The Old Grey Whistle Test Bob Marley and the Wailers as well as then little-known acts of whom any early footage is now considered precious, such as Billy Joel, Judas Priest (with a long-haired Rob Halford), Wishbone Ash, Judee Sill, Heart, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Whistle Test" was also the British television debut of the American glam punk band New York Dolls. Although host Bob Harris derided the group as "mock rock," comparing them unfavourably to The Rolling Stones, their performance influenced the following punk rock scene such as the Sex Pistols and The Clash as well as alternative bands like R.E.M. and The Smiths and
The Late Show (UK TV programme) of "The Old Grey Whistle Test" the programme became one of the few spaces on BBC television for live music performances. The programme originally featured a round-table discussion hosted by Clive James on Friday nights. However this format was dropped after the second series. "The Late Show" pulled in heavyweight popular music acts live or pre-recorded, including Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, Public Enemy, Joni Mitchell, The Stone Roses, Dick Dale, and Jeff Buckley. At the time, "The Late Show" came under the now defunct Music and Arts Department at the BBC, which also produced the long-form "Omnibus" and "Arena" programmes.