Draft:Eton Crop

Eton Crop were formed in 1979 in the Netherlands. In their early years the band operated in the Dutch DIY punk scene, self-releasing a cassette album, Koesette (shared with Pistache BV), in 1982. Their debut single, "Six Silhouette Romances", was released on the Koesette Snacks label in 1983.

The band developed a strong connection with the UK independent music scene during the mid-1980s. Their album It's My Dog, Maestro was released in 1985 on the Norwich-based label Grunt Grunt A Go Go Records.^[6] They subsequently released a mini-album, And The Underwater Music Goes On (1987), and the album Yes Please, Bob (1987), both on the Belgian label Megadisc. A Peel session was issued as a 12-inch single on Strange Fruit Records in 1988.

The band's final full-length album, Get Real!, was released on CD by Torso Dance in 1992. They released their last record, the four-track EP Everybody, in 1994 before disbanding. The band subsequently reformed under the name E.C. Groove Society and produced electronic music until 2003.

In 2014, Eton Crop reformed under their original name to perform at the Peel Regenerated festival in Stockton-on-Tees, an event commemorating the tenth anniversary of John Peel's death.^[5][7] They have since undertaken periodic tours of England.^[3]

Eton Crop recorded five sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show between 1983 and 1988.^[2][3][5] In 2014, vocalist Erwin Blom recalled the significance of the sessions for the band's finances and touring activity:

We ended up doing 5 John Peel Sessions. Not only was that an honour, it was also quite lucrative. Thanks to the Musicians Union, we were getting paid, and paid very well, judged by our standards.

Blom credited the session fees with enabling the band to tour the UK extensively, supporting The Fall and playing alongside The Nightingales, The Three Johns and The Membranes.^[5] A four-track 12-inch EP, The Peel Sessions, drawn from the band's third session (recorded 1 October 1985), was released on Strange Fruit Records in 1988. A vinyl compilation, Peel Sessions 1983–1988, collecting ten tracks from across the five sessions, was released in 2016 to coincide with a UK tour.

On his Radio Bremen show in 1991, Peel described Eton Crop as "just about my favourite Dutch band".^[5]

Erwin Blom's children, Pip Blom and Tender Blom, went on to form the indie band Pip Blom, who were signed to Heavenly Recordings.^[2] Pip Blom opened the John Peel Stage at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival at the suggestion of Peel's widow, Sheila Ravenscroft.^[3] At a 2019 gig at the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts in Stowmarket, Eton Crop performed as the support act for their frontman's daughter's band.^[3]