Pope - JohnPaulGeorgeRingo

Like a lot of great bands, I discovered Leatherface just after they broke up. It was Jack Rabid and The Big Takeover (now in its 40th year!!!) that had banged that drum and served as John the Baptist to Frankie Stubbs' Jesus. So, of course, as soon as the impressionable 16-year-old Ape Mummy reads about Sunderland's finest, he goes looking for Leatherface records. Of which there are none available in mid-90s southwestern Virginia. Because small town record stores just don't carry the early Domino catalog.

And so it happened that it'd take another two years until I'd even hear the melodious tones of Mr. Stubbs, and that was via Pope, the band he started with bassist Andy Crighton after Leatherface. The 12" originally released by Rugger Bugger in the UK during Pope's short life-span would get a reissue on CD via the then-embyronic Tokyo label Snuffy Smile in 1996. By then, Frankie had moved on to his next trio, Jesse. But I found the CD during an early visit to Reptilian, and discovered that, even though it wasn't Leatherface, this absolutely lived up to the hype.

I kind of wish I still had that CD; it sells for a pretty penny these days on the secondary market. I believe this rip comes from BYO's 2001 reissue of "The Last" 12" on CD; the Pope songs were tacked onto the back end of that CD. It's the sort of passionate punk rock, in the vein of Stiff Little Fingers, that has inspired so many kids, myself included, to write from the heart, proficiency be damned.

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New music from Frankie Stubbs

I've made no secret of my deep, abiding love for Leatherface. Since breaking up on the eve of a North American tour in 2012, singer/guitarist/icon Frankie Stubbs has kept a fairly low profile. Of course, there were the 2018 "Heart Is Home" and "Don't You Ever Say Goodbye" singles, but I don't recall hearing much about either when they came out. His acoustic dates have, with the exception of a Pouzza Fest appearance a couple years back, only taken place in the UK and Europe. So I was proper chuffed to get the e-mail overnight that a brand new EP was on its way to fans in June. Nice country!

Pre-orders are live now for "Blood Orange Moon". Europeans can get it through Little Rocket Records in the UK, while North Americans can get a copy via Rad Girlfriend Records in Ohio. This is a 1,000 piece release: 300 on yellow, 300 on red, and 300 on orange, as well as a measly 100 on black. Former Leatherface bandmate Graeme Philliskirk minds the mixing board and provides backup guitars on "I Liked Being a European" and "Jimmy Jesus". The official release date is June 12, so expect to start seeing your preorders arrive then.

Here's the first song released off the EP, "Jimmy Jesus". It's exactly what you'd expect to hear from a Frankie Stubbs acoustic song: super stripped back to a man and a guitar, with a voice reminiscent of both Lemmy and Robert Wyatt. This is punk rock at its most elemental. Stubbs is rightfully considered one of the great poets of punk. Much like his American counterpart Bob Mould, this latest release shows him at the top of his game.

Check out "Jimmy Jesus" below.