The Paranoid Squirrel

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...

When two members of your band do the dirty on you and quit just before a couple of gigs there are two things that you can do; crawl off somewhere and feel sorry for yourself, saying poor old me or in the case of Pete and Christopher Coyne of The Godfathers get some shit hot replacements that make the former members look tired and redundant. They say success is the best form of revenge and never ha...

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. W...

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 pe...

More Scandinavian live action courtesy of Crucified Barbara and Supercharger recorded at The Boston Music Room Tufnell Park. This was the first time I’ve seen Danish Rockers Supercharger who describe themselves as “a mix of rich guitars, piano, Hammond organ, harmonica and heavy drums, stirred up with rough whiskey vocals”. No argument from me on that score. It’s been six years since I last saw Cr...

At the end of the 90’s you couldn’t help but fall over Swedish Garage Rock bands, The Hellacopters and The Hives being the front runners but in the background wallowing in Cult status were The Nomads and Sator. The Nomads have been with us for nigh on 33 years with Sator more or less forming around the same time in one guise or another. Officially I think the band are celebrating their Silver Jubi...

Last Saturday there was a plethora of things to do if you were in London; The Jim Jones Revue’s final gig at the Forum with the last remaining Heartbreaker, not counting Richard Hell, Walter Lure in support. Ian Hunter at the Shepherds Bush Empire, The Black Veil Brides at Brixton Academy, The Supersuckers at the Islington Academy, Finntroll up at The Dome in Tufnell Park and not forgetting the AC...

On this, the 400 Paranoid Squirrel Rock Show, I bring you a couple of live tracks by new band The Kult 45s and the whole of the Electric Boys gig at The Camden Underworld recorded on the 26th September.

In support of their “comeback” album the Last Great Dreamers along with The Sonic Jewels, who up to this point had eluded me, played The Purple Turtle on Sunday 21st September. Obviously The Squirrel and I were in attendance and this week’s show is the recorded result.

The Boys to celebrate the release of their first new studio album, “Punk Rock Menopause”, in over 30 years played two UK dates last week. One in Newcastle and this one at The Jazz Café in London on Saturday 13th September. Joining the band for the encore was original founding member Andrew Matheson.  

Due to technical difficulties Episode 398 of The Paranoid Squirrel Rock Show is temporally unavailable. In the meantime listen to these cool, should be heard on the radio but aren’t, songs. 

For this week’s show I travelled up to The Boston Music Room in Tufnell Park for Amoeba Fest II that featured Peter Pan Speed Rock along with headliners Discharge. This was the first time I’ve caught Dutch band Peter Pan Speedrock but after their set it most certainly won’t be the last. Great Rock that brought out the local Turbojends. From first to third as this was the third time I’ve managed to...

Welcome to this The Paranoid Squirrel Mid-Week Special. Special being the operative word as this episode features most probably the last ever Gasoline Queens gig. Recorded at the Unicorn in Camden on the 5th September with once again Chris Rockson joining them for a few choice numbers.

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 tour...

This week’s show features the London debut solo gig of Nicke Borg, frontman with both Homeland and the reactivated Backyard Babies. Recorded at The Underworld in Camden on the 22nd August with just Nicke, an acoustic guitar and some choice stories, we hear an hours’ worth of songs from both the aforementioned bands along with some appropriate covers.

Thanks sadly to the cancellation of last weekends Alt-Fest I was able to see The Damned on “Home Turf” playing The Forum, Kentish Town for the wallet saving price of a Tenner. (All right £14.15 once all the unnecessary charges had been added). I know it was only in April that the band graced the self same venue for Captain’s 60th Birthday gig, but this (second) time around there was less of a part...

Another live show this week recorded at a venue I’ve not been to before namely Under The Bridge which as the name suggests is under Stamford Bridge, home to Chelsea F.C. The band in question were/are Glen Matlock, Slim Jim Phantom and Earl Slick who collectively have been in The Sex Pistols, The Stray Cats and David Bowie. Obviously choice cuts from their more well know work are played albeit in a...

After a 37 year absence The Dictators NYC, that’s Handsome Dick Manitoba, Ross “The Boss”, JP Patterson with Ramones associate Daniel Rey and Dean Rispler finally return to London to play The Highbury Garage as a prelude to their Rebellion Festival appearance. The last official Dictators album came out 26 years ago in 1991 a gap of 13 years since 1978’s “Bloodbrothers” but even so none of the song...

For me, this week’s live show features 4 of the best unsigned DIY bands I’ve come across. Literally. Making their first foray into Central London it is Whitstable based band Flame Pilots, featuring friend of the show and Squirrel Associate Arkwright. Then it’s a live welcome return to The Paranoid Squirrel in the form of Cars Like Sharks. Up next is The Drej who regular listeners need no introduct...

Off the back of last week’s show we have an acoustic Captain Sensible song starting things going which is swiftly followed by a new track from the up and coming Murder City Devils album “The White Ghost Has Blood On Its Hands Again”. Sad news reached the Squirrel dray on Monday regarding the health of former Heartbreaker bassist Billy Rath. As a tribute to him I play you a track from the Heartbrea...

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 wit...

This week’s show starts of with a tribute to Tommy Ramone who sadly passed away on the 11th 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” ha...

Not many bands will get me staying out late one of the exceptions to the rule will always be The Yo-Yo’s as club gigs seem to be only once a year. As a Sonisphere warm-up the band played Chris McCormack’s Jubilee Club on the 4th July. Only Tom Spencer and Danny McCormack remain from the band that produced the classic “Uppers & Downers” for Subpop but Simon Maxwell drummer from the Loyalties and Ro...

So the run of studio episodes lasted one whole week but I think you will agree with me that 50 odd minutes of Honest John Plain who was aided and abetted by Robbie Rushton on drums, Gary Pearce on guitar and Nick Medlin on bass, recorded at The Water Rats in London is a fair exchange. Frustratingly HJP isn’t able to promote his latest solo album that sees him working with Glen Matlock, Martin Cham...

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 Sca...