Shining a Light

Tony O’Neil tunes into the history of the last manned lightvessel

- Tony O’Neil

Recently launched on board the classic heritage lightvessel LV18, in Harwich Harbour, Essex, Radio Mi Amigo brings back the nostalgic sounds of the offshore pirate radio stations based on ships that were moored just off the east coast of the UK.

These radio pirates changed the face of broadcasting forever in the summer of 1964 with the swinging style of the pop music that the BBC had refused to play.

Within six months, the stations were attracting millions of new listeners who had "never had it so good". The country was in full employment, teenagers had expendable income to purchase the modern styles of clothing in places like Carnaby Street in London's West End and the King's Road, Chelsea.

The whole scene was led by the powerful music industry. Music pluggers scrambled over each other to get their records played on the pirate stations. The likes of Radio Caroline and Radio London launched new bands into stardom such as the Who, the Moody Blues, the Byrds and many others, and provided an essential platform for bands emerging on the late 60s and 70s scene, with the summer of love of 1967 and the hippy era of progressive rock just around the corner.

Irishman Ronan O'Rahilly was the manager of jazz musician Georgie Fame and was frustrated the BBC would not play his artist's music due to their easy listening policy. With the help of his father, Dr Alfred O'Rahilly, who just happened to own Greenore Port in County Louth, he bought and fitted out MV Fredericia as Radio Caroline.

He moored the ship off Felixstowe and started transmitting pop music to the masses at Easter 1964.