preachers. You can’t!”
“We supported Sultans of Ping FC and the audience probably expected a joke band as support,” continues Thom. “But we’re not exactly a bundle of laughs: we scream and yell and generally be… completely tragic!”[/quote]
 

Les membres du groupe The Sultans of Pig ont raconté l’expérience dans Q : ils n’ont pas vraiment sympathisé ; Radiohead s’était pointé avec une tonne de matériel, ce qui était étonnant pour un petit groupe… et quelques années plus tard Colin est revenu les voir, pour leur demander s’ils se souvenaient d’eux…

[quote cite=”Q #179 août 2001″]28 APRIL 1992
Radiohead support Cork’s Sultans of Ping FC, who had a Number 67 hit with Where’s Me Jumper?

Thom Yorke: When we first signed [to Parloophone] we hadn’t a clue what we were about. So we went out on the road, and I shaved all my hair off and got really drunk every night, smoked too much. We had to cancel loads of gigs, I hit the self-destruct button pretty quickly.

Niall O’Flaherty (singer, Sultans of Ping FC): It was our first big tour. We were both nobodies, we were a little bit more somebodies than they were. Our crowd used to spit at them and give them some agro. They were very shy and likeable compared to some of those other arseholes who supported us. Like Mansun, absolute berks. But we didn’t socialise, we’d play the usual snub-the-support-band game.

Morty McCarthy (drummer, Sultans Of Ping FC}: I always remember the first night. Teesside Polytechnic in Middlesbrough – they came in and I’ve never seen so much equipment in all my life. “Radiohead” stamped on all their boxes. I didn’t really understand what they were doing supporting us.

Niall O’Flaherty: Our roadie brought me out one night in Newcastle to listen to a song that sent him into hysterics. Maybe he should be a talent scout. That song was one of the best-selling records of the last 10 years. It was Creep.

Morty McCarthy: I felt really sorry for them when their single didn’t do well I even went out and bought a copy myself, just to cheer them up, like. I remember saying Unlucky, lads! A couple of years later, I went to see Shed Seven at the Garage [London. Islington dive] and Colin came up and said Do you remember me, I supported you? I’m like You’re not going to forget the men who made a million while we’re still playing toilets.[/quote]
 

En 1996, ils ont relancé leur carrière sous le nom ‘The Sultans’.