Tuesday 6 October 2009

Review - Night Of Trash At Dingwalls

This review is from Sounds Magazine, written by Ralph Traitor. Click image to view large enough to read. Sorry about the blurry scan...

Article from 1982


This article on The Cannibals is from South London Press, Friday, July 16, 1982. Click image for larger view.

Melody Maker and NME




Cannibals supporting Bo Diddley

Cannibals playing support to Bo Diddley at Dingwalls was something that meant a lot to Mike. Here is some more concert info about that particular gig.

Newspaper Clippings From Cannibals gigs





The Cannibals played support to Johnny Thunders!

These cats ain't nothin' but trash


This compilation LP was recorded in 1983 and has tracks from The Milkshakes, The Stingrays and The Cannibals. The Cannibal tracks on the album are:

Lightbulb blues
Weekend on Mars
Can't seem to make you mine
Come see me


Click image for larger view.

Friday 25 September 2009

From Mike's funeral service




Mike's headstone has arrived!

Got the stone at last. I took the photo with my mobile phone so the picture quality is a bit so-so... The stone is black polished granite even though it looks grey in the pic. It reads "Our Beloved Michael McCann 1957 -2009". Do you notice the rainbow on the photo? There is also a weird purple "line" across the right bottom corner that isn't supposed to be there. Miss you Mike!!!

Monday 7 September 2009

More pics and a morning Facebook contact

Here are some more pics from Mike's Cannibals era:

Mike McCann playing guitar


Mike Spenser singing

I became a friend of Mike Spenser's on Facebook this morning. We both agree that the late Mr McCann could be difficult to work or live with at times and Spenser writes on his Facebook page how it was a "Love-Hate relationship" that he will always cherish. I guess I feel the same way.

Thursday 30 July 2009

Tour with The Nomads

In 1983 Mike came over to Sweden with The Cannibals on tour and on the 8:th of January they played at Kulturama in Stockholm with The Nomads supporting. I haven't been able to find any reviews or photos from that gig but if anyone who reads this have anything, please post a comment here.

Lost Ghost - Affections / Glad you found out

Mike recorded the single Affections/Glad you found out with his band The Lost Ghost in 1989. They were, as many other bands around the Stockholm area like The Nomads, rehearsing at the now legendary culture association Apromus in Solna. Apromus was run by Anders Lönn and gave a lot of local punk bands a chance to get gigs but also made Solna the garage rock capital of Sweden. Apromus closed down in 1997.

Tracklist:

A-side:
Affections
B-side:
Glad you found out

Cannibals single Led Astray / Mumbo Jumbo

In 1982 The Cannibals released a single with the title Led Astray / Mumbo Jumbo and I have yet to find it among Mike's belongings to make a good scan of the cover so this tiny pic is all I have for now.

A-side:
Mumbo Jumbo
B-side:
Led astray (take one)

Monday 27 July 2009

Cover art and tracklist of Dirty Rotten Sadist EP



The Rathole Sheikh's Dirty Rotten Sadist EP came out in 1999 on Subway Star Records. The artwork for the front cover was made by Elisabeth McCann and the art on the back was made by Mattias Sköld. All tracks on the EP were taken from the "In the sewer with The Rathole Sheikh" CD and had been recorded in Mike's kitchen and mixed by Mike himself.

Tracklist:

A-side:
Dirty Rotten Sadist
Ugly beanpole
B-side:
I wanna wanna
Banzai
If you work (spoken word)

Tracklist of Cannibals LP Bone To Pick

The album "Bone to pick" came out in 1982.

Here's the tracklist:

Right side:
Screaming abdabs
Spontaneous combustion
Mind your own business
Big fat mamma
Kiss & tell
Taking the piss
The rage

Left side:
I'm not stupid
Abra cadaver
Blasphemy
Mumbo jumbo
Led astray
Superstar
The dreaded lurgy

Tracklist of the Mad Cow Disease album


Mad Cow Disease tracklist:

Mad cow disease
Shadale
Mister sleazy
Voice in your head
Don't try to put me down
The stinking jinx
Burn in hell
Sooty and sweeps blues
Rabid blues
He's a poor Norwegian
cowboy (and he rode the train to hell)
Fuck them all
Hey fiddle fiddle
Bo Piddley's walking stick
Bright light destination
Say what you mean
Missionary bar. B.Q.
Worlds most forgotten song
You lit the fuse
The syphilis song
Shadale (reprise)
Voice in your head (alternative take)
Mad cow disease (take one)
Sleazy
Running away
Euthanasia
Outro.

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Tommi Sykes


This is Tommi - The guy who played drums on Mike's album Mad Cow Disease. Visit his Myspace page and listen to some of his music!

tommi siikkasaari vulture king rathole sheikh drummer drums metal

Writings

Mike has written articles for the following fanzines:

Trash Flash
Where's the shit?
Vit Slavhandel
Bazooka

Writing reviews:

Reviews of DVD's for Dig it (click link to read)
Reviews of DVD's /CD's for Ugly Things

Interviews in Digit Magazine


Here is a link to some interviews that the French rock magazine Digit made with Mike some time back. Click these links to read: issues #25 and #26! The interviews are in French.


Mike's Funeral

Photos of Mike with The Cannibals





mike spenser and the cannibals McCann Rathole Sheikh Spencer garage punk rock london trash dingwalls mother johnson

Newspaper Clippings - Cannibals gig in France

The Cannibals at Salle Dumont D´urville Le Havre, France, Saturday 22 January 1983.Not once did they get his name right... Click images to view larger size.



le havre france the cannibals live concert punk trash garage rock mike spenser McCann

Mike with Five Fingered Widow



Reviews

LIVE REVIEWS

Night of Trash at Dingwalls. June - 82 - Review in Sounds
The Cannibals topped the bill with a long set that got progressively louder, more discordant and chaotic, hammering out one r 'n' b token after another and flattening each one 'til it was thin and hard as a new penny.
Unlikely looking lot, the Cannibals, unfashionable and coarse and , naturally, terrific. Led by the charmless, gormless Mike Spenser, a gum-slinging caterwauler of rare excellence, the Cannibals butchered and savaged their material and that of their heroes in a systematic rampage of unremitting and careless fury, full of doubleshot leads that cost me at least ten per cent of my hearing.
It ended too soon. The Night of Trash is a bargain debasement extravaganza not to be missed by rockin' roll fans. The Cannibals, the Stingrays and the Milkshakes can play at my parties anytime; I'll pay for the damages. Gladly.

Ralph Traitor.

EP REVIEWS

Jag mår så illa EP - Review in Punk Planet

The Rat Hole Sheikh conjures up a twisted blend of garage rock and delta blues that's certain to appeal to fans of The White Stripes or Hasil Adkins. Songs in Swedish and English that deal with hell, voodoo dolls and God knows what else. Who cares. I'm hooked!

Patrick Sayers.

Motor Madness EP - Review in Carbon 14
The flip side takes an abrupt upturn in volume and production with tracks by The Rat Hole Sheikh (England) and Superhelicopter Ltd. (Germany) The Sheikh delivers solo Brit punk a la Billy Childish, only bigger, better and more powerful.
Larry.Kay.

Dirty rotten sadist EP - Review in Fear and loathing
ex-member of the Cannibals, now living in Sweden, and producing raw, raucous garage punk. Limited to a mere 300 copies, so track it down soon!

Andy Pearson.
ALBUM REVIEWS

Mad Cow Disease CD - Review in Carbon 14
The cover shows a dude clad only in stripey underpants glaring at the camera through a mop of hair, "troll" doll style. Hhmmm. He doesn't look too happy.The band name and CD title aren't too happy either. I expected a batch of angry punk rock songs. Well wouldn't you know it...Instead we have a one-man band (plus drummer) from Sweden with some of the best '60s snot psych, surf and blues to be recorded in a kitchen on a four track. Seriously, the material here is damn good. The genius behind this disc is Mike McCann according to the liner notes. Pardon me but "is he somebody?" Yunno, somebody from a legendary Swedish band?? If this is Mike's maiden effort, well, he's one hell of a talent. He has a real command of the guitar..."Shadale" is a damn good surf instrumental. "Rabid blues" reminds me of R.L.Burnside's up tempo groove. Several songs have a '60s punk feel. In spite of the range of guitar stylings, Mike's high energy level gives a common feel to all 26 songs on the album though. He's a convincing garage singer too. Excellent effort here, damn well worth finding.
TheeWhiskey Rebel.

Discography



Discography with bands
The Cannibals "Bone to pick" L.P. 1982
These cats ain't nothing but trash L.P. 1983
Mumbo jumbo/Led astray single 1982
Don.t make me angry/Mr clap trap single 1982
The Lost Ghost Affections/Glad you found out single 1989

Discography as a solo artist
Vinyl
Dirty Rotten Sadist EP on Subway Star Records 1999
Rock'n'Rolls Royce on Motor Madness comp EP
Hell on wheels Recordings 2001
Jag mår så illa EP on Subway Star Records 2002

CD
Mad Cow Disease 1997 on Silly Moo Records CD
In the Sewer 1998 CDr
Exile in Cuckooland 1998 CDr
Epileptic Warrior 1999 CDr
My People were queer and had spunk in their hair.. 1999 CDr
Round the Bend 2000 CDr
Golden Shower of The Rat Hole Sheikh 2001 CDr
The fried brain of The Rat Hole Sheikh 2002 CDr
Exspermdonator 2003 CDr

CDr's with Disi Smith
The Cuckoo Orchestra 2005
Cuckoo reggae 2005
Disi & The Rat Hole Sheikh 2005
Kitchen, Livingroom & Bedroom tapes
3 solo cd's including Danny Welsh 2006
Disi & The Rat Hole Sheikh sing Hillbilly 2007
Disi & Mike play Folk 2007
Shitty Fingers 2008
Die udda takes 2008

DVD
Mike and Disi live 2006
Tracks on compilations
"Fuckeryerface" on free CD with OX Fanzine #42 2000
"He's a poor Norwegian cowboy and he rode the train to hell" on free CD with Banzai fanzine. #8 2000
"I need a woman with no knickers on" on free CD with Banzai fanzine #10 2002

Guest appearances
Guitars on "Catastrophe" Sloggy EP "Lofi tracks for highwaycracks" on Hell on wheels recordings 2002
Guitars on "See you in hell" and Catastrophe"Sloggy CD "The singles collection" on Hell on wheels recordings 2002