The Paranoid Squirrel

The Paranoid Squirrel ep 407

Arguably there are just three bands that matter; The Ramones, Motörhead and The Damned. All subsequent Rock Bands lineage can be traced back to these three. Strangely enough my favourite single, album and live gig are from none of the above bands. For only the second time in their history Motörhead and The Damned once again became touring partners. Motörhead were always the metal band punks liked and The Damned the punk band that appealed to metalheads, with Lemmy even joining a bassless Damned (Les Punks) for a one off gig at The Electric Ballroom. This lead to the aborted Motördamned project that saw The Sweets’ “Ballroom Blitz” and Motörhead’s “Over The Top” recorded. “Spend That Money” indeed. Normally the pre-Christmas Motörhead UK Tour takes in around half a dozen dates but this year, due to Lemmy’s health concerns, it’s down to just three; Manchester, Birmingham and Wembley Arena. I braved the £46 cost of the ticket but avoided forking out for the costly Car Park opting for London Transport seeing them at Wembley. I missed the beginning of opening act The BossHoss but was suitably impressed to go out and purchase their current CD “Flames Of Fame”. The Damned’s set being only 50 minutes meant it was a super condensed fan favourite best of. As per nothing post Eloise, with the band finishing up with the singular Smash It Up, no time for Part One on this particular occasion. The sound, for a change for The Damned was spot on, better than some of their own headlining shows I’ve seen. It’s been three years since I last saw Motörhead due to clashing gigs, a Hand-Fasting and Lemmy’s hematoma. Lemmy seemed very subdued, never moving from his mic stand and no machine gunning bass. The only thing that was animated was his hands and mouth. Sonically though Motörhead, as I hoped, ruled. The set-list, as we all know for a band that have been going for as long as they have is always going to be difficult, choosing what to put in and what to leave out. “No Iron Fist”, or “Bomber”, but then I have heard them a million times before. “Rock It” and “Suicide” on the other hand from “Another Perfect Day” and “Inferno” respectively were a nice addition. I’m really glad I went, three really good bands, just about money well spent.

 

The Paranoid Squirrel ep 405

On this week’s show we have Bernie Tormé and The Broken Chords recorded live at The Borderline in London, although Bernie’s Brighton encore, recorded a week earlier, does actually finish things off. I will always sight two guitarists as being hugely influential. Captain Sensible being one, the other; Bernie Tormé. Bernie really does have a real unique sound and playing style, highly distinctive. When I first heard Zakk Wylde playing with Ozzy Osbourne I immediately thought he’d grown up listening to Gillan albums and the live Ozzy bootleg recordings of when Bernie was brought in to finish off Ozzy’s touring commitments in the States after Randy Rhodes’ tragic death.

2014 has been a great year if you a Bernie Tormé fan. A fan funded double CD “Flowers and Dirt” which reached the 100% mark within 24 hours finally ending at 418% and a tour, a proper full on Bernie Tormé Tour! Two dates were penned in for myself, The Squirrel and squirrel associate Arkwright; Brighton on the 22^nd and London 29^th (Unfortunately Arkwright missed the London gig as he was rehearsing with his own band). Two great nights, with Bernie’s sons joining him on stage in Brighton for a run though of “Paranoid”. In London it was the turn of a guest pledger to join Berne, drummer Ian Harris and bassist Chris Heilmann for a cover of Hendrix’s “Fire”.

If you’re quick off the mark you can see Bernie at The Clundy, Newcastle tonight (1^st Nov) or if Scotland is where you reside he’s with you on the 13^th, 14^th and 15^th.

In other news I talk about clashing gigs; Johnny Moped versus Stonewall Noise Orchestra/Goat Leaf. Looks like the Mopeds will have my patronage as the doors don’t open until 9pm for S*N*O. The Squirrel doesn’t call me Armerella for nothing……

The Paranoid Squirrel ep 404

As it seems to be the trend for October (and from what I can tell it’s going to continue into November, well into November) it’s another all live show. Nothing Scandinavian this time around though. First up it’s The Sensible Gray Cells, but “Hold on!” I hear you cry “Their tour has just been cancelled”. True, but to illustrate my frustration at the gigs being cancelled, all four of them, due to perceived low tickets sales, the added prices to the face value, that you don’t get back in the event of a cancellation I use one of their songs from “A Postcard From Britain” and thanks to modern technology make it sound how you would’ve heard it on the tour……The first real live band on this week’s show is Goat Leaf who unfortunately I only caught the last song from their Kory Clarke support slot. Admittedly it was a good last song. The band feature former Warrior Soul guitarist Johnny H and their brand of Stoner, Punk, and Desert Session Rock was right up my street. (I did contemplate seeing them at The Unicorn Thursday but due to an extremely late night the day before seeing Bernie Tormé down in Brighton I didn’t. Thanks M23 mega diversion for adding an extra 40 minutes to the journey.) Obviously Kory Clarke (Warrior Soul, Trouble, Mob Research, etc) is this week’s main attraction with the final date of his current UK Tour, well 4 Scottish dates and 2 English which makes a change. The gig in question was at The Islington in er…Islington to promote Kory’s new Cargo released CD “Payback’s A Bitch”. Kory looked tanned and relaxed but still giving the (Stiff) Middle Finger to those deemed to have crossed him. Old classics and soon to be new classics stood up well together with the band pretty much laying waste to all and sundry.

The Paranoid Squirrel ep 395

On this week’s show I play you something from The Generators and No Direction, covers from Enuff Z’Nuff and Tracii Guns League Of Gentlemen, new tracks from Wayne Kramer, Bernie Tormé, The Dwarves, The Meatmen, Kory Clarke, Gorilla, The Curse, The Last Great Dreamers, The Datsuns and Crucified Barbara. I also talk about the closure of music venues. Are we just being nostalgic? And why foreign touring bands are treated better in Mainland Europe than in the UK. All this whilst eating a pizza which broke three of my teeth.

The Paranoid Squirrel ep 388

As Motörhead have just announced three Arena show for November with The Damned as special guests I play tracks from both with the addition of The Sensible Gray Cells (Captain, Paul Gray & Ant Thickett) as they are also playing a London date in November. Up next is another new track from The Mutants “Rhythm and Punk Review” album. For the next few tracks I seem to be in “Classic Rock” territory with The Dagger, Judas Priest, Uriah Heep and Bullet. The reformed Last Great Dreamers have the first single taken from their soon to be released “Crash Landing In Teenage Heaven” album aired. Gig of the Summer has to be The Drej, Top Buzzer, Cars Like Sharks and Flame Pilots at The Rhythm Factory on the 6^th August. All my favourite unsigned bands in one place all for free! So rounding this week’s show off is a track from each.

The Paranoid Squirrel ep 387

This week’s show starts of with a tribute to Tommy Ramone who sadly passed away on the 11^th July. Apart from the obvious Ramones tunes aired I also play a track from the Lords of Altamont cover album “Lords Take Altamont” followed by The Crazy Squeeze whilst discussing Downloads vs Real life Records. The best band name of the year so far goes to Spliff Witchard whose new album “Next Stop…Never” has a track aired. From now on in, or until the end of the show, I hit you with some of the finest Nordic Rock I have lying around in my hard-drive; Märvel, The Hellacopters, Bloodlights, Smoke Mohawk, Gluecifer, The Michael Monroe Band, The Flaming Sideburns, Waltari, The Nomads and Sator.

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After a six week break I return you to an all studio show. Kicking things off are The Ramones who are followed by a track from the new Nazareth album “Rock ‘n’ Roll Telephone”. From there on in it’s pretty much all new material from; Carnival Sun, Jackson Firebird, The New Christs, The Royal Cream, 5 Seconds Of Summer, Peter Pan Speedrock, The Mutants featuring Wilko Johnson, Wayne Kramer, Rat Scabies, Jake Burns, TV Smith, Charlie Harper, Jucy Nylon, Neville Staple, Norman Watt-Roy, Chris Constantinou and Paul Frazer. The Boys, The Bermondsey Joyriders, St Evel, Cars Like Sharks, The Buzzcocks, The Hip Priests, The Quireboys and The Backstreet Girls. I also managed to slip in a “Compare and Contrast”; The Damned Vs The Wildhearts.

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Back to an all live affair this week with Courtney Love recorded on the first night of her just finished UK tour at The Shepherds Bush Empire. Her band also just happens to feature one Ginger Wildheart.

 

The Paranoid Squirrel ep 377

On this week’s show I get around to playing a whole bunch of tunes that should’ve been on Episode 376 namely, a brand new track from Mother’s Children’s “Lemon” album, ditto The Peckham Cowboys, The Cry and Wonk Unit, but before all that it’s The Wildhearts that start this week’s show off. Up next it is The Germans who featured Pete Coyne, Kris Dollimore, Mark Wrangham and Rat Scabies. This week’s “Missing In Action” is Free Fall who are swiftly followed by a brand spanking new track from The Curse whose second album should be out anytime now….Looking forward to that! Still in Sweden it’s a MegaRock Demo from the Backyard Babies as it has been announced that the foursome are regrouping this Summer to make new music. The last of this week’s studio tracks comes courtesy of Cats In Boots who were a late 80’s band that at the time passed me by unnoticed. Live it is Beastmilk and Doomriders recorded at the Camden Underworld rounding things off this week.

The Paranoid Squirrel ep 376

Welcome to Episode 376 of The Paranoid Squirrel Rock Show and for the first since 1879 I bring you an all studio episode. What a better way than starting proceedings off with some Motörhead. Which is swiftly followed by Mary’s Kids with their contribution to the AM Records split 7” with T-55. We stay in Scandinavia for a while with a track off the new Chuck Norris Experiment CD and rejoice in the news that the band will be playing over in here in the UK come June. Marvel’s latest and greatest album “Hadal Zone Express” has been a firm favourite of mine since it landed on my virtual doormat. The track I play sounds like Ian Gillan popped in for a sing-a-long. Imperial State Electric recently released a new 4 track ep. Obviously I play something off it but am I pleased with it? H.E.A.T. have a track aired from their “Tearing Down The Walls” album. My fantasy Girlfriend Karla Force’s band Crucified Barbara have just released a track from their forthcoming album which obviously I play with. The last of the Scandinavian segmentation come courtesy of The Electric Boys with a track from “Starlight United. We now move over to LA for some Smash Fashion who feature an ex members of The Quireboy, Smack and Rock City Angels. After that we travel Downunder for a track off the debut Black Heart Breakers album. In a shock move I play some Magnum as I was lead to believe one track off their new album sounded like The Wildhearts. Find out if it was a dirty trick. Up next from Kent its Whispering Shadows with a song from their/his Russian released “Compendium Of Sorrow” album. The next section is all about Pledge with tracks from Stiff Little Fingers, The DeRellas, Bernie Tormé and CJ Wildheart. The show is played out with some Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey as we all keep our fingers crossed that Wilko’s recent operation is a success.