100. Vic Reeves and the Wonder Stuff – Dizzy (Top of the Pops, 1991) There’s a reason that Vic Reeves’s attempt to recreate the video for his cover of Tommy Roe’s 1969’s hit – complete with yellow tartan suits, washing machines and Bob Mortimer scampering between Reeves’s legs – was so shambolic: they had been drinking tequila all day, waiting for Tori Amos to turn up. Rich Pelley 99. The Stone Roses/Happy Mondays (TOTP, 1989) Although both acts were firmly established in indie circles by 89, having Madchester’s finest both performing Top 30 entries on the same episode of TOTP felt like a changing of the guard: the Roses were up first with a truncated Fools Gold, segueing into Mondays plus Kirsty MacColl for Hallelujah. All mimed of course – and perhaps for the best. Steve Hill 98. Lou Reed and Metallica – Iced Honey (Later With Jools Holland, 2011) This divisive collaboration was Reed’s final project. The frailty of his voice – not always nailing the tune or tempo – contrasted with the giddy energy of Metallica, who were clearly relishing liberation from the expectations of their day job. It may not be not pretty, but it’s oddly sublime. JR Moores 97. Manic Street Preachers – Faster (TOTP, 1994) The Manics drew more than 25,000 complaints for this fiery performance: frontman James Dean Bradfield appeared in a balaclava displaying his name, which viewers mistook for support of the IRA. The Welshmen weren’t obvious bedfellows for TOTP, but nihilism had never sounded so anthemic. Chris Lord 96. Robyn – Missing U (Later, 2018) Each of Robyn’s three Honey-era Later performances featured a moment. Towards the end of Missing U, she finally stared down the camera, having avoided eye contact for fear of emotional collapse, while during Honey she did away with the mic stand to make room for supple dance moves. With Every Heartbeat, meanwhile, peaked when she punctured the highwire emotional blood-letting with a cheeky wink. Michael Cragg 95. Arlo Parks and Phoebe Bridgers – Fake Plastic Trees (Radio 1 Piano session, 2020) Parks and Bridgers, both at the top of their pandemic-zeitgeist game, created introverted magic with this 2020 union. Delicate and unfussy, the duo stripped the Radiohead classic back to bones as bare as the ones that adorn Bridgers’ skeleton outfit, adding subtle gravity through Parks’ murmured harmonies. Jenessa Williams 94. The Futureheads – Hounds of Love (Radio 1 Live Lounge, 2003) Some Live Lounge covers can be too winking, overly relying on the novelty of hearing a familiar song in a new style. But what made the Futureheads’ take on Hounds of Love an instant classic was their palpable commitment to the spirit of Bush’s original. They reimagined her characteristically theatrical take on the trepidation of falling in love, singer Ross Millard plaintive and plausible as an anxious indie boy afraid of expressing his feelings. It would take an exceptionally poor cover to diminish this song’s poignancy, but equally, it takes a great one to cast it as something new. Elle Hunt 93. Shellac – live at Maida Vale (John Peel session, Radio 1, 2004) This set took place shortly after John Peel’s death, with Rob Da Bank filling the great man’s boots. “We are dedicating this session and probably the rest of our career to John Peel,” announced Steve Albini, while one song, The End of Radio, took on a newfound poignancy. JR Moores 92. Bob Dylan – live at BBC studios (BBC One, 1965) In June 1965, a month before he shocked the folk purists by going electric at Newport, Dylan performed a powerful, relaxed, final acoustic concert to a small audience. The much-bootlegged 12-song set included The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, If You Gotta Go, Go Now, and a classic treatment of Ballad of Hollis Brown. Robin Denselow 91. Pixies – Wave of Mutilation (Peel session, Radio 1, 1989) Black Francis’s vocals carried like a deceptively warm and tender whisper, in a performance that could even be described as pleasant – if you don’t pay too much attention to the lyrical themes of suicide. Jumi Akinfenwa 90. Sandy Denny – live at BBC in concert (Radio 1, 1972) Backed by a band on all her albums, Denny was also a compelling solo performer, as she proved on this historic set. Accompanying herself on piano and guitar, she performed her own songs, including the brooding Northstar Grassman and John the Gun, and a sensitive, powerful treatment of the traditional Blackwaterside. Robin Denselow 89. Blondie – Atomic/Heart of Glass (The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1979) Here was Blondie at the peak of their powers: Debbie Harry, moving like a confectionery-coloured blur, owned the stage, and the band hit some of the biggest stops in their glittering catalogue – Atomic and Heart of Glass among them – with breakneck pace, their blend of punk energy and pop melodies at its most potent. Dean Van Nguyen 88. Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers – Now Is Better Than Before (Later, 1994) The 1985 album Rockin’ and Romance is out of print physically and digitally. But this performance of Now Is Better Than Before, a wistful, typically airy Richman chanson from that record, feels like a definitive rendition, capturing its creator’s eccentricity (“guitar!”) and kindhearted intensity. Shaad D’Souza 87. Coldplay – live from the BBC (BBC Two, 2009) This exclusive set performed outside BBC Television Centre came after similar concerts by Green Day, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Beyoncé. It’s hard to imagine the latter now deigning to perform in a car park, and yet something about the quintessentially British set-up brings out the best in Coldplay. At this point, they were still at their peak, having just released Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends: their most idiosyncratic, challenging record. In this performance, you get the feeling the band knows it, too, with Martin’s characteristic self-deprecation offset with youthful rock-star swagger. Elle Hunt 86. Bananarama and Lananeeneenoonoo – Help! (Comic Relief, 1989) This chaotic Beatles cover remains the best charity single to come out of the Beeb, as French and Saunders (and Kathy Burke) joined the real Bananarama on stage and had a go at being pop stars. They harmonised badly, danced terribly and spent all their time desperately hogging the limelight. Pop perfection, in other words. Rebecca Nicholson 85. Dizzy Gillespie – Chega de Saudade (Jazz 625, 1965) “Now, before we go any further,” Gillespie said mid-set, “we’d like to take this opportunity to introduce the musicians in the quintet.” He proceeded to acquaint his band with one another by encouraging them to shake hands. It was a great gag, though when the horn is at his lips for songs like Chega de Saudade – the band immaculately dressed and flood-lit, Diz’s famous pouched cheeks extended to impossible proportions – nothing could have been cooler. Dean Van Nguyen 84. Nico – The End (Peel session, Radio 1, 1974) Nico’s staggering cover of the Doors song The End has a haunting quality that made Jim Morrison sound like a little boy by comparison. This stunning performance showed how Nico’s solo material perfected the aesthetic of the gothic high priestess, with her deathly live harmonium playing on Janitor of Lunacy more than delivering on the song’s pledge to “petrify the empty candle”. Thomas Hobbs 83. Adele – Right as Rain (Later, 2008) The real gem from Adele’s pre-proper fame Later performance isn’t a typically grandstanding Hometown Glory, but this playful take on 19’s less ubiquitous Right as Rain. As well as getting the full range of Adele’s voice, from mischievous low notes to jabbing full belt, we also got flashes of that south London attitude via each delicious eye roll and dismissive hand wave. Michael Cragg 82. Stormzy – Fire in the Booth (Radio 1Xtra, 2014) “Get the tears for free, you have to pay for tissues,” proclaimed Stormzy in this star-making turn. Humbly dressed in a tracksuit that looked like a Pepsi Max can, the Croydon MC rapped into the microphone as if he was face-to-face with his worst enemy – not just confirming imminent icon status, but also breathing fresh life into grime. Thomas Hobbs 81. Alice Cooper – Is It My Body? (OGWT, 1971) The Detroit shock rockers’ UK debut found them offering this eerie hymn to body dysmorphia, sung as Alice unfurled a boa constrictor across his shoulders. It was the ultimate portrayal of adolescent anxiety – though a year later they were No 1 with the confidently rampaging School’s Out. Garth Cartwright 80. Rihanna – Umbrella (BBC Switch, 2008) Youth programme BBC Switch might have only lasted three years, but hosts Nick Grimshaw and Annie Mac did a valiant job of capturing the poptimistic chaos of the late MySpace age. You’ll certainly never catch Rihanna performing Umbrella to an audience of builders in a dodgy-looking warehouse ever again. Jenessa Williams 79. Gabriels – Love and Hate in a Different Time (Later, 2021) The boogie-woogie pianist’s long-running live pop show is sometimes criticised for being safe, but it does a sterling job of platforming future hot acts. This showstopping 2021 performance of the driving, soulful Love and Hate in a Different Time saw Los Angeles-based Gabriels take full advantage of the platform: snazzily coated singer Jacob Lusk’s raised eyebrow to camera was brilliant TV. Dave Simpson 78. Neneh Cherry – Buffalo Stance (TOTP, 1988) To be a pregnant popstar in 2022 means a carefully orchestrated bump reveal via Instagram. In 1988, when Cherry performed Buffalo Stance while seven months pregnant, it was cause for concern: asked at the time if it was safe to perform, Cherry replied: “It’s not an illness.” There’s a brilliant moment where a hyped-up Cherry gestures to her Lycra-clad bump as she smiles “who’s looking good in every way”. Quite. Michael Cragg 77. Prince – live at the BBC Radio Theatre (Radio 1, 1993) This 1993 concert with the New Power Generation is 20 minutes of Prince in full-throttle funk. After opening with a breakneck-speed medley of 1999 and Baby I’m a Star, the indestructible New Power Generation rhythm section switched into a thundering version of America, providing a glimpse of Prince at his band-leading best: channelling James Brown while keeping things teetering on the edge of breakdown. Ammar Kalia 76. Joni Mitchell with James Taylor – live in concert (Radio 1, 1970) It’s October 1970. Mitchell’s fourth album, Blue, doesn’t yet exist in the world when she steps on to London’s Paris theatre stage, Taylor in tow. They’re in love. He’s all baritone warmth and anecdote, calling her by her given name, Joan. And Mitchell, whether detailing the purpleheart wood her mountain dulcimer is made of or the Cretan tuning she uses on Carey, is positively aloft with mastery. Dale Berning Sawa 75. Kano – Fire in the Booth (Radio 1Xtra, 2016) Transforming a J Dilla beat into an eight-minute long masterclass in pure rap poetry, the level of wit and interplay on show is even more astounding considering it’s all being crafted on the fly. “Oh wait – they ain’t all one take?” Kano asked 1Xtra’s Charlie Sloth afterwards, in stunned disbelief at his lesser peers. El Hunt 74. Ravi Shankar – in concert (BBC Two, 1974) This 1974 concert, featuring only a single, 30-minute raga, is testament to Shankar’s decades-long partnership with tabla player Alla Rakha. Meandering from a yearning alap opening to the increasing rhythmic intensity of the teentaal beat cycle, the pair undertake a mesmeric wordless dialogue solely through the mastery of their instruments. Ammar Kalia 73. Mogwai – Like Herod/Helicon 1 (Evening Session, Radio 1, 1999) Steve Lamacq broadcast Mogwai’s session across four separate nights, presumably to avoid upsetting sensitive listeners. It included the definitive recording of Helicon 1 and an apocalyptic Like Herod, lasting nearly 19 minutes simply because that’s how much studio time remained. JR Moores 72. Little Simz – Selfish (Radio 1 Live Lounge, 2019) Simz’s usual heft is on ample display here – impeccable flow, indelible lines, “stacked and stylin’” – but what kills is her melodic swagger. As she sits at the keys for Selfish, she unfurls a groove you wish would never end. Lianne La Havas joins on a cover of Headie One’s Both that tantalises with the prospect of future collaborations. Dale Berning Sawa 71. George Michael – Live at the BBC (Radio 1, 1996) This 1996 performance sees Michael’s triumphant return to the BBC Radio Theatre after Older broke a six-year break without new material. He plays that album’s hits, including a deeply funky version of Fastlove and a rousing, choral Star People, though it’s his haunting version of Bonnie Raitt’s I Can’t Make You Love Me that highlights his unforgettable voice. Ammar Kalia 70. Cookie Crew – Got to Keep On (TOTP, 1989) After the popularity of Rok da House, Cookie Crew’s breakthrough single with Beatmasters in 1987, MC Remedee and Susie Q were ready to head out alone two years later with debut album Born This Way! They made their second appearance on Top of the Pops decked out in matching striped sweatshirts, with a trio of backing dancers and the American singer Edwin Starr, whose 1969 track 25 Miles the duo sampled on the song. Arusa Qureshi 69. New Order – Regret (TOTP, 1993) The Joy Division/New Order story is one of rock/pop’s most enduring, but few could have foreseen this incongruous collaboration. Half a world away from Manchester’s monochrome gloom, live by satellite from LA, the band bash out Regret amid the bronzed bodies while David Hasselhoff of Baywatch hams it up. Steve Hill 68. Self Esteem – I Do This All the Time (Later, 2021) Rebecca Lucy Taylor spent much of her pandemic-era Jools debut singing directly to camera, determined to bridge the gulf of weirdness created by socially distanced filming restrictions. “Don’t be embarrassed that all you’ve had is fun,” she urges, pure joy breaking through her deadpan delivery like bright sunshine – a transcendent, star-making performance. El Hunt 67. Giggs – Fire in the Booth part 2 (Radio 1Xtra, 2013) Giggs, Hollowman, the Landlord himself graced Radio 1Xtra in 2013 with a follow-up to his 2011 FITB freestyle. Watching the road rap star concentrate on his delivery, fans were as glued to the screen as he was to the hanging mic, as proved by the video’s near-12m views. An iconic bar-a-thon. Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson 66. Lorde – Royals (Later, 2013) When it came time for Kiwi teenager Ella Yelich-O’Connor to face up to the success of Royals overseas, the stripped-back song gave her little to hide behind. Jools offered her first international spotlight. Accompanied only by keyboard and drums, she showed a confidence and clarity of vision that would have been striking in a musician twice her age, not to mention a captivating look: her cascading dark hair, closed eyes and spidery hands had the audience eating out of her palm. Elle Hunt 65. Drake – Fire in the Booth (Radio 1Xtra, 2018) Sipping prosecco out of a paper cup and looking slightly terrified of DJ Charlie Sloth’s manic yells and police siren sound effect, Drake solidified his connection with the UK scene with this regal freestyle, where he talks about getting money from hedge fund investors, the pricelessness of loyalty and repeats the word “ting” like he’s a Brixton native. While self-proclaimed “real” hip-hop heads may struggle to understand Drake’s popularity, here he glides across the beat, looking and sounding like a million dollars. Thomas Hobbs 64. Mary J Blige – No More Drama (Later, 2002) It’s easy for your eyes to wander during Jools’s weekly jamboree, either focusing on the audience or the other acts twiddling their thumbs. During Mary J Blige’s No More Drama, essentially a five minute gut-punch set to music, however, you have no choice but to stare slack-jawed as she exorcises decades of pent-up anger before sitting with newfound resolve. Michael Cragg 63. Radiohead – Paranoid Android (Later, 1997) Paranoid Android, the lead single from Radiohead’s third album, OK Computer, had only been released five days before this episode, meaning this legendary Later performance was the first time anyone had witnessed the band indulge in their six-minute Bohemian Rhapsody. To this day, everything from Jonny Greenwood’s sweatbands to Thom Yorke’s teeth remain mesmerising. Rich Pelley 62. Pulp – Wishful Thinking (Peel session, Radio 1, 1981) Fourteen years before Common People, a teenage Pulp made their radio debut using an ironing board for a keyboard stand. Neither the lineup or post-punky sound would last much longer, but songs such as Wishful Thinking (“Well I was with this girl last night / She held me tight, it turned me on”) provide a teasing glimpse of Jarvis Cocker the romantic storyteller long before he became famous. Dave Simpson 61. James Blake – A Case of You (Zane Lowe show, Radio 1, 2011) Joni Mitchell’s A Case of You cuts so close to the marrow of love it becomes almost painful to listen to. It’s a testament to Blake’s chops as an arranger that this version captures the same magic, transforming the casual sublime of the original into a lush piano ballad that stumbles over itself with feeling. Emma Garland 60. So Solid Crew – 21 Seconds (TOTP, 2001) Within a few months of this appearance, it would become almost impossible to watch the south London rap crew in the UK. Vilified by press and politicians, police costs made touring unfeasible. This televised going-overground moment, though, would cement their influence on two subsequent decades of Black British creativity from grime to dubstep. Fergal Kinney 59. PJ Harvey – Oh My Lover/Victory/Sheela Na Gig/Water (Peel session, Radio 1, 1991) A few months before releasing her debut album, Dry, PJ Harvey gave John Peel a preview of four tracks in session. It is so tight that it’s barely distinguishable from the studio version that would follow, a testament to the raw, vivid energy that heralded the arrival of a thrilling new star. Rebecca Nicholson 58. Optimo (Espacio) – Essential Mix, Radio 1, 2006) The Glasgow duo had been using Ableton (software that enables DJs to tempo- and pitch-shift any music into mixable form), to transformative effect for four years, but this was the first mainstream platform for their highly influential eclecticism, which made natural dancefloor bedfellows of Prince, Crass, Divine and Ricardo Villalobos. Tony Naylor 57. Sparks – This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us (TOTP, 1974) “It was equidistant between the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and the Daleks on Doctor Who,” The Sparks Brothers director Edgar Wright said of this landmark pop TV moment. Camp, theatrical, sexy, strange and wildly inventive, this performance of a piece of inimitable pop-rock (that predates Bohemian Rhapsody) birthed new pop stars in Britain overnight. Daniel Dylan Wray 56. Ms Dynamite – Dy-Na-Mit-Tee (Later, 2002) Shortly after picking up the Mercury prize for her debut album, A Little Deeper, Ms Dynamite took to Later for an effortlessly cool performance of the album’s second single. She transcended Jools’s tinkling away on the piano, her potent vocals echoing out above the restrained percussion, acoustic guitar and double bass accompaniment. Ayusa Qureshi 55. Japan – Ghosts (TOTP, 1982) Easily one of the most arresting performances in TOTP history: the camera remains glued to David Sylvian, the song’s eerie lyrics and instrumental distorting his unsettlingly clean appearance, creating a sense of dread that feels as though it’s creeping out of the screen and into your home. No wonder it became such a fixture for pre-eminent philosopher Mark Fisher. Emma Garland 54. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Sunshine of Your Love (Happening for Lulu, 1969) Halfway through playing the pre-planned Hey Joe, Hendrix suddenly announced “We’d like to stop playing this rubbish and dedicate a song to Cream”, who had just split up. Cue a fearsome Sunshine of Your Love as the credits rolled and producers blew gaskets. Hendrix’s insubordination got him banned by the BBC. Dave Simpson 53. Soft Cell – Tainted Love (TOTP, 1981) “We wanted to be a pop band, but provoke people,” recalled Marc Almond. The two impulses never worked so well in tandem as during their first TOTP appearance. Almond’s performance occupied a weird space between passion and high camp and had switchboards jammed with complaints: the single went to No 1. Alexis Petridis 52. Half Man Half Biscuit – D’ye Ken Ted Moult?/Arthur’s Farm/All I Want For Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit/The Trumpton Riots/Ol’ Tige (Peel session, Radio 1, 1985) Peel would bestow national treasure status upon Birkenhead’s finest, and this debut session provided an early insight into the brilliant mind of Wirral wordsmith Nigel Blackwell. The Trumpton Riots and All I Want for Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit remain live staples to this day. Reader, I’m wearing the kit. Steve Hill 51. Dusty Springfield – I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself (Top Gear, BBC Light Programme, 1964) In this unashamedly earnest performance, Springfield’s delivery is so utterly convincing that you believe she might just die from singledom. The yearning brought on by heartbreak is captured by her powerful mezzo soprano and live orchestra, complete with thudding drums that replicate that sinking feeling when you know you’ve got to go it alone again. Jumi Akinfenwa 50. Christine and the Queens – Tilted/I Feel for You (Later, 2016) Chris’s memorable Later debut was an onslaught of newness, his cartoonish, highly physical choreography meeting tender songwriting that spoke of feeling like an outsider, and embracing the beauty of difference. Plus, it’s just loads of fun to watch. Who else put their back out trying to mimic the routine as he segued into Chaka Khan’s I Feel for You? El Hunt 49. Kirsty MacColl – In These Shoes/England 2 Colombia 0 (Later, 2000) Though already a Later veteran, by the millennium MacColl was enjoying a creative renaissance, the Croydon singer’s acerbic and sharply feminist character sketches galvanised by her deep immersion in Cuban and Brazilian culture. But her life was tragically cut short in a still-unresolved accident that December, and this soaring performance would be her last on UK screens. Fergal Kinney 48. Cat Power – Covers (Peel session, Radio 1, 2000) Just months after releasing her first Covers album, Chan Marshall performs a host of other songs that she loves, from Duke Ellington to Mary J Blige to Oasis to a haiku of a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover. It’s four lines and 35 seconds long, and even hard-nosed Peel is properly taken by it. Dale Berning Sawa 47. The Replacements – Kiss Me on the Bus, (Whistle Test, 1986) Discussions of the Replacements as a live band tend to foreground boozy mayhem, but this performance reveals the rest of the story. The pop heart of this Paul Westerberg gem is lit up by the antic genius of guitarist Bob Stinson, who appears to have 30 years of rock history at his fingertips. Huw Baines 46. Mariah Carey – Vision of Love (Wogan, 1991) Faced with claims that she was incapable of singing live, due to her reluctance to tour at the time, this a cappella rendition of Vision of Love showcases Mariah Carey in all her melismatic glory. Her MTV Unplugged session the following year would put the criticisms to bed but this performance proved that her vocals were more than just studio magic. Jumi Akinfenwa 45. Mazzy Star – Fade Into You (Later, 1994) In the summer of 1994, as grunge fans mourned the death of Kurt Cobain, a much mellower, narco-hazy strain of alternative guitar music was in the ether, as encapsulated by California dreamers Mazzy Star. As elfin singer Hope Sandoval lost herself shut-eyed in the halcyon daze of what is pretty much the quintessential dream-pop anthem, the Later TV cameras may as well not even have been there. Malcolm Jack 44. 808 State and A Guy Called Gerald – On the Wire session (BBC Radio Lancashire, 1988) Recorded at On the Wire’s 1988 Christmas party at Manchester’s Ritz, here’s a compelling snapshot of northern house music’s messy birth: Raagman rapping with 808 State; Zippa from jazz-dancers Foot Patrol MC-ing for Gerald as Colin Thorpe lays down jazzy keys, capturing that scene’s tangled origins. Tony Naylor 43. K Koke – Fire in the Booth part 1 (Radio 1Xtra, 2010) There’s something infectious about watching an artist swimming in the thrill of their own talent. That’s exactly what you got with K Koke’s effortlessly slick, startling FITB debut. It was clearly enough to twig the excitement of one Jay-Z, who signed the Stonebridge rapper to his Roc Nation imprint a year later. Will Pritchard 42. X-Ray Spex – Identity (Peel session, 1978) A biracial punk rocker with dental braces, singer Poly Styrene caused stuffy jaws to drop and redefined the image of women in rock when she appeared on TOTP in 1978. Weeks earlier, however, their first Peel session had demonstrated that she was lyrically ahead of the curve too, tackling such now-contemporary subjects as identity politics and genetic modification. Dave Simpson 41. Youssou N’dour – Dem Dem (Later, 1994) Making his first Later appearance, the Senegalese star gave the audience a classic taste of his mbalax dance style with Dem Dem. Re-titled Leaving, it became the opening track on The Guide (Wommat) which also included 7 Seconds, his hit with Neneh Cherry, and was the bestselling album of his career. Robin Denselow 40. Skepta – Freestyle (Tim Westwood, Radio 1, 2008) Skepta’s clarity, diction and way with a cute, not-too-smart one-liner had long made him one of the must-listen MCs on the pirate radio circuit of grime’s golden years. His ability to bring the same energy to a national station helped set him up for stardom. And then? He came back a year later and did it all over again. Will Pritchard 39. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Rich/Pin/Bang/Tick (Lamacq Live, 2002) Lamacq has always had a knack for catching bands at their most fizzing. This Yeah Yeah Yeahs session – recorded the year before their debut album Fever to Tell would inject them into the indie rock stratosphere – captures a band operating at its unfettered creative peak, ripping through material that would soon be imprinted on to the adolescence of thousands of angsty, arty teens worldwide. Will Pritchard 38. Talking Heads – Psycho Killer (OGWT, 1978) In primary school polo shirts with instruments strapped high, the taut, deadpan control of Talking Heads’ OGWT set is a masterclass in deceptively casual delivery. Weaving around each other like threads on an old tapestry machine, the whole thing is framed by the flourish of Tina Weymouth’s iconic bassline, every bit as thrilling now as it was in 1978. Jenessa Williams 37. Young Fathers – Toy (Later, 2018) Edinburgh’s uncategorisable Young Fathers had won the 2014 Mercury prize by the time they made their Later debut four years on, yet most viewers still wouldn’t have known what hit them when the trio exploded out of their screens with this righteous performance of the jittery Toy, the rapid-fire editing capturing the exhilarating feeling of never knowing quite where to look. Malcolm Jack 36. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Free Bird (OGWT, 1975) A 40-minute slice of southern-fried rock broadcast from Shepherd’s Bush, eyebrows were raised at the appearance of an enormous confederate flag during Sweet Home Alabama. But it’s the duelling guitars of the oft-repeated Free Bird that have persisted, played with apparently Charles Manson’s doppelganger on drums. Steve Hill 35. Akala – Fire in the Booth part 2 (Radio 1Xtra, 2012) North London rapper Akala’s most famous BBC appearance is arguably his 2013 dismantling of Tommy Robinson on a BBC Three show called Free Speech – a clip that still does the rounds on social media on a near-monthly basis. But, as his gold-plated FITB appearances show, he had been tearing down structures much more complex than Robinson over hip-hop and grime beats for years already. Will Pritchard 34. Battles – Atlas (Later, 2007) With prog-metal virtuosity, alien voices chanting an infernal hook, and a relentless techno glam beat increasing in intensity over almost eight minutes, Warp-signed Battles were not typical Jools fodder to say the least. God knows what fellow guests Crowded House and Richard Thompson thought, but the audience was ecstatic. Joe Muggs 33. Iron Maiden – Running Free (TOTP, 1980) Perennial enemies of miming to a backing tape, Iron Maiden were the first band since the Who to decimate Top of the Pops completely live. Those twirling riffs and Paul Di’Anno’s punk snarl are emblematic of what made the Londoners the leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal. Matt Mills 32. Converge – Live at the BBC (Radio 1 Rock Show With Daniel P Carter, 2010) Recording in Maida Vale’s hallowed confines for Daniel P Carter’s longstanding show, the Massachusetts crown princes of hardcore punk brought nothing less than pure, unfiltered, guttural delight. Guitars have rarely sounded crunchier, or vocal cords so gloriously torn. And the drums, good lord, the drums. Will Pritchard 31. Dr Feelgood – Roxette (OGWT, 1975) Roxette is a song about stealing someone’s girlfriend, but you would have been more concerned about your car getting nicked if you had spotted this gang of Essex pub rock geezers on OGWT, none of whom would have looked out of place getting flung over the bonnet of a Ford Granada in The Sweeney. Malcolm Jack 30. Lana Del Rey – Video Games (Later, 2011) Del Rey’s lacklustre 2012 Saturday Night Live performance cemented an unfair reputation as an untalented performer and turbocharged the misogynist debate about how “authentic” she was. Her haunted, transfixing Jools Holland performance just three months earlier – swaying in place, eyes trained down the camera just a second too long for comfort – feels like a more accurate representation of her strange, confrontational style of pop. Shaad D’Souza 29. Black Sabbath – Behind the Wall of Sleep/NIB/Black Sabbath/Devil’s Island (Peel session, Radio 1, 1969) Black Sabbath’s debut album invented heavy metal, but the rawness of their subsequent Peel session somehow made their songs even scarier. Although the DJ only had the band on his show twice (their breakthrough single Paranoid allegedly turned him off), this early showcase legitimised rock’s freakiest burgeoning subgenre. Matt Mills 28. Ariana Grande – Them Changes (Radio 1 Live Lounge, 2018) This cover is not better than Thundercat’s squelching original, but it did add shade to our idea of Grande as a musician. Like an athlete pushing to outpace their PB, it gave her an opportunity to work a little, to exist outside pop structure and find her way into a loping, unconventional groove. Shaad D’Souza 27. Meat Loaf – Paradise By the Dashboard Light (OGWT, 1978) There are more famous OGWT performances, but none with more sheer WTF? dementedness than Meat Loaf’s UK TV debut: a sweaty, deliriously OTT extravaganza that reaches a pinnacle of madness during the instrumental break, where Meat Loaf and duet partner Karla DeVito pretend to get off with each other. Alexis Petridis 26. Desmond Dekker – Israelites (TOTP, 1969) When Dekker appeared on TOTP on 10 April 1969, it represented a watershed moment for Britain’s Black communities. Addressing the nation on prime time in a thick patois, this forceful and flamboyant voice from home deeply resonated as he sang of daily struggles to survive. David Katz 25. Patti Smith Group – Because the Night (OGWT, 1978) Smith’s first OGWT appearance in 1976, doing Horses and Hey Joe, was a landmark moment, but the second is perhaps more significant: her bewitching performance of Bruce Springsteen’s Because the Night gave a tantalising preview of the song that subsequently made her famous. Dave Simpson 24. Wretch 32 and Avelino – Fire in the Booth (Radio 1Xtra, 2015) During the promo run for their 2015 collaboration, Young Fire, Old Flame, don Wretch 32 and don-in-waiting Avelino stopped by Radio 1Xtra to deliver just under nine minutes of pure lyrical wizardry – showing how north London has become a stomping ground for some of the sharpest pens in the game. Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson 23. Bill Withers – Ain’t No Sunshine (OGWT, 1972) Bill Withers was one of the all-time great between-song performers, capable of sending his audience into hysterics or making them ponder his work beyond its surface. In a striking orange turtleneck, he delivers a benediction directly to camera on the machism