The Paranoid Squirrel

week I bring you studio and live material for you to get your ears round. Topic

of conversation that starts things going is the cancellation of the Foo

Fighters remaining European dates after Dave Grohl broke his leg. I and Mrs A.

had tickets for today and along with 160,000 other people who had them and for

yesterday, that’ll be friend of the show and Squirrel Associate, we’ve had to

find alternative entertainment. Ours is Alcohol and food. First up music wise

are the Biters and a track from their soon to be released debut album “Electric

Blood”. Then “Compare & Contrast” returns with the Damned being prosecuted by

Family. More new music in the shape and form of former Runaways vocalist Cherie

Currie who has just announced a UK tour in November with the Last Great

Dreamers in support. Live action come courtesy of 5 Seconds of Summer and Hey

Violet from last Sunday’s Wembley performance. I also pose the question why the

General Rock Community has a downer on the aforementioned 5sos. I was impressed

by Hey Violet so much so that I almost mugged off The Golden Gods Awards to see

their headline Islington Academy 2 gig. Onto the just mentioned Golden Gods; I

bring you Suicidal Tendencies, Baby Metal and Killing Joke. Sad news reached us

at the end of last week that Eddie Spaghetti bassist, vocalist with the Supersuckers

had been diagnosed with stage 3 oropharynx Cancer. Obviously

being American there is no free NHS Healthcare so his wife has set up the

“Fly the middle finger at Cancer and join The Eddie Spaghetti Fight Cancer Fund”

which you can at http://www.youcaring.com/eddie-spaghetti-373610.

The final live track this week comes from the last Supersuckers gig for a while.

Where Eddie Vedder and Blind Marky Feltchtone join the band for a rousing rendition

of The Ramones “I Believe In Miracles”, which we surely do. The final two bands

this week are The Trousers from Hungary and Nuclear Assault from NYC.

Lightning...Must be Downpour Weekend....I mean Castle Donington Monsters of

Rock 2015. Fortunately I’m not in attendance, ’86 and ’87 was enough for me. So

instead over the next hour I’m going to treat you to; The Ramones who are

swiftly followed by The Backyard Babies covering The Ramones before I play

their new single taken from the up and coming “Four By Four” album, Sator

covering ABBA, I kid ye not, then I talk about The Treatment’s new vocalist and

lack of invite to the World Première playback of Ghost’s new album “Meliora”. I

still play something from it though. Hard Action, who are a Finnish Garage Rock

Band that are certainly doing it for me, then it’s NME favourite US three piece

Radkey, who I got to know about thanks to Vive Le Rock!, think The Bad Brains

playing The Misfits. Up next it’s a quick return to Mary’s Kids and then those

Smell City Five Super-Heroes Märvel present us with a track from their soon to

be released long-player, as do Motochrist, who, for those of you who don’t know

are the brainchild of lead guitarist Marc Diamond of the Dwarves and singer Danny

Nordahl formerly of the Throbs. Into the home straight and France’s thought

provoking Shock and Awe Band Undercover Slut make a much welcome return to the

show. Former Plastic Tears guitarist, Stereo Junks vocalist and blink and you

missed him front man for Smack, Anzi Destruction, or just plain Anzi, has, like

the World and her husband, a new album, “Black Dog Bias” due for imminent

release, a track of which I play. There is a live segmentation this week. Albeit

a very brief one in the form of Pitbull’s live band from The Capital Radio

Summertime Ball as they obviously have been listening to some serious Rock

Music. Listen and you’ll find out. This week’s show is rounded off by my review

of The Damned Documentary “Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead” with the show

ending with some post Damned Brian James. Until I discover I’ve two minutes to

fill so as I started with The Ramones I end with them. What’s not to enjoy?  

Rocks, London Shakes!” This week sees The Paranoid Squirrel Rock Show Up Town

Top Ranking for this year’s Camden Rocks Festival. 200 hundred bands spread

over 20 venues. However paranoia, overzealous door staff and lack of amenable

toilets kept me at The Proud forgoing bands I should’ve really seen.  So we have The Amorettes, Glen Matlock, Richie

Ramone and Michael Monroe for your listening pleasure but no Pink Cigar, The

Men That Will Be Blamed For Nothing, Brawlers, Role Models or The Dictators

NYC.

week’s show, as hinted on the last, is an all live affair from two of Punks

founding Fathers. Up first is Brian James who formed both the Damned and Lords

of the New Church whilst also touring with Iggy Pop. Brian was up at The Barfly

22nd May promoting his new and very excellent CD “The Guitar That

Dripped Blood”. The record sounds like the third album The Damned would’ve made

had Brian not disbanded them in 1977. Also joining Brian on vocals, for the

last few numbers, was Dirty Strangers main man Alan Clayton. The day after I

battled through London’s road closures and roadworks(an hour and a half to travel

less than 10 miles!!) to see the UK Subs at The 100 Club. I was surprised to

learn that I haven't seen the subs since they played The Garage in December

2012. So it was good to hear live tracks from their latest and 25th

album “Yellow Leader” played alongside fan and band favourites.

Back once again into the studio with the “Demons” kicking things off this

week with a Damned cover. Who knew? With The Michael Monroe Band reminding us

that there’s no right or wrong, let alone black or white. New music? Shed loads

this week with, thanks to Ginge, with a World exclusive (Radio Wales on the 9th

May doesn’t count in this instance as Wales had been annexed from the

aforementioned World) I air a track from the up and coming “Mid Liver Crisis”

album from The Sick Livers. Not strictly new new but as MFC Chicken are in the

studio with new bassist Zig who just so happens to be my 2nd

favourite bassist of all time, I play one of their recent singles. As we move

towards the middle of the year I already have pencilled in a couple of albums

that are going to be in my top releases of 2015. One of which is “Easy Piracy”

from Dead Men Walking who are an amalgamation of The Stay Cats, The Living End,

The Alarm, The Damned and some bloke wo used to play bass with Guns ‘n’ Roses. Obviously

I play a track from it, well two as I couldn’t make up my mind which one should

get an airing. Bob Wayne has just release an album of covers called “Hits The

Hits” as the name implies, is an album of, well, hit songs. Some from world of

Rock with the Stones, Guns ‘n’ Roses, The Offspring and Zeppelin getting

Countrified, and to prove it doesn’t matter what the genre once you turn it

into a Country song it becomes good he has tackled Skyfall, Rihanna’s

Disturbia, even the dreadful “All About That Bass” is now passable. Just, only

just. However the song that gets an outing is none of the above. Sticking with

covers I play a track from the Sulo & Friends CD “Keep Yourself Alive”

which was part of The Crunch’s PledgeMusic campaign for “Brand New Brand”. The

CD features the likes of Wilko Johnson, Spike, Paul Carrack, Tom Robinson and

Dave Higgs reprising songs that they are associated with along aided and

abetted by Sulo. The individual members of what would become The Crunch also

crop up. Sulo’s “other” band is The Diamond Dogs who have a new album out at

the end of August called “Quitters & Complainers”. A song from which I

sneakily play. Australian band The Casanovas have also just released their, until

recently only available via PledgeMusic, album “Terra Casanova” to the general

public. Less Thunders and more Stones this time around. Staying Down under to

celebrate Muscle Car deservedly winning the Melbourne Mötley Crüe-Alice Cooper

opening support slot I play the bands last 7”, well the A-Side. For the third

time this year The Hip Priests have released a 7” single. This time around it’s

a split with The Bitch Queens hogging the limelight on the b-sided, but for you

listening pleasure I just give you The Hip Priest. “Arm giveth and Arm takes

away”. That can’t be said for The Chuck Norris Experiment and Märvel split 7”,

both have a track aired. Sticking with Vinyl; Mary’s Kids have just released

the 10” variety with a CD version only available on their upcoming German (one

Swedish) tour. It’s called “Death In Suburbia” that feature six tracks, one of

which I naturally play. Up next courtesy, of Dom Daley he of Uber Rock and

Glunk Records notoriety, are the Sticky Valentines with something from their

second self-titled EP. At this point listeners on The Wall Rock Radio will hear

the said Stick Valentines track fade out as Robbie John takes hold of the helm,

but for the rest of you the Brawlers make their debut appearance with a track

from their “Errors Of Our Youth” CD which came out on the Alcopop label last

month. John Dissed returns with a remixed, especially, for radio of his cover

of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” which is swiftly followed by Wonk Unit. We

are almost at the end but before the final track “Compare & Contrast” comes

along with a three way tag match between The Wildhearts, Green Day and Sam

Cooke. It is, however, Girlschool, who are currently in the USA with Crucified Barbara,

which closes this week’s show. ***Phew*** Now if only Team Rock Radio would

give a job……

had a choice of three live gigs that I could possibly play for you on this

week’s show; Social Distortion, Calabrese or Enuff Z’Nuff. As I thought Social

Distortion seemed a little under par and although ENuff Z’Nuff really cut the mustard

I have played them a few times live before. So in the manor of playing you

music, studio or in this case live, that you are unlikely to hear on mainstream

Radio this week’s episode comes courtesy of Calabrese recorded at The Fighting

Cocks in Kingston-Upon-Thames. The band consists of three brothers who normally

can be found in Phoenix, Arizona. The band were over here promoting their sixth

album “Lust For Sacrifice” a heady mix of Horror Punk, Goth and downright

straight ahead rock. For their third album “They Call Us Death” the band said

that they were influenced by The Dead Boys, The Stooges, The Damned and

Motörhead. So you can see why my interest was piqued.

Bator with a cover by The Damned starts things going this week before I talk

about clashing gigs; Brian James vs The UK Subs vs Kory Clarke which leads me

into Volbeat. Onto new music, as I seem to have a shed loads, firstly from The

Hip Priests and a track from their current 7”, then I talk about The Sick

Livers soon to be unleashed “Mid Liver Crisis” LP and late Summer tour with The

Disconnects who I play. A tour that is currently underway over on the Mainland

and I wish had strayed over here features Mother’s Children and The Mandates.

Mother’s Children I’d heard about but not The Mandates. A quick trip over to

their BandCamp site had by purchasing their debut album and “In The Back Of

Your Heart” quicker than you could sing “Oh Canada”. Obviously I share a track

with you. Next up is Swiss band The Lovers with a track off their new album “In

The Air”. I slow things down (not) with some new Slayer then talk about going

up to Ginger’s “Songs and Words” London gig, meeting Mikko Von Hertzen, Dante

Bonutto and Rich Jones and finding out the preliminary release date for the new

Michael Monroe album, which leads me nicely into The Compulsions who feature

Sami Yaffa. The Crunch, (part Sham 69/Lords of The New Church, part Diamond

Dogs, part Clash and part Cockney Rejects) have a new track aired from “Brand

New Brand” and I talk about not seeing them at The Borderline before Nicke

Andersson’s Imperial State Electric take centre stage. Los Pepes swiftly follow

as I realise that my Facebook notifications for them had been turn off before

former Vains of Jenna vocalist Lizzy DeVine introduces us to his new band The

Cruel Intensions. The Sonic Jewels have just released a new ep called “By The Light Of Woland’s Candle”, a track of

which I naturally play. Sick Boys Revue, who hail

from Italy sent me an e-mail with a track attached from their “Sick Tails”

album asking that if I liked it would I be so kind as to play it. Like it? Love

it. Hopefully you will to. A band that I thought had long since spilt up were

Finland’s Mean Idols. They haven’t and are supporting The Vibrators (in

Finland) on the 28th. To celebrate I dig out my “Suffer” 7” and play

it. At this point Wall Rock Radio listeners will hear Drugdealer Cheerleader as

their drummer Ringo sadly passed away on Wednesday before Robbie Johns come

crashing in with his Rock Lobster Show. For everybody else it’s The Mean Idols,

“Compare & Contrast” and in the dock are Guns ‘n’ Roses with Australian

Crawl prosecuting. Duff McKagan has just published a new book and ep to

coincide. The ep features Jerry Cantrell, Roy Mayorga and some guy called Izzy Stradlin’, the title of which I

air. It’s at this point everybody else gets to hear Drugdealer Cheerleader

before Korpiklaani and a sort of cover almost end the show, but that is left to

The Damned as tickets to the UK Première of their Documentary have been

secured.

week’s show was recorded live at the very first “Rock-Away-Beach” Club held on

the last Friday of the month at the Hope and Anchor is Islington. Playing to a

sold out crowd were The DeRellas with The WitchDoktors. Two bands tailor made

for the night, with The DeRellas part Sex Pistol, part New York Doll and part

Ramone and The WitchDoktors parts unknown. So put on your dancing shoes and

party like it’s 1977.

This

week, again, it’s a live show featuring The Von Hertzen Brothers recorded live

at the start of their brief three day visit to England promoting their new

album “New Day Rising”. Longtime listeners know that I’m not a big fan of Prog.

However when something is done so right you

can’t help but start tapping your foot and nodding your head in time with it

any misconception or prejudice just evaporate. Seeing these Finns is like

watching Pink Floyd covering the Foo Fighters, or vice versa. If your quick you

can catch them in Wolverhampton tonight, or if your slow at the Download

Festival, or if you’re downright lazy just stay tuned…………

was back out into gigland for this week’s show which features the Last Great

Dreamers and Danny Fury’s Tango Pirates recorded live at The Fiddler’s Elbow on

the 8th. It’s been three years since I last saw the Tango Pirates

and in the interim the band have had a major overhaul in the line-up department

with only vocalist Danny Fury remaining. Apparently the Last Great Dreamers

haven’t toured for twenty years; obviously this has been rectified with

original drummer Steve Grainger reprising his role on some selected dates with

former Sliverhearts drummer Ginge on duty for the remaining. Sorry the show

notes aren’t as informative as usual; tough week.