“The oddest thing was the audience trying to enjoy themselves when the sound system was barely audible”: Sky covered Bach’s Tocatta on Top Of The Pops… is it the least likely musical moment ever?

English/Australian instrumental group Sky perform on a television show at BBC Television Centre in London in 1980. Members of the group are, from left, guitarists John Williams and Kevin Peek, keyboard player Francis Monkman, bass guitarist Herbie Flowers and drummer Tristan Fry. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns).

The opening phrases of JS Bach’s Toccata And Fugue In D Minor represent an iconic moment in musical history. So too did Francis Monkman’s performance of those phrases on Top Of The Pops in 1980, when instrumental band Sky became pop stars for a few weeks. Prog looked back in 2009.

If ever there was a band least likely to have a hit single, it must be Sky. The combination of serious musicians John Williams (guitar), Herbie Flowers (bass), Kevin Peek (guitar), Francis Monkman (keyboards) and Tristen Fry (drums) was never meant to reach the charts.