So it seems the release for The BV’s will be in around a month. I’m hoping to confirm this in the coming weeks. Aside from that one of our upcoming retrospectives is almost done, it is by a Glasgow band if you are curious. Just waiting for it to be mastered.

Now, what’s new in indiepop world?

Pia Fraus: “Brutal Truth of the World” is the new video the Tallinn based band has put together to promote their latest album “Field Ceremony” that came out last year on their own Seksound label. As it is normal with them, it is brilliant.

Grrrl Gang: a new release from the amazing Yogyakarta indiepop band is out now. “Not Sad, Not Fulfilled” bring us 5 pop songs to sing along. It is out now on Kolibri Records I believe digitally only for the time being. You can download them for free if you like or support them with any amount you’d like. Great band and happy to hear new songs!

The Leave Me Alones: 3 demos by this Oakland band are what await for us on their Bandcamp. These are the first three songs I hear by them. They are called “Nothing Packs a Punch”, “You’re So Much better than me” and “Race to the Bottom”. They sound a bit rough, but they are punchy pop songs indeed.

Alexanderplatz: after the demise of the brilliant Klaus & Kinski, Alejandro Martínez started Alexanderplatz. He just released his first album “Muera Usted Mañana” with the Jabalina label. it is now available on CD and double-LP. There are 18 songs in total, which may sound like a lot, but they are pretty good!

The Tropicanas: I don’t think I’ve heard this Livingston, UK, band before. But it does sound good, even if we can only preview one song from their “A Lovely Coincidence” EP. The song we can listen is the one that gives the EP its name and sounds great. The band is formed by Joe White, Andrew Burns, Ruaridh Macpherson and Joe Murphy.

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Peppelkade is a road in Houten, Netherlands. Was Peppelkade 14 an important address? I have been curious about this band name since I first heard about their existence. No, I don’t own the record sadly. I saw once their name on those lists some collectors put together. And since then I’ve tried to track their songs. So far my luck has only gave me two songs, “Time Flies” and “Uptown”. But I’m hoping that with this post someone can help me listen to the rest of recordings and why not a spare copy? That’d be sweet.

Peppelkade 14 is a band that is truly a mystery. The jacket of their record, with the illustration of what looks like an old soap opera or something, is pretty different to what you see in records from those late 80s. Maybe these illustrations are of the band members? Also the song names appear on the front jacket with a different design for each of them. It is really unique.

There was indeed only one record by Peppelkade 14. A 12″ released in 1988 by the label Top Shelf Records (CAV 031). On Discogs there are no other records listed on this label. That is pretty strange if the catalog is 31, right? Maybe they were playing with the numbers, like in their name? The EP was titled “Time Flies EP”.

It is one of those records and bands I should have covered earlier on the blog. One that many people would love to know more about. I don’t know why it took me long to try to find out about them. It is true I don’t follow any order, but, I should have priorities. And Peppelkade 14 should have been one.

The A side has “Time Flies” and “Springtime”. The B side has “Deep Feeling” and “Hour After Hour”. The four songs were recorded at Cavalier Studio in Stockport, Manchester, in autumn 1988. It was produced and engineered by Lol Cooper. The cool art of the jacket is credited to Albert Pemberton while the photography to Scott MacIntyre.

The band at least appeared on one compilation, on the legendary “Manchester North of England” LP and tape released by Bop Cassettes (BC 001) in 1988. On this record the band appears with the song “Uptown”. This means that at least there were 5 proper recordings by the band. As many of you know, this legendary compilation includes the like of The Man From Delmonte, The Railway Children, Bradford, The Waltones, and more. Very good company. One detail though, the band’s name appears as Pepplekade 14.

All this information confirms that the band  hailed from the Manchester area. As I keep digging I find out the names of the band members, Mick Carroll, John Whittaker, Darren Pemberton, Nicholas Redshaw and Sarah Marion. From a forum I found that one of them is a Manchester City fan and goes by the nickname of Bombo. Who is it?

I thought that with those names I was going to be able to follow a thread. But that is not the case. I can’t seem to find any other music associated to them. There are a few people in Manchester with their names. It is not easy to pinpoint who could have been in the band in the late 80s. I don’t have much more to go with. The mystery will continue it seems.

There is just one more thing, with their name spelled wrongly as Pepplekade 14 there is a flyer on the Manchester Digital Music Archive where it shows that the band was to play on April 19th 1989 at The Venue with support of the Lonestars.

But here is where I ask your help. I’m hoping you can help me. I want to listen to the rest of their songs. I want to know their story. Anyone remembers them?

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Listen
Peppelkade 14 – Time Flies