The Baby Demons story
Sator has always done “secret” shows under various names.
It’s fun to just play a bunch of covers without having to include any Sator tracks now and then. Since Baby Demons would play for much less money than Sator (often for free), people could not demand to hear their favorite Sator songs at these shows. We would never do Sator songs in the cover bands. The only problem was that after a while too many found out about the band so we had to change name again to confuse the fans and the promoters. We want it to be low profile. More like playing at a party than a regular concert.
Hans
Baby Demons
Baby Demons was the alter ego we used most when we wanted to do those low-profile shows without attracting too much attention. The band would never perform a Sator track but occasionally Sator ‘stole’ a song from Baby Demons. Officially The Demons hated Sator but still borrowed their equipment now and then.
Michael
The Norwegian powerpop band The Yum Yums covered the Baby Demons original “Baby I’m so lonely” after hearing it live on Swedish radio. So their version was actually released before the Baby Demons single. One show at Tre Backar in Stockholm, on February 1st 1990, was recorded by Swedish radio. Among the tracks were two KSMB tracks, “Dörrterror” and “Harrisburg” with Johan Johansson on vocals. Two songs from this show are available in the audio-section.
The band only had two original tracks: “Baby I’m so lonely”, and an unrecorded track called “Time to Cry” which was donated to Psychotic Youth and dropped from the Demons set. It might only have been performed once or twice by the Demons. It was part of the set recorded by Swedish radio at Tre Backar in Stockholm.
‘Baby I’m so lonely’ was written in the middle of the night after a Sator Codex show in Gävle in November 1986. We were on our way to northern Norway for the ‘Maniac Misery tour’ so we did some shows on the way up. We slept at the club and started jamming in the middle of the night ’cause the gear was still up. That’s when we wrote that song. ‘Time to cry’ was written during the Stock Rocker Nuts! writing sessions but it was never meant to be a Sator song.
Kent
The idea of ‘Barbie-Q-Killers vol 1’ actually came to life thanks to the Baby Demons. It was originally considered as a side project only but was taken over by Sator when the whole thing got too big.
Chips
At one show in Angered outside Gothenburg, Dan Rigtorp of The Tornado Babies played drums since Michael was on holiday.
Tex Corados
Another name we used was Tex Corados (which was actually before we came up with the Baby Demons name). I’ll give you a clue. Move around the letter in the band name. You might end up with another band’s name. Tex Corados wrote ‘My Baby’s gone Mental’ sometime around 1985-86. Their only original track, it was later recorded by Baby Demons but never again performed live. No one can remember any of the set lists from this band but it was mostly the same tracks as The Baby Demons setlist.
Chips
The Carbonas
The Carbonas name was only used once when we performed The Ramones’ first album in the correct order. The vinyl version with a short break between side one and two. The encore was ‘Glad to see you go’ – the first track on the 2nd Ramones album.
Michael
The stage names for The Carbonas were quite weird. Very normal Swedish names:
Zeke Nilsson (Chips)
Pelle Ax (Kent)
Magnus Melander (Michael)
Magnus Jarnebratt (Hans)
We were really satisfied with the stage names this time. Especially the stroke of genius of having two Magnus in the band. Brilliant! If I may say so myself.
Chips
The only Carbonas show so far was in Hultsfred on March 22nd 2995, at what we in Sweden call a ‘Räkfrossa’ (something like ‘Shrimp Frenzy’). People can eat as much shrimps as they can want for a certain sum of money. It was great playing Ramones songs while people were stuffing themselves with shrimps. No known recording exists of this show.
Kent
Lardbyrds
Lardbyrds included Gunnar Frick from The Psychotic Youth on pedal steel guitar and did some country material as well as the usual punk/powerpop tracks, which never The Demons did.
We also had stage names for the Lardbyrds:
Dick Frick (Gunnar Frick)
Otis Hawkins (Kent)
Hank Guilford (Hasse)
Ricky Scott (Chips)
Parts of the Lardbyrds show at the Hultsfreds festival 1993 was broadcasted by Swedish radio. The Lardbyrds also wrote one original song, a country song called “It ain’t tears”.
The song was only performed once. At the Hultsfred festival in -93. It was meant to be a country song but it came out more like The Pogues then Hank Williams.
Chips
The New Lardbyrds
This name was only used once. (Compare it to the pre-Led Zeppelin shows under the name The New Yardbirds).
There are probably more names that we only used once. There are not so much information around about these shows since they were seldom advertised. There were never any posters made. Sometimes the shows were very short.
Some of all the tracks performed by The Baby Demons
Give it to The Soft Boys (The Soft Boys)
Hello Hello (It’s good to be back) (Gary Glitter. Later recorded by Sator)
Baby baby baby baby baby baby baby I love you (Sweet Baby. Later recorded by Brainpool after a tip from Kent. Also played by Sator)
Out of luck (The Pointed Sticks)
Teenage Kicks (The Undertones. Another track Sator took over)
Up front (The Wipers)
Outdoor Miner (Wire)
Just one look The Hollies)
Heaven only knows (Shangri-Las)
Time to cry (Original song but later donated to Psychotic Youth)
Mary Lou (Ricky Nelson)
Baby I’m so lonely (Original song)
One way ticket (The Nerves)
Harrisburg (KSMB)
Dörrterror (KSMB)
Psycho (Country track found on a Costello record)
Dark end of the Street
Slave Girl (The Lime Spiders)
Out of control (The Lime Spiders)
New Rose (The Damned)
Love Song (The Damned)
It’s cold outside (The Choir)
Brown eyed son (The Waves)
Little ol’ Winedrinker me (The Lurkers’ version)
Why don’t you love me like you used to do (Hank Williams)
Come on (The Rolling Stones’ version)
Some of all the Ramones tracks performed:
Blitzkrieg Bop
Beat on the Brat
Judy is a Punk
I wanna be your Boyfriend
Chain Saw
Now I wanna sniff some Glue
I don’t wanna go down to the Basement
Loudmouth
Havana Affair
Listen to my Heart
53rd & 3rd
Let’s Dance
I don’t wanna walk around with you
Today your love, tomorrow the world
Glad to see you go
Oh oh, I love her so
The Raggare
One secret show at the Hultsfred festival (June 11th, 1998) when the The Baby Demons had to cancel was instead played by The Raggare. The group consisted of Hans Gäfvert on bass, Fredde Andersén from The Bones on drums, Chips K on guitar and several guest singers from the audience. A chaotic event with cover versions of songs by The Ramones and The Rude Kids (The Swedish punk classic “Raggare is a bunch of Mother fuckers”). Luckily no known recording of this event exists.
It was great! No rehearsal at all. We just tried to play the songs people shouted for even if we didn’t know the chords. It sounded awful! But we had a laugh.
Chips
