Leatherface - The Peel Sessions LP - White Vinyl (/250)

Little Rocket (2025)

There are few bands in this world that mean more to me than Leatherface does.  I've been a fan and have been collecting their records for nearly 30 years, since the moment I bought the Do The Right Thing CD single.  The fact that there is a new release available to write about is cause for celebration as Little Rocket records has compiled the band's three BBC Peel Sessions onto a vinyl release for the first time.

I chose the white vinyl version for my collection as I've just always been a sucker for white vinyl.   But there are six different versions in total that are out there.  Four colors at 250 copies each (white, red, clear and yellow), 1000 copies on marble colored vinyl and 1000 copies on black vinyl.  I have gotten tot he point in my life where I'm trying not to collect every single variant for every single record in my collection anymore.  Though I'd love to have all six, and even though the collector inside me is chastising me for not having them all, it was just more prudent to get one copy from a US based distro.  But there's more out there if you need more.  Believe me, I get it.

On to the music.  Leatherface did three Peel Sessions in total.  One recorded in 1991, one in 1992 and their final in 1993.  The 12 tracks recorded in total is a nice cross section of their flawless discography with representation from each of their first five full lengths and a few songs from singles as well.  They're performed with the sort of energy and passion you'd expect from the band, and while everything sounds great, there's enough difference from the album versions that make the listen worthwhile.

The tracks that are the most interesting to me are the four that were recorded in 1993.  These were performed as a three piece instead of their usual four piece line-up.  Hearing these songs without Dickie Hammond's guitar complimenting Frankie Stubbs' is as jarring as it is compelling.  The songs take on a very different feel that's a little sparser, but somehow a bit more urgent sounding.  

The one that really hits for me is my favorite Leatherface song, "Do The Right Thing."  Hearing it without the phenomenal lead guitar work makes the song feel a little more approachable and less intimidating.  I'm not saying it's better, but it's definitely not worse either.  It feels like new song, but still retains the characteristics that made me fall in love with it from the moment I first heard it.

It's a little insane how long ago these songs were all recorded, but it's equally as insane how fresh, dynamic and important they still sound all of these years later.  This LP is a document of one of the greatest punk bands to have existed, and is a welcome, welcome addition to my shelves.

Leatherface - The Peel Sessions:
https://leatherface.bandcamp.com/album/the-peel-sessions

Roach Squad - Roach Squad LP - Orange Vinyl

Little Rocket / Sounds of Subterrania / Waterslide / Rad Girlfriend (2025)

Roach Squad is a band made of Hugo Mudie from The Sainte Catherines, Alex Keane from City Mouse, Sim Robson from nowhere else that Discogs is aware of and Graeme Philliskirk and Frankie Stubbs from Leatherface.  Graeme and Hugo were also in Medictations with the late Dickie Hammond, and that group is what I see the most similarities to when it comes to the sounds of Roach Squad.  And that's a good thing.

When you have two members of Leatherface in your group, with Frankie being one of them, the odds are really stacked that I'm going to be interested in your band.  And Roach Squad does not disappoint, serving up the sort of gritty, melodic punk that in many ways is my absolute favorite kind of music to listen to.  It has that 90s UK vibe, with gruff, but melodic vocals courtesy of Hugo Mudie on 12 of the 13 tracks.  Now, while there is a definitely a part of me that's thinking to myself, "self, why is Frankie only singing on one of these songs," Hugo carries the vocal duties exceptionally well, just as he did with Medictations.

Frankie does step in on "I Wonder," which is a treat.  But the rest of the time he and Graeme are holding down the band with excellent guitar interplay, with those trademark riffs and dynamics that have made me a fan of this sort of thing for 30 years now.  It's a super consistent record from start to finish and while I wouldn't say that there's a specific song or two that stands above the pack, the pack of songs as a whole is pretty stellar.  An easy recommendation as one of the best albums of 2025 so far.  If you read this website even somewhat regularly, I cannot fathom you not digging this.

Roach Squad - Roach Squad:
https://roachsquad.bandcamp.com/album/roach-squad

Jesse - Complete Discography 2xLP - 3 Versions (UK/US, Germany & Japan)

Little Rocket / Sounds Of Subterrania / Waterslide / Rad Girlfriend (2024, Reissue)

Jesse is the Frankie Stubbs band that released records for a brief moment in time between 1995 and 1998.  It was after the initial incarnation of Leatherface and the band Pope, before Leatherface eventually started playing again.  They released three 7"s, a Japanese tour split 7" with Hooton 3 Car and a full length album that capped things off in '98.  This new double LP discography compiles everything from those releases plus a previously unreleased bonus song.

Let's start out with the music, it's flawless.  The songs album is in rarified air for me as I absolutely love it and have been pretty obsessed with everything the band was doing since those 7"s first started coming out.  It's very much a band that makes sense as being a Frankie Stubbs band, it's not dissimilar to Leatherface or Pope enough to not appeal to fans of those bands.  But at the same time, I always felt there was something a little smoother about the Jesse songs.  

Maybe it's just that they are a touch slower and more melodic than some of the more aggressive Leatherface recordings that proceeded it.  But if you had heard The Last or the Pope record, if made a lot of sense that this is where Frankie was going next.  Just flawless songs and the only complaints I ever had is that I wish the LP didn't also have all of the 7" songs on it. and we had gotten 14 brand new ones instead of just seven.

OK, let's get to the variations.  First up is the standard version on grey swirl vinyl.  It was also available on orange, blue and white vinyl.  Not sure of the pressing information on each of the individual colors, but I'm not aware of any one of them being rarer or pressed in different numbers than any of the others.

Second, we have the Sounds of Subterrania version from Germany.  This one was pressed on good old fashioned black vinyl, but has alternate, screened artwork that is just spectacular.  The picture doesn't do justice to the flap, tuck in thing that closes up the whole package.  The cover art is taken from the Indestructible 7", which also happens to be my favorite Jesse song.

Finally is the Waterslide version from Japan.  This one is on clear vinyl, that is described on the Waterslide website as being "coke blue."  It also comes with a sharp looking obi that I'm a big fan of.

I don't buy as many duplicate copies of albums as I used to.  The variant game is a game I've decided is just too expensive these days.  But for an album as important to me as this one is and the three distinct versions that were made, I just couldn't pass them up.  But hey, I'm showing some restraint.  I didn't get all four different colors of the standard version.

Jesse - Complete Discography:
https://jesselrr.bandcamp.com/album/jesse-complete-discography

Leatherface - Cherry Knowle LP (2022 Remaster)

Rad Girlfriend / Little Rocket (2022, Reissue)

Leatherface is one of my top three all time favorite bands and I certainly go out of my way to make sure I have all of their records.  But, if I'm being honest (since obviously I usually do nothing but lie on this site), Cherry Knowle was not the album of theirs that I typically listened to very much.  Don't get me wrong, there's some pretty great songs on here, but when compared to the albums that followed, it's not in the same league.

When this recent reissue was announced, I thought I could pass on it.  Sure, there were limited colored variants, but again, I just don't listen to the album much and already have two versions of it, so what's the point.  Then Kazu from Waterslide records hipped me to the fact that it was remastered and remastered in a way where it actually sounded quite different from the original.  So, I decided to grab a copy - but it was sold out.  Except on Amazon, for whatever reason.  Not really where I would usually want to buy my punk rock records, but you do what you have to do sometimes.

With that, I can say that this remaster really does sound different.  It's fuller, warmer and the melody of these songs really shine through in a way that I don't think they did before.  You can hear more intricacies and tone.  The songs and in particular, the guitars sound much more purposeful and less wall-of-noise-y.  The wall is still there, but you can hear what's going on in it much better now.

Songs like "Postwar Product of a Fat Man's Wallet" and "Discipline" hit much harder on this version, and those were pretty phenomenal songs to begin with.  I think this is definitely worth picking up whether you have the original or not.  If you don't have it at all, well, duh.  You need this.  If you have another pressing, this one is improved enough to warrant a repurchase.

Leatherface - Cherry Knowle:
https://radgirlfriendrecords.bandcamp.com/album/cherry-knowle

Frankie Stubbs - Blood Orange Moon 7" (Red, Orange, Yellow and Black Vinyl)

Rad Girlfriend / Little Rocket (2020)

There are few songwriters in this world that have had as much impact on me as Frankie Stubbs.  Between Leatherface, Pope, Jesse and his sporadic solo work, he has compiled one of the most impressive discographies that I've had the pleasure of hearing.  This 7" is just Frankie and an acoustic guitar, much like his 1995 Unhinged 7" on Rugger Bugger or his 10" on Sounds of Subterranean that came out in 2000.

I really have been trying to cut down on buying multiple copies of the same record.  But, there are a handful of bands that I'll always be a little variant crazy about.  Seeing four different colors of a Frankie Stubbs 7" was just to much for me to ignore.  Despite my record buying budget being infinitesimal right now, I ponied up and bought all four.  I did something similarly stupid with a new Snuff EP.  There are some bands that I just can't help myself with.

On this 7" are three new Stubbs composition as well as an acoustic version of the Leatherface song "Shipyards" from The Last.  "Shipyards" is a perfect Leatherface song to get the acoustic treatment.  Its melancholy is only emphasized by stripping it down to the very basics.  The other three songs are just the sort of perfect songs you'd expect Frankie Stubbs to be writing.  And while they completely work as solo acoustic songs, they all have the sort of layered chord structures and changes that you know they would be fierce rippers if Frankie plugged in and was backed by a tight rhythm section.

It's been way too long since we heard new music from Frankie Stubbs.  I can only hope that this is the first of many new releases in the upcoming years.  Whether he's by himself or playing with others, the man is a treasure and the world is a better place with his songs.  And if he feels like plugging in, I know that I sure would enjoy it if he put Jesse back together.

Frankie Stubbs - Blood Orange Moon 7":
https://radgirlfriendrecords.bandcamp.com/album/blood-orange-moon-ep

Custody / The Phoenix Foundation - Split 7"

Little Rocket (2019)

I've been anticipating this 7" for quite some time.  When Custody came to the US for The Fest, I was lucky enough to hear their song on this split live when they band played a show in New Jersey.  As soon as I heard "Tuesdays" I loved it and I let the band know how much I thought it should come out on PopKid.  While things didn't pan out for that, I'm still very excited to have this 7" in my collection, even if it's on another record label.

"Tuesdays" is a classic Custody rocker.  The way they channel a furious mix of 90s UK punk sounds and a Samiam style melody always blows me away.  This is a band that can just do no wrong right now.  Every song I hear by them I love more than the one I heard before (except for "Whatever We Decide," that one is still the best).

Phoenix Foundation is a band I've been buying records of for a really long time.  I first heard of them through a release they had on Snuffy Smile in 2004 and it's great to see them still putting out records.  Their last full length from 2017, Closer, was outstanding and is worth hunting down.  Their contribution to this split is "Secrets."  It's a great song, but it is kind of long.  We're talking six and a half minutes long and the vocals don't start until two minutes in long.  The songs itself is terrific, but can't help but feel I'd probably like it more if a bit was shaved of the intro at lease.  That's probably a fault of my attention span though and not the song itself.

Custody / The Phoenix Foundation - Split 7":
https://custody.bandcamp.com/album/custody-the-phoenix-foundation-split-single

Spoilers - Roundabouts LP - Cornetto Vinyl (/150)

Brassneck / Boss Tuneage / Little Rocket / SBAM / Waterslide (2018)

I took way too long to buy this record.  I knew it was going to be good based on prior EPs I had by Spoilers, but the full length came out at a time where I was a bit strapped for cash due to moving into my first home.  The extra shipping was something that I felt I needed to push back for a bit.  Once I was able to add a few more records to the package, I finally had Brassneck send this album over and after listening to it over the past few weeks, I'm even more annoyed that I waited so long.  This absolutely should have been in my top albums of the year list, probably quite high too,

To me, Spoilers sound like if Snuff was fronted by Mark from Crocodile God.  The vocals are melodic and of a higher pitch, but that is combined with an organ drenched punk rock sound that would have been right at home on Demmamussabebonk.  Much like later era Snuff, I tend to prefer the mid tempo songs on Roundabouts the most like "The Same Again," "Skimming Stones" and "Collision Course."  The latter of which has a vocal melody that reminds me of the Cat Stevens song "Father and Son."  Though let's be serious, I don't really know the Cat Stevens version of the song very well, I'm much more familiar with the cover by Horace Goes Skiing.

I don't love the really fast songs as much.  The ones with that galloping NOFX style drum beat sort of just blow by in a haze.  But, I feel the same way about most Snuff songs like that as well, and they are one of my favorite bands of all time.  Roundabouts is a killer record and Spoilers are very quickly becoming one of my current favorite UK bands.  To top it all off, they're about to play some shows opening up for Guns N Wankers.  I mentioned this on Twitter once, but I'll repeat it here, if anyone wants to give me a plane ticket to the UK for those shows, I'll be your best friend.

Spoilers - Roundabouts:
https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/roundabouts

Custody - S/T LP Blue w/ Black Swirl Vinyl (/300)

Little Rocket (2018)

Custody are from Finland and hot damn what a great, great band they are.  So much so, that last year I put my money where my mouth was and helped release one of their 7"s.  While PopKid wasn't able to get involved with their debut full length, I can unquestionably say that: 1. It's great and 2. I really wish this was on PopKid.  It would have been a wonderful addition to our catalog.

Custody have a knack for melodic punk in ways that I have not seen in many years.  They have a 90s leaning style that often makes me think of Samiam in the way they craft their melodies and hooks.  But to get the full picture you need to add in a band like Starmarket in the way they are able to inject fierce energy and super dynamic guitar interplay.

Each of the album's ten songs just knock me over again and again.  They have an uncanny ability to craft their songs in a way that uses the verse as a launching pad for their killer choruses.  Custody also has incredible skill with constructing the instrumental portions of their songs, with perfectly placed bridges and honestly, some of the best song outros/conclusions that I've ever heard.

Custody's debut full length is so clearly one of the best albums to come out in 2018 so far.  I can't recommend it highly enough and I hope these guys keep cranking out records for many years.

Custody - S/T:
https://custody.bandcamp.com/album/custody