Urban Tiger Radio

I find it strange that we only ever got to hear our side of 'The War of The Worlds', and probably that of any other war too. 'To the Victor the Spoils' they say. And the Victor also gets to write the history. Have we ever discovered what really starts a war? I don't mean some overstuffed Grand Duke who gets himself shot by being overstuffed and in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I mean the REAL impetus behind it. Can their aims be more desperate than we at first realise? Take a listen to what the Martians have to say about it. Were they maligned by the Wells brothers... H.G. & Orson? Or was it an unintended consquence, as per my third and a half law of motion... Read on...

This is Side 1 of Bill & Martin Head to Head at The Harlequin, long thought lost (by me anyway) and now restored to it's full ad hoc glory due to an advance in noise reduction technology. This was a hilarious night and I would urge anyone who has listened to the earlier track of Head to Head to listen to this never to be repeated event featuring never to be repeated performers...

This is a short story that centres around the way that a sudden loss can bring about obsession, mainly as a replacement therapy for what is now missing from your life. Obsessions creep up on us slowly until they become all too obvious to everyone. Some obsessions, like Honesty, or a desire for the Truth to come out, can be harmful to those around you in those moments when your socialising senses have been nullified by grief. Other obsessions are more physical, and may have a far deeper meaning, like cleanliness...

This time around we have Don Oliver & Bryan Ducker. I have known these two singers for around 28 years, listening to them in various pubs and folk clubs around Sheffield and I thought it was time to dig a little deeper and find out who they are and from what background they came. What a surprise I got! Turns out we are almost related! Have a good laugh and a good listen to Don & Bryan. Many thanks as always to Andy Whitehouse for the loan of his track, Almost Home, for our intro/outro.

Hi. This is a demo disc I found lurking in a forgotten corner where it has languished for twenty years. I met the singer/lead guitarist Paul Bellamy in 1998 at an art class. Well, we should all try something we're crap at. In my case I have an unlimited choice... These tracks are not for the faint-hearted so I left them at full volume for you to enjoy. Get out the air guitar and stomp to KING DICE (NOT the American band, who must have stolen the name. Can't trust anybody. Leave a name lying around for twenty years and someone will take it... I don't know what the world is coming to.) Bill

I have had the misfortune to be present at the point of death of people close to me, and those experiences left me with an unanswerable question. How to explain the moments of lucidity that can appear prior to the loss of all bodily function, sometimes taking the form of one-sided conversations with loved ones who have passed previously. I have no answer for this, but having seen it in action I have tried to come up with an explanation that I can live with. This story is about just that scenario. Blame is a ravenous creature. It feeds on ‘what if’, not on ‘what is’. And eventually on you.

It's not what it says, It's what it implies, came into my possession in 1999. This is a compilation of 30 different poets, all basing their work around the ethic of the title. It came to me because I, like the other 29 poets, volunteered a track for the album. I know most of the other poets, but by no means all of them. These are people you may never hear again anywhere else, so I bring them to you because of that... because everyone has a voice... and because that voice needs to be heard, if only for what it implies.

This is a conversation with Paul Middleton who fronts what must be my favourite live band of all time, the Angst Band. It must be, I'm a Yorkshireman, and even I pay for a night out in Harrogate several times a year to go and have my ears blasted in The Blues Bar, a unique venue on Montpellier Parade (near Betty's) that has, apart from a strange but welcoming taste in decoration, wall to wall music, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. If you ever wondered what it feels like to be in the middle of a band while they are on stage then get yourself over here... and if you do, stay at The Crown Hotel. It's downhill all the way from The Blues Bar.

I hope you've all been enjoying Berlie's wonderful story of self-discovery. This is the last podcast from that novel and I'm sure that you will all now go to Berlie's incredible website: www.berliedoherty.com/ where you can contact Berlie herself and tell her how much you enjoyed her story. There are many of Berlie's other books on there and they are available online or at any good bookshop. Go and take a look. Berlie's catalogue of works is a wonder to behold for all ages.

Bryony Doran is at her best in this ethereal, exotic and ultimately convincing tale of a future that most people think will never happen. But if you look closely at the horizon, you may just see... This, the title story from Bryony's collection, 'The Sand Eggs', is a tale of dispossessed women, in which our near future echoes like a warning bell.

I was privileged to be asked to attend an interview in the Abbeydale Picture House, Abbeydale Rd., Sheffield, by Katharine L. Butchers, a student at Sheffield University studying the social aspects of life in the 50's and 60's particularly, although the history of this building stretches back to 1920 when it was built as a Variety Theatre. The Cinema is a colossus of a building that straddles the top of a small hill, dominating the entire surrounding area with it's outer shell of white stone. Lit up outside at night, as it remains in my memory, complete with a wrought iron, glazed shelter under which to stand while queueing in the rain for the next must-see Hollywood Blockbuster, this cinema was a magnet for all at the south side of town.

Hello, here is your free seventh chapter of Berlie's fascinating 'Granny was a Buffer Girl'. Enjoy!

Hi. This week's conversation is with Steve Salfield, the inimitable Saxophonist and Jazz Musician. Like many musicians, Steve doesn't limit himself to one band but plays different genres with different, but always excellent, people. During this conversation you will hear from 'Back Seat Jivers', the Rock 'n Roll band that Steve plays with, along with tracks from 'Jet Collective', a band that I feel is almost orchestral in its size, composition and the way it plays jazz-based 'new' music. Topping us off is a track blended from the album 'G.P.S.', which follows a more standard, albeit improvised, take on Jazz. There are even rumours of another incarnation as 'Salfied/Chandler'. In fact, our intro and outro are taken from that very band's CD, 'Free Thought'. Enjoy Steve's Journey through Life, here on Urban Tiger Radio! Playing with Steve in various guises are : Reg & Karen Clegg, Pat Sprakes, Paul Biggin, Wendy Kirkland, Simon Becket, Clive Loveday, Graham Jones, Phil Naylor, Clive Marshall Harvey and Sara Lit

PUNCH & JUDY SHOW AXED OVER FEARS IT TRIVIALISES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. So said the Burgers of Barry Island, South Wales in 2016. The Punch and Judy Fellowship equated the decision to 'banning wine gums because there are alcoholics in the world' This is an 'End of an Era' poem. The Punch & Judy show, once a staple of every British holiday beach, and sometimes there were more than one if it was a large resort, has now almost gone. Thankfully there are stalwarts and traditionalists who keep this form of Theatre (for that is what it is) alive. It survives still despite the death knell that Sir Freddie Laker sounded for it with his cheap airline tickets to European beaches where the sun could almost be guaranteed to shine, unlike our own Fair Isle. Very quickly, good weather became the expected norm and dear old Britain could never live up to that. So... along with the decline of the seafront entertainments into 'push-penny arcades' and the shops into tat and Charity shops, came the decline of the beach-side entertai

Here is Chapter 6 of Berlie's wonderful 'coming of age' novel. Enjoy! More to come!

How much of Life and Death do we actually experience? Or are we just... 'Browsing'?

Hello again. I promise you some more interviews and music over the next few weeks, but have to admit that life and the weather have played havoc with my schedule this winter! Having said that, what I have for you today is what I think is one of my best stories. This is '7'. A story of shifting loyalties and prejudices and ultimately... revenge? Make up your own mind on that.

May Day is a 'Bank Holiday' in most of the UK. It probably originated as a Roman festival for the beginning of summer but the name of it has become synonymous with the International Call Sign for Help. It derives from 'Maid'ez', the French for 'Help Me'. This track came from a workshop with my good friend Berlie Doherty. Have a listen to her 'Granny was a Buffer Girl' serialised right here on Urban Tiger Radio. We were to explore the beautiful Derbyshire countryside beside her cottage and then compile a story around what we found. This is my effort...

Hello again, this weeks addition is a story about erections, loss, fading love, dead dogs, squeaking gates, envy, and Japanese Brake Parts. Before that puts you off, I’d mention that this is the story that got me into the winners anthology of the Fish Prize, an honour I don’t think I’ve ever bettered.

Here it is! Chapter 5 of Berlie's incredible tale of growing up. Enjoy! More chapters to come each week so set your reminder! Look out for a reissue of this novel coming soon to all good bookshops and online suppliers. I'll let you know when it's out.