| POGO TILL I DIE! #6 Winter 2003 ****1/2 Maintaining the high quality presentation of this enthusiastic North West fanzine, that's rapidly becoming the best zine in the UK for all round punk appeal. Last issue sold out but for you slow fuckers there's a new print run if you wanna get hold of a copy. Issue #6 however brings us a fucking multitude of punk rock names from all corners of the scene. Some of whom may not be to everyone's taste, but I'm sure there's a handful that'll suit even the most fussy reader. Front cover stars Vice Squad take the biscuit with a frank interview conducted inside a car. Co-writer John Winstanley was choking at the bit as Miss Bondage squeezed in next to him and dished out the dirt on promoters giving us an interesting insight into Vice Squads current view on things, punctuated with a cackle! In contrast Miss Bondage is followed by Jarra's ex-skin outfit Crashed Out who tattooed their views onto 4 pages. Further afield Aussies Crucified Venus and the suited up Peacocks (currently in the running for worst band name of 2003) from Switzerland, give us a tepid international whirl. The wrinkly and well past their sell by date Dead Men Walking comprising of ex-punk stars...the Alarm (for fucks sake), let us snigger at their sad punk package currently doing the rounds in the UK. Meanwhile Blackburn's premier bullshitter and all round punk courtezan the tall story telling Alan Parker plugs his latest book. It's a 'song by song' on SLF's Jake Burns which should be worth a look for the first few albums at least. Staying in Lancashire local psycho's Hyperjax wave the rebel flag and there's a trip down memory lane via Zig Zag and Preston punk outfit the Worst. Some new outfits get a look in via Kid Conspiracy and Kinesis. Meanwhile a rare zine appearance from the snobby John Foxx (ex-Ultravox!) confirms the Chorley lad is definitely playing with a few notes missing. Belfast's gigging machine The Dangerfields supply some on the road ghost stories, while Welsh dragons Picture Frame Seduction threaten to invade the US after they've mopped up around Haverfordwest. Gig reviews covered the Mancs punks picnic, TV Smith, Pike, Killing Joke and Penetration, who also get a neat middle page photo spread. The record and zine reviews were minimal to say the least, but with the amount of bands covered in this issue, it didn't really matter. Comes in a classy full colour cover with pix to match. Well worth your dosh. 1.50 P.O. Box 514, Preston (no longer in publication) |
| PUNK THROWBACK #8 Summer 2003 **** The last time I read a copy of Punk Throwback was Issue 3 back in 2001. I must say I appreciate it a lot more these days, even though it ain't got quite so much inside. This is after all the 'Review' issue!!! Which is a supposedly hastily thrown together 32 A4 affair. But from the amount of text inside you'd be forgiven for NOT thinking that at all!!! It's very basic in layout but precise and clear to read. Punk Throwback boasts a mass of info with well researched in-depth reviews that carve up the platters from the '76 to the mid '80's period respectively. They come at you with no respite or chance to take a breather but covers the records methodically. There's some over the top glorification, but also some spot on opinions. And that's what makes Punk Throwback worth your attention and ultimately gives it character. The era and bands may turn off the other ghettos of punk, but Ged ain't afraid to speak his mind. And when I say speak he cuts a very deep fanatical furrow into the text of this zine. A couple of interesting live reviews featuring the Rezillos in Brighton and a funny Buzzcocks one from Salisbury, breaks up the momentum. But if you blink you may miss some sporadic book, zine and video reviews too. All the record reviews (nearly 30 in all) are mostly current reissues of some classic and not so classic Punk Rock...Door & Window anyone? And suprisingly out of the reissue quagmire you can spot the impressive Deadline, giving us some decent current sounds. For a punk rock history lesson and the chance to discover some new anecdotes on the older bands of that era, Punk Throwback is always worth your perusal. Interesting to read a final tribute to the Clash's Joe Strummer. This displays and plunders views and tributes from some of the punk scenes faces, and even one from that liccle lap dog called Tony Blair. The editor however rocks Joe Strummers casket bearers, by claiming with total honesty that the Clash weren't really the 'best band' in his world. Must admit it made for an humourous epitaph amongst the creeping Westway mourners like the sickening Billy Bragg. Guess the baCkLASH starts here! GED BABEY |
| POGO TILL I DIE #5 Summer 2003 ****1/2 The current crop of UK fanzines I just had in are of a very high standard indeed. They bring to mind the conclusion that websites/zines ain't the fucking death knell to punk in print at all. Especially if these 3 are anything to go by. Best of the lot has gotta be the glossy coloured pro style of Pogo Till I Die. Colour covers in the UK zine scene are a relative luxury we rarely get to see and this looks very impressive! But the really important factor is this reads well too! Roy who CO-edits with John Winstanley has a history in UK punk print dating back to Feb. '77. He was responsible for putting out one of the UK's original punk zines...Vi Ve La Resistance from outta Preston. In a time when punk fanzines were the only real cutting edge reporting of the scene, and well before the music weeklies finally woke up to punk. Fast forward 26 years later and it seems Pogo Till I Die #5 is still in keeping with the surrounding North West area, giving us a neat localised feel but with a bang up to date presentation. You can tell by reading the interviews alone just how good this zine is. A lotta young zinesters and some vets should take note on just how to go. None of that...when did you form? Or who's in the band? dross here. The interviews are probing, despite not featuring everyone's favourite bands. Punk print can still be professional without being mainstream, which Pogo Till I Die proves. The layout is ultra neat with some great clear imagery on show. The well used desktop style comes in a clever punk format. Runnin Feart is the only other UK zine that boasts glossy covers and impressive layouts of this quality. But instead of their criminal waste of space and shitty style of writing, Pogo Till I Die backs up the look with a fucking great approach. My only disappointment (and this is a very minor one), was the reviews were too lenient for my liking. I get the feeling the editors ain't saying what they really think? But that's a very small concession to pay when you've got a quality read like this. Fucking hell, nearly forgot to tell you who's actually in this issue...Heavy Metal Kids, 999, Glen Matlock, Rezillos (cover stars), Pike, Pink Torpedoes, Blyth Power, Sick 56, John Robb and some cunt called Justin Sullivan who was responsible for that missing half a star! Loads of gigs get covered too, which shows an enthusiastic approach for a couple of punk vets.Get it Now! £1.50 P.O. Box 514, Preston Central, PR2 9WY, UK. (no longer in publication) |
| BIG CHEESE #45 October 2003 *** Spotted this slicky on the shelves of WH Smiths. Any mag with Rancid on the cover immediately requires investigation good or bad. Considering it's a pro glossy punk - skate - style - art - metal publication, it has got some good stuff hidden amongst a deluge of poseur sportswear and Fame Academy indie lookalikes. However the lean 'n' mean Corey Parks from the Hunns who stares outta page 4 with her bass, her 'eat me' tattoo and vision street wear is an exception to the rule. Being British and from a totally different era, Skateboarding totally passes me by. My gangly attempt at balance on wheels is just too much to comprehend, gimme a bus ride and a bar any day. There's loads of skate related info in here, which must interest the Americans and younger kids out there but It don't register with me? Beyond doubt the most annoying factor about this mag was the mass of nondescript punk/pop/metal crossover bands!!! Gawd, they just scream "WANKERS" written in very large felt penned letters across their foreheads! The ultra clean, trustworthy, boy next door (but with expensive arty tattoos) look, is just asking for abuse! Where's the fuckin acne, the scars or the death warmed up street urchins gone these days? The Clash's 'Rude Boy' DVD review seemed well outta place as New York's Sick Of It All tell us all about their new album release (yawn!). There was an interesting piece on London gangster Dave Courtney, whose now immortalised in a Rancid track! But like everything in real life, this geezer is too show biz to be true...has anyone cut the grass yet? There's a colourful photo spread from this summers 'Vans Warped' tour, showboating all the bands in various stages of wild (but plastic) abandon. And for our minor sins we get Portland warthog, Jerry A outta Poison Idea. Mr A. (real name: Alvin Gerald Lang) makes a rare appearance in a British mag but spouts off a load of lies to a gullible young interviewer. It was finally left to the epic Rancid interview that stole the show! Love em or loathe em, they open up and give us a good insight about what's goin on in their current 'indestructible' world. Tim Armstrong even gives us the lowdown on his marriage breakup! And while were on the subject, on the live front we get his ex-wife's band the Distillers in London, Turbo Negro down on the river and Killing Joke on the underground. The record reviews cover grind, punk, rock, metal and noise but nothing from the real street scene. They do at least give a few zines some exposure though. Hate the cheesey fuckin name but this mag is good at what it does, and is about the punkiest glossy on the shelves of Britain's high streets at this moment in time. £2.99 www.bigcheesemagazine.com |
| EVERLONG #4 Summer 2003 *** Another newish UK zine to flip through the hatch of the Wolfs Lair. But I hear on the printing grapevine Everlong has been in existence for a few years now. I first got aquainted with the sister web site before I actually read a copy of this Bristol zine. This is another duel edited zine done by local lads Dave Lown and Shane Baldwin. Some of you older Punks maybe familiar with Shane during his reign on the drum stool of the early 80's Vice Squad. Shane also writes for British mag Record Collector in-between other publications, so he should know his pen and ink strategy. The HITS review on their web site was a very good read indeed, and there's some good 'punk rock' artifacts on there too! With all that in mind I was looking forward to this A5 neatly printed desktop job. However EverIong don't mirror the web site, which is good in one way coz it's all new information. However it's coverage is geared towards the safer side of town if you get my drift? This zine mixes a lot of styles but the nerdy hardcore and ska-punk seems to be it's main target audience. Outside that realm we do get a good interview with Micky Fitz from the Business who tells us he don't make enough money from the band to do it full time. Seems hard to believe from their international touring schedule. Still in the realm of Skinheads, Watford Jon from Argy Bargy gives us an account on his bands 10 year life span (The 'New Breed' article reprinted elsewhere on this site was his original inspiration). We are then left to rummage through the scraps of evidence left by Boston's Garrison, Derby's Ska outfit Lightyear and local Bristol outfit Five Knuckle, plus the geezer who runs ska-punk label Asian Man records from the USA. Nothing to get too excited about there. The reviews which take up a major part of this 40 pager really do reflect the taste of this zine and that's veering dangerously close to Indie/hardcore crossover territory. They do make use of plenty of contributors giving the reviews a more broader appeal. The zines that get covered are also from the more sensible and organised stable of zines like Fracture (no suprise there), Suspect Device and Artcore. No room for grotty guttersnipes like Puke in here me thinks! The live gigs have gotta be applauded though, coz it looks like every hardcore event that occurs on the streets of Bristol is duly noted and attended. Although most of the bands Everlong seems to get excited about come across as your local sanitised neighbourhood t-shit mob. They did make me wanna check out this zines favouritely hated band...Widget Evil, just to see how bad they really are...ha! The layout is very easy to read with a clean 'n' crisp presentation, but lacks the pull and dynamics of zines like Pogo Till I Die or Scanner, who create impact within this squeaky clean regime. I did learn a thing or two from Everlong. Biggest discovery if the reviews ring true, had to be Tiny Elvis, who seem to be worth your attention now! They end this Avon ride with a 3-page PC game review which suffers without graphics to accompany the detailed account. Everlong's well put together for sure, but if you like your punk print with a load of snot and a skip load of attitude you may wanna try elsewhere. £1.00 from 1 Shilton Close, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 9UZ, England |
| HAGL #30 20 Year Anniversary Summer 2003 **** Have A Good Laugh is the longest running UK street punk zine, with 20 years worth of slaggings, dodgy yuma and more turd filled one liners that you could slash with a Stanley Knife! H.A.G.L #30 makes for a very welcome return to the 21st century zine scene. Last time it hit the street was back in '98 if my memory serves me correct? And it ain't grown up or greeted middle age with sensible open arms one iota. In case you didn't know (if not where ya been?) this A4 40 page read comes from the pen of Sunderland's only 40 year old skinhead with a decent taste in punk rock...Sir Trev! His razorblade baby carries on exactly where it left off with that blunt but hilarious politically motivated street perspective. The interviews in here cover a fucking spectrum from the world of punk. He ask em anything!!! But an overrated bloated Herbert from the smoke called Frankie Flame who gets us off to mouthy start was full of it. Why do East Enders tend to make tall story telling an inbred feature? Meanwhile some real street cred. is given an expose as we get a seriously funny pub chat from the other end of London, courtesy of Intensive Care's lead gooner Brendan. TV Smith then adds a more intuative view on the Great British Mistake ( known more commonly as Labour). While biggest scoop of this issue and coming in a massive 8 pages was chief Scottish heretic Deek Allen lead singer with Scotland's Oi Poilloi. Whatever you think of his Anarcho Syndicalism or earthy beliefs, he answers every single salvo fired at him honestly and openly. Including gems like "What nazi punk have you got in your record collection?"...... which could stun a few PC hounds as it includes...wait for it...a couple of Skrewdriver records!!! Beside the political innuendo and loads of Totty jokes some very fucking true observations lurk (particularly on the war). We get a couple of scruffy Viz style cartoon strips, a profile of Trev's own attempt at a band the very vile Bile Ducts. A band who make The Stench look positively conservative. There's a good history of the evolution of H.A.G.L. zine from 1983 to now, plus a couple of funny CPS/mid-life crisis pieces. Loads of reviews wind this jam packed anniversary issue up, and it's good to see from day one Trev's working class humour and intent has always been spot on. You can read Trev's regular newsletter Savage Amusement which is more like a cheapo H.A.G.L for Assylum seekers and punks like me and you, from the same address. First 150 buyers of this zine gets a FREE 'Milk Me Honey' street punk sampler CD...looks like I missed out! £1 & 56p S.A.E. from Rosehill, 20 Front St, Tanfield Lea, Stanley, Co. Durham, DH9 9LY, UK. trevhagl@hotmail.com |
| 4 MINUTE WARNING #6 ****1/2 At long last we get to see 4 Minute Warning how it should be seen, in it's infinite photostatic glory with print on both sides of the page!!! Now don't that just make this zine so much more of an attractive read? In case you ain't already seen a copy, this looks great and reads good too. Pity this classic early 80's looking fanzine with duel print and handwriting could be a one off in it's current pristine form. Seems there's only 116 issues available then its back to one sided sheets. Reason being Mitch's mate, local hardcore guru Andy Higgins (Blackpool RoxII, Erase Today, JSNTGM) kindly printed up some for her on his works photocopier. Alas he's since been made redundant so no more free print jobs boo! hoo! So that leaves Mitch looking for alternatives, any offers get in touch at the address below. Well enough production dilemma's onto the main course. 4MW has absolutely loads to see and read in this jampacked 36 page A4 page Antiwar read. The pessimistic editorial shows concern about the dreaded net being the easier option for the new zine breeding community. But from the mass of zines covered in this issue I don't see it happening any day soon! That's followed by a good Joe Strummer tribute that features pix and cuttings from the media and a general expose on the lispy guttersnipe with suss. There's a strong Eastern European edge to this zine with main contributor Vitek Formanek (the bouncing Czech) giving us some neat insights into his hectic gig schedule. Sharing rooms with the Vibrators must've been a buzz! He also covers vast expanses of the Czech Republic and beyond in his search of 'punk'. On his travels he collars quite a few name punks giving us some very amusing interviews. Mensi from Angelic Upstarts gets asked if he's still a punk?..."more so" comes the half hearted reply! Nice guys (Viteks words not mine!) Guitar Gangsters admit to liking Meatloaf guffaw!!! And finally tantrum king Chelsea's Gene October who now picks up litter on Brighton beach in-between gigs, gets all worked up after being classed as Second division punk (Snigger!!!!). Early 80's Dutch legends Antidote make a welcome appearance courtesy of UK squatter Steve Pyle. Mitch takes a look back at early 80's punks from Norwich UK. The Disruptors have all their back catalogue released soon on Grand Theft Audio! Hey Brian where's that Sado-Nation anthology? Finally there's a rare in-depth interview with Danish punks Zero Point whose fave record was 'Bodies' by the Pistols, say no more. Trev Hagl's Geordie gig reviews were funny but honest. Even the biggest Siouxsie fan on the planet (Mitch) shafts their latest compilation CD!!! This is one zine who covers rival zines from all over the spectrum along with a massive cull of punk records to savour. In-between rants on 'Hunt Scum' and 'Chariy shops' (tee hee) things grind to a gruesome end with a feature on that wacky plastinator Guntor Von Hagen, the butcher from Dresden!? There's certainly one thing about 4 Minute Warning and that is it gives you the moneys worth and more. £1.60 & A4 S.A.E. from Mitch Elsden 31 Fir Grove, Marton, Blackpool, Lancs, FY16PJ, U.K. |
| RIOT ON YOUR OWN #13 June 2003 **** Scruffy and most probably photocopied on the works premises, when the boss ain't looking, makes this little FREE 24 page blast of Belfast punk life a worthy place in your attentions. Ultimately sarcastic and as dry as a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous in a Muslim mosque. Riot On Your Own is editor Bill's own riot of opinions, observations and twisted skew on punk as seen through a 40 year old Belfast vets eyes. I got this at Morecambe HITS festival from Bill himself, whilst I was on a drunken mission. Bill is currently the only pen and ink overseer of the Belfast punk scene. And thank fuck, coz he's got a great way with words, so you can forget columns 'n' columns of in-depth analysis neatly laid out. That ain't what the cut 'n' paste R.O.Y.O. is about. This is about what goes on down on the street. Clued up observations set the tone alight. This geezer must go to witness every punk happenin within Belfast's city limits, and if he don't it's coz it ain't got a bar or more to the point he don't know about it. What's also good is the presence of loads of candid un-posed shots taken when the victims least suspect it, or are in a full punk rock pelt...check out the hilarious pogoing shots! It's good to get a picture of what's on offer round Belfast today. Short reviews make this a fast read, but it's memorable in it's honest delivery and witty account. We get a film review, radio reviews, zines, records and loads of gigs. There's even a rare (zine) interview with North London's gooners, Intensive Care. The only downside of this zine is the Arsenal affiliation, but I spose some cunts gotta support em! Look out for the current compilation CD 'Riot Down The Lane', put out by Bill, featuring his favourite punkers from home and abroad. A new one is planned for the future, if a big win on the horses comes through. Oh yeah Bill Riot And The Violent Fuckwits who plan to perform and record one song only, before splitting up less than amicably are about to make their world debut on that one. Can't fuckin wait! FREE with an SAE to BILL, 5 GLEN ROAD, BELFAST BT5 7JH billyriot@hotmail.com |
| DEFIANT POSE #6 March 2003 ***** Now this is what you call a labour of love. Total in-depth painstaking research catapults this zine in the 'best of' category amongst it's current pen and ink contemporaries. If like me you gotta thing for early LA punk then this issue is probably the best Defiant Pose has ever put out. I think even the LA punks will learn something from this feast of urban sprawl. This zine is totally LA circa 77-83 in direction and information. It's circles the Californian metropolis like a vulture lunging down to take bite size chunks out the corpse of it's punk bands. It's a history lesson, but one done with flair and passion so well worth adding to your zine collection. All this was put together before the recent spate of books on LA PUNK hit the shelves. And I bet it covers a load of stuff not included in those books. Defiant Pose does take a lotta time to hit the streets, this epic was 2 years in the making so it may miss the punk tide, but when it does arrive it's well worth the wait. If something is worth doing, then it's worth doing well... this is done in hardcore!!! A cut 'n' Paste or die delivery screams out from the pages as loads of gig flyers and pix litter the text of this 76 page read. There's enough info here to keep you riveted for yonks. What's good about Mike's approach is he don't pander to egos whims or fashion like a lotta zine comptemporaries do. He gives us straight and direct entries about the low life that made up this scene. The contributors are all genuine or at least read very well in the cold light of day and most have got their fingers on the pulse. The first hand contributions from the day makes for a diverse bunch be it from fans, scenesters or just obsessive collectors like Brian G.T.A.. We get a major rundown of every band that ever farted in or around LA county, there's even a large scoop of the zine scene of the day that usually gets overlooked. I'm still reading the fucker and I suggest you do too...highly recommended! INFLAMMABLE MATERIAL |
| GADGIE #16 *** Strangely enough I think this is the first time I've ever read a copy of Gadgie, passed onto me by Paul K. of Bristol. This jovial zine from Boston, Lincs. or 'Ape City' to the locals, has been running for fuckin years! So either I was lazy, forgot, or just didn't get round to seeing a copy tut tut. I was familiar with Marv (the editors) reminiscent schoolboy columns in Scanner, so it was interesting to read what he puts out in a fully fledged zine. The layout is very basic indeed, the clear and concise Comic Sans text is only livened up with sporadic medieval imagery. I don't think Marv is too bothered about what the zine actually looks like, he's more into the content. And I gotta say after 16 Issues he ain't trying too hard, so maybe it works for him. But I do prefer a good looking zine. Those stories of his youth that form the basis of this zine can be OK every now and again, but fucking hell he's bombarding us with tales of his schoolboy devilment and misty eyed recollections, all through this 28 page read! Marv mate, hate to shatter your innocence old bean, but your past ain't always as riveting for us to read, know what I mean? I do empathise totally with his Debbie Harry fixation though hmmmm! Marv is the Peter Pan of the Boston punk scene, I like his enthusiasm and he ain't never grown up!! But where Gadgie fails to entice the passerby, it excels in the coverage of punk. Some great moments are captured in print from his regular hangout at the Indian Queen. And these tales of 'pile ons' in the gig pit and audience heckling made for a good read. The featured band interview is from Glasgow's' Shank, who play fast and brutal hardcore, they also got some attitude. Guest columnists include a pair of fuckers I know only too well. Michael Dogshit (Brezhnev) who delivers a neat tour of Amsterdam. And the stripy weasel from Nuneaton, Paul Raggity, who seems to be losing the plot thick 'n' fast in his dream sequence...!!! Gadgie's main secret weapon is it's passionate punk coverage, with some tasteful zine and record reviews. Now if Marv concentrated more on the punk tales, than the boyhood ones, he'd even get cunts like me buying the fucker! E-mail Marv for details on mrgadgie@hotmail.com |
| GAGGED & BLINDFOLDED #2 Spring '03 *** Now here's a turn up for the books. I never thought we'd get to see another issue of this promising looking fanzine. Coz last time it hit the streets Tim Dogg (the editor) said he lost a fortune for letting it go for FREE!!! However after consulting his calculator, and weighing up the pros and cons, G&B hits the streets for a second time with a more realistic 80p price tag. I still reckon it's going cheap, so lets hope G&B gets back some much needed income to feed the next publication. Don't forget zines take money to produce!!! Well with that little bit of gospel according to St. Peter over, onto the zine. 32 pages of well laid out desktop print, that uses every bit of available space wisely. The print job is clear and precise. I did have to reshuffle the pages around to get a readable flow, but even I can still recall stapling these fuckers together, so it's an easy setback that's happened to us all at one time. G&B still goes for diversity in the mix of bands and individuals it covers. The columnists reflect this, with rants on HMV, Individuality, Free Speech and an adventure in London (no muggings this time). As far as bands go, not a lot to get too excited about out of the 3 on show... Joe Ninety (Leeds stoodents) head the Northern queue, but these ain't nowhere near as good as the Gerry Anderson series or Homebrew. Down And Away? represent Sweden. And finally Freaks Union from Hull, who seem to have lost their Mohicans and grown up into "the best thing since sliced bread" according to Mr Dogg. The record reviews cover a wide spectrum of bands, most of which I'd never heard of before? But aint that the point educating old cunts like me? The zine reviews were way more familiar, and hit the nail right on the head, giving us a clear idea of what's inside. I'm still reading the gig reviews which I enjoy a lot, although some of the bands were dubious to say the least. However Pittsburgh's Anti-Flag make a rare live UK appearance from their recent London gig. Tim's even started his own band up called wait for it... Gagged & Blindfolded, which should get em bookings from all over the Kingdoms S&M clubs anytime now!! (no longer in publication) |
| BLACKPOOL ROX II #5 *** Commiseration's go out to this freebie. The editor Andy (who also runs Blackpool's only independent label JSNTGM and does a spot of solo work himself) has just been made redundant from his job. Bet his boss's ink cartridge bill has plummeted considerably. Can't be much fun being out of work and with no FREE photocopier to plunder. The knock on effect seals the fate for this newsletter and also 4 Minute Warnings latest seductive presentation. Oh well, Andy sounds a resourceful chap so I'm sure he's got some ideas up his Lancastrian sleeve for alternatives. Blackpool Rox II ain't strictly a full blown punk newsletter but it does take the lions share in this well sussed read. With it's clean cut but bland presentation the quality of the print and info was essential and it don't disappoint. There's some very good points made and a couple of porkers too. At least Andy's doin it for his own town which is more than can be said for mine!!! This is totally Blackpool in sight 'n' sound and it's good for the town no doubt. It's only the record reviews that covers all walks of punk life. It was here I read about another Fear album hitting the streets. Blackpool Rox II is Interesting in a local kinda way and good for outsiders if you wanna read whats goin on in other towns. It's also dead easy to pick up from Mitch 4 Minute Warning while you buy a copy of her latest epic. I'm sure it'll be well missed amongst the towers of rock and definitely by the small but vibrant punk rock community and other gig goers. Before I forget Andy's also a travelling Blackpool fan so full marks for supporting your own team from your own town, coz believe me I know it ain't easy. In fact why don't you check out his web site coz you can read this issue and all the back issues for yourself and more information on his label, his gigs and much more. www.jsntgm.com |
| TOXIC STRESS #18 Summer 2003 *** Now this is a blast from the past!!!! Last time I seen a copy of this must've been about Issue #9? And last time I spotted Ade (the editor) was a few years ago in Birmingham's Market Tavern as he sat in the vice grip of big Gaynor! Didn't think I'd ever see or hear from him ever again! Well looks like he's fully recovered and now back in the safe confines of Derby quietly putting these out and pretty regular it seems. Toxic Stress ain't changed much at all in layout and style. I quite like the no messing cut 'n' paste type. However this issue (or was it just mine?) suffers from a bad day at the photocopiers. The print job fades to grey as Visage once pouted. My eyes ain't what they were, so it's a struggle to read everything. But apart from that minor hiccup Toxic Stress is a good, fast punk read to add to your collection. Loads of reviews litter the unstapled pages, and they tell you straight what's goin on, be it on records or zines. The interviews this issue include everyone's fave Deadline, who despite having a great sound and stage presence come over as very boring indeed!!! London Anarcho's Public Execution get some much needed out of town exposure, plus Brummy outfit H8 Target bring up the rear. Highlights of this zine are always the live gig reviews! Ade excels in giving you a taste of toxicity from each show. And shock horror, he's even ventured outside his beloved Derby and hit the smoke, covering the 2003 Hackney punks picnic! I'm a sucker for reading about the other scenes around this sceptred isle of ours, coz they're few and far between. Home grown zines like these 24 pages of stress may lack the panache and composure of their artier contemporaries, but bullshit has no welcome mat in here! What you read is what you get! Before I forget Ade is after Punk & Oi! bands to interview, so if you want some UK exposure and have something to say, drop him a line. You can get this for 50p & SAE from 17 Reeves Road, Derby, DE23 8JF UK (no longer in publication) |
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