Back catalogue: Punk/Hardcore

Review: Grand Rapids, Michigan post-hardcore collective La Dispute have become legends within the scene due to their popularising of the resurgent 90s screamo sound along with peers in Touche Amore and Pianos Become The Teeth. Known for their subtle fusion of post-rock malaise and crescendo building with the frenetic chaos of emotive hardcore, all unified under the hypnotic spoken-word/caustic shrieks of frontman and highly poetic lyricist Jordan Dreyer, 2006 saw the release of their much-lauded debut EP 'Vancouver', two years prior to their first album Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega & Altair. Clocking in at over a half-hour whilst comprising of eight tracks, many fans often consider the work more of a mini-LP and with that, this 12" cloudy blue reissue will stand spine-to-spine with any of their subsequent full-lengths, both figuratively and literally.

Review: Huge bass lines, a lot of shouting and swearing about the injustices that surround the world we live in today, crashing drums and a harsh guitar all make up the ferocious sound of Punk Rock 2025 and specifically this debut Lambrini Girls album. Phoebe Lunny's lyrics are delivered with venom and clarity that the listener may not want to eventually sing along to but will surely digest and be influenced by as the social ills that seem to be nudging us on a daily basis are still not subsiding. While the world are getting to grips with the rise of bands such as Amyl & The Sniffers this UK take on society's failings are similar to the subject matter one or two Punk Rock bands have been screaming about since the late 1970's. Sexual harassment within the workplace, police brutality and the misconduct that has surrounded the police force recently, same sex relationships, gentrification, gay rights, trans rights...these subjects are all covered here with hints of sarcasm, wit, anger and conviction (vodka and cider too maybe?). One or two light hearted moments mean it's not too difficult a listen despite some of the serious subject matter and all delivered in a way not heard since Bikini Kill or X Ray Spex. A speedy, 30 minute album that'll be listened to again and again for many years to come.

Review: Forming in 1980 in Herne Bay, Kent and named after the famous East London skinhead shop, The Last Resort were one of the pioneering and most highly regarded Oi! punk acts to ever stomp heads. This rarities compilation features choice cuts recorded between 1981 and 1984 including tracks from their seminal Violence In Our Minds cassette single with original vocalist Graham Saxby (who now fronts The Warriors), demo versions of material that would appear on their 1982 full-length A Way Of Life, as well as their contributions to the national chart compilations Strength Thru Oi!, Carry On Oi!, and Oi! Oi! That's Yer Lot. A major influence on the burgeoning hardcore and punk scenes, so much so that the most recent iteration of the band, still fronted by vocalist Roi Pearce (who switched from bass to mic duties following Saxby's departure), features Rancid guitarist Lars Frederiksen. A genuine Oi!-thentic blueprint from the OG pissed off visionaries.

Review: One of the most compelling avant garde groups to emerge from the UK in years, Lice's second album shows them thrillingly darting between minimalism, rock, techno and more. It's tense, paranoiac, dramatic affair throughout and sounds thoroughly artful without a hint of pastiche. Curiously, this is a concept album expressed through three movements. The first traces a child's socialisation and their later awareness of the process and its limitations. The second is about them reevaluating fundamental concepts including money, time, nationhood and language. The third is about them embracing these new ideas and the increased sense of agency they receive. It's advanced creativity for a band merely on their second album and shows immense promise for them to follow in the footsteps of experimental greats such as Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart whilst maintaining a sense of British rock.

Review: Formed in the Annan, Dumfries/Cumbria no man's land of English/Scottish borderland in 1978 before dissolving in the early 80s, The Limps are another case of a forgotten punk gem who never truly received their flowers. Releasing only a handful of singles during their short-lived tenure, which managed reliable spins from legendary DJ John Peel, this compilation collates every known recording of the band's output onto one singular slice of wax, including cuts taken directly from their Peel Sessions. The much anticipated pressing also comes just as the band are enjoying somewhat of a resurgence due to the use of their track 'Someone I Can Talk To' in the 2024 teen comedy Snack Shack. According to guitarist and songwriter Andy Septic (nowadays known as Cumberland Council's councillor and former mayor of Cockermouth Andrew Semple) - "John loved the second record saying it was a 'considerable improvement' from the first. We recorded his show on tape then years later we put it on YouTube and that's where the film director heard us", before humorously clarifying, "We've received a bit of money, but there's not much when it's got to be divided between four of us". Don't sleep as this small batch or rarities won't stick around long.