RIOT ON YOUR OWN #17
OCTOBER 2004
****
Always good to peruse a copy of
Belfast's funniest punk zine, coz Riot
On Your Own's persona shines
through the dry ink stained yuma,
making it a pleasure to read. You
won't get bored with countless
columns, in-depth reviews or political
intrigue in this fucker! But what you
do get is a fast, no bullshit view on
punk rock Belfast style. Along with
just enough information to wet your
whistle, crack you up or nudge you
into further investigation. And Bill the
editor, does hit the mark nine times
outta ten, but I still can't fathom how
he can conclude
the Ramones ain't
punk!!!? So with Judy and Sheena
ostracized, what you do get in this
issue is a slightly piss taking interview
with Mr Terry Hooley. Terry's the
geezer responsible for bringing us
the early delights of
the Outcasts,
Rudi
and the Undertones on his
pioneering Good Vibrations label. It's
followed by a dull one with some
schoolteachers who play in a pop
punk band called
Fool. I think they're
only in here coz they're local. There's
a massive Wasted Festival romp,
alongside a collage photo
centrespread from the festival itself.
We also get a profile on Bill's other
affliction...local piss-heads
Runnin
Riot
, whose brand new album 'Built
In Belfast' is dissected track by track.
If you thought it was all Belfast this
issue, well your wrong! Guy Trelford
who co-authored the 'It Makes You
Wanna Spit' book, has sent in an
exclusive Ozzie scene report from
Adelaide. Amongst the pics (Bill
being one of the few zinewriters who
realises a picture can tell a thousand
words, or in his case probably about
ten) he manages to capture some
funny as fuck snaps, including more
assorted Belfast 'totty'. Riot On Your
Own goes serious for a minute on the
'25 years of Thatcher' rant (you can
still smell the hate). And he pays
homage to the fire in North Street
Arcade which wiped out the local
punk shop, and the Arcadia cafe
which was one of Bill's more yuppified
hangouts. You can almost hear the
violins above the vegan chit chat.
Class read!!!!
FREE with an SAE to
BILL, 5 GLEN ROAD, BELFAST
BT5 7JH
billyriot@hotmail.com
RIOT ON YOUR OWN #18
December 2004
****
Fuckin' hell Bill seems to be knocking
these scruffy rags out like there's no
tomorrow, as 2004 rolls to a close. It
must be the pull of all the Buckfast's
he's about to consume, or maybe
the
Fuckwits
have secured a tour
support with McFly? I'm glad zines like
this get released every 2 or 3 months
if they're this interesting. I done it
myself for 4 years, putting one out
every 3 months. So I know its hard
work. But if you've got enough ammo
and inspiration, which Bill certainly
has. Then you can maintain the input
without it becoming filler. From the
classic cover shot of Bill dressed as
Elvis and his spiky mate as Santa
onwards, this Christmas issue is a
lively affair. No interviews in this copy,
but you get Bills top ten punk photos,
and surprisingly he only appears in 2
of them!!! In between the paparazzi
shots, we witness Bill's first encounter
with punk, which entailed watching
the
Jam
on TOTP's, along side a fitting
John Peel epitaph. There's an
amusing piece on the WWE spandex
wrestling phenomenon, and an
impressive array of Bills gig tickets
from across the decades, that he
recently found in his moms attic.
Including numerous
Toyah sightings...
tee hee! Bill's currently putting
together plans for a rough 'n' ready
Belfast punk DVD compilation. This
should capture some scintillating,
rowdy moments from the last 5 years
of the local punk scene. Definitely a
disc to look out for. This zine always
makes you look at your own local punk
scene with some derision, it has to be
said. They gotta a fuckin great scene
in Belfast if this zine is anything to go
by! And I’m bloody jealous!
There's tons of zine / record and gig
reviews, including a spotlight on his
own combo
The Drunken Fuckwits,
who round this 30-page FREEBIE off
in a consistently smashed fashion!
FREE with an SAE to
BILL, 5 GLEN ROAD, BELFAST
BT5 7JH
billyriot@hotmail.com
NEGATIVE REACTION #1
2004
****
Great to see Sir Trev Hagl back on the
ink trail. However I was slightly
frustrated with some aspects of
Negative Reaction, his latest return to
fanzine life. He's come back from the
brink after he pensioned off his
compulsive street punk newsletter
Savage Amusement. Apparently a half
hearted webzine wasn't much fun
either, which no-one could fucking
locate anyway? So with no other
format to attack or flog for beer
money, a full on paper fanzine is
called for and where he really reads
best. Negative Reaction comes out the
trap with 2 new editors in tow to give it
some 3D dimension? Although I'm not
sure it needs that. It's gotta be a
nightmare to stage manage 3 zine
writers within one publication on a
regular basis. Maybe that's the reason
for a slightly subdued return? However
with Trev as the major shareholder,
the humour in this issue is still present,
but maybe not quite so
uncompromising or as gritty as in
HAGL. I would've rather read more
from Trev's pen than the weakest link
in the trio, Gareth from Cats Penis.
Maybe Trev needs to keep his 2 new
sidekicks on board in order to help
finance this triple editorial on  regular
basis? Negative Reaction looks and
feels like HAGL which is sound, and it
certainly captures some diverse band
interviews, which this issue is
dominated by. They all have
something to say, learn about, laugh
at or disagree with. We get red New
York punk outfit the
Stockyard
Stoics
, who sound very interesting
indeed, alongside gigging whores
The
Fight
from Dudley, who make a rare
street punk zine appearance. Fellow
Geordie's
Crashed Out promote
tattoos and shootings on Sunset strip.
While the Cockneys are represented
by
The Business with tour calamity's,
and
Last Resort who look very
desperate, but didn't they always.
Californian skin outfit
The
Legionnaires
tell us about
homosexual skin spotting in London,
and we end with a couple of short
un's. Both of whom feature
GG Allen
affiliates, the
Murder Junkies and
power punkers
Jabbers. The reviews
are mostly spot on, but I was a tad
disappointed with the Cats Penis
contribution. I'm still waiting for their
hilarious punch line that Trev
promised us in his editorial. The other
editor who I nearly forgot to mention is
Big Bison ex Eaten Alive zine, who
certainly weighs in with a fair
contribution level. But surprisingly it
seems he's got a major skin fixation!
Which is worrying, especially for any
skin out there in a dark alley at night!
I'm sure next issue will be firing on all
cylinders input wise, and for an A4
debut this pisses on a lotta more
established zines.
£1 & 56p S.A.E. from Rosehill, 20
Front St, Tanfield Lea, Stanley, Co.
Durham, DH9 9LY, UK.
trevhagl@hotmail.com
SUCK TIL I SAG #2
2004
**
When I picked this up at a gig earlier
this year I wasn't sure what zine it was
till I checked it out the next day. The
thrown together layout looks like it's
been done at the last minute on the
way to the printers. Suck Til I Sag has
gotta be one of the worst zine titles out
there today, alongside maybe 'Ploppy
Pants'(uurrghh!!!) or Cats Penis
(arrrrgh!!!). It promises us
"enough
laughs to make us cum"
yeah right!
I'm afraid the only thing I cum to in this
issue, was the conclusion that the
smutty humour just don't turn me on,
and it gets worse as you read on. The
editors on this one seem to be trying
way too hard to go for the over the top
shock value. And I bet they laugh at
their own jokes too. Instead of splitting
our sides in the process they just
merely get very boring and very
predictable, very soon! You'd expect
this kinda crud off teenage schoolboys
who have more testosterone stored up
in their balls than is healthy for em.
Not from a duo who are probably old
enough to pay off a mortgage. And
one of em's female too, so are they
trying to prove a point here with all the
carry on shagging and sucking
innuendo? Or ain't she getting enough
Tom? Answers on a postcard please
to Gary Lineker. I find it really strange
when scribes involved in mags like this
can afford to throw away good money
on producing it, but then sabotage it
all by filling it with remedial crap. The
biggest giggle I got lasted all of 5
seconds on the 'punk singles review'
but that was about it. What was really
funny about this zine is it has the
format to be really very good with way
more punk input, a grasp of comedy
and less hast. However it was all
wasted totally on triviality. The best
part of Suck Til I Sag was the live gig
reviews, here at least we could get an
idea of the gigs out there that our
editors frequent. But I get a feeling
they're part of the Wasted promotions
inner circle of elite, so that explains all
the sucking up from that quarter. In
between sex tips and boring letters
from Charles Ingram (who wants to be
a millionaire cheat) we get some short
but worthy interviews with
GBH and
the
Subhumans. Also Derby
strummer
Paul Carter gets some
deserved exposure. However the
Peter & The Test Tube Babies
interview proves the Brighton beached
whale has gotta be the worst
interviewee in the punk scene. They
finish with some porn literature nicked
from the web, which was probably
meant to get us all rushing to the
bathroom, but even the Cambridge
rapist would be firing blanks at this
one. Plus where were Jordan tits?
£1.30 inc P&P
tomfoolery@fsmail.net
PUNK SHOCKER #11
****1/2
You know what, Andy Shocker certainly
knows how to go out with a bang. For a
start the print job on this baby is top
notch! Unlike the blurry last issue I
tried to decipher mid altlantic whilst
clutching a bottle of pils and sardined
on a plane full of Oregon Christian aid
workers. But unlike those mixed up
cunts, this issue translates flawlessly
as a devoutly raw punk zine. In fact a
lotta zines today could do with
incorporating some of Shockers spiky
traits. Its basically a cover to cover
read, for anyone who ain't already
familiar with the Punk Shocker
aesthetics. This full on double issue of
72 pages should be devoured and
sucked in like it was in it's early 90's
heyday. Which rams home the fact that
another top quality zine is vacating our
zine scene grrrr! Yep this being the
last issue may be a downer to most,
but fret not dear spiky top coz the
slashing of our virgin wrists ain't quite
called for just yet. We should at least
hang around a while and savour this
printed delight. Even local pen and ink
rival Trev Hagl will be jealous with envy
at this one. Punk Shocker #11 is pretty
late in the day arriving, but the quality
of scribbles included, some of which
were written 18 months previous don't
lose their merit or appeal. And in
classic zine tradition, the best ones are
always worth the wait! Featuring a
superb
Poison Idea (Jerry A)
audience where the fat beer monster
shows us a side of his nihilistic nature
rarely seen in public. Although
Poison
Idea
ain't my particular punk toxin, and
maybe this exclusive does sometimes
bring to mind an awe inspiring kinda
vibe off our editor. It's definitely a
rivetting artefact and a fuckin
compelling read! We also get top
range discussions with
Sensa Yuma's
Stu-pid Bastard dealing his anarcho
cards on the table regarding his
promotion of 'Across The Decades'
festival and all his punk shenanigans in
between. Also probably the last must
read interview with Stig outta
Icons Of
Filth
who sadly passed in late 2004.
Bringing up the rear are
the Gits from
Seattle, Washington who sound a bit
bland in comparison with their fellow
interviewees, but it's all done in a
classic round the bar kinda
atmosphere so you get the goods. It
was good to see the Punk Shocker
zineography which dates back to 1989
and along with humorous side dishes
like the 'I Fucking Hate Real Ale Cunts',
and the HITS autopsy by Dick Lucas
(
Subhumans) you can't really go
wrong in this hardcore odyssey. All this
alongside a multitude of record reviews
means there ain't really a lot in this
zine that won't interest most punks out
there today. Shocker lets rip it's final
yell of defiance with a rather fitting
synopsis of the punk scene in general.
Which I agree with wholeheartedly, well
maybe for 95% of the time. For all you
completests out there, it comes with a
Poison Idea poster and a full colour
Polaroid postcard of Mr Only blowing
fire. Great Farewell issue!!!
(£1.50 + SASE)
Andy, P.O. Box I.T.A, Newcastle Upon
Tyne,  NE99 1TA, U
K
FEAR AND LOATHING  #59
Summer 2004
****1/2
You have to take yer crash hat off to
Andy P. who submits Fear And
Loathing, which has one of the most
intriguing zine titles in a very long
while. This informative A4 read must be
easily one of England's longest
running punk zines as we reach the
summer of 2005. And with 59 issues to
date it owns a dogged determination,
rarely matched elsewhere. Fear And
Loathing don't look like its ever gonna
change from the basic 'courier new'
type format of columns and dark
photocopied pics, not forgetting that
light blue cover that seems to be a
fave. And why should it change, coz it's
a very easy to read fanzine that boasts
a load of info crammed within its 38
pages. Andy P. must've seen by now
every reputable punk band who's
passed through his London portal over
the past couple of decades and
probably longer. And that familiarity
ain't dampened his enthusiastic
approach to punk writing. He hangs out
with Gaye and Tim
Advert and knows
my mate Shanne from
the Nips who
got me this edition to read. And when
our editor ain't jet setting all over
America in search of more punk to
cover, he journeys down to Brighton to
catch the special bands that take his
fancy. What's good about F&L is when
he finally does catch up with his prey
he nearly always gives them a good
probing interview. In this issue we have
some really good reads with front
cover stars
the Epoxies getting
presidence. They were at the time of
this interview hitting the UK for the very
first time. Plus we get fellow Portland
punk pariah Jerry A from
Poison Idea
who gives us a really insightful
discussion into the bands aggro
attitude and what makes fat punks tick.
On the opposite side of the punk
equation we have Kevin Seconds from
7 Seconds infamy who gives us his
spiel on the straight edge movement
which he seems happy to dismiss as
some ficticous disease these days.
However the other bands on Andy's hit
list
Handgun Bravado, Mission Of
Burma, French Toast, The Texas
Bombs
weren't nearly as illuminating it
has to be said. And his worrying
fixation with Sparks makes you wonder
if maturity is diluting his punk tastes.
But newest band
Lightning Bolt
seemed an interesting prospect to
check out further. Along with some
neat gig reviews and a fucking
boatload of records reviews you get a
feeling you can trust Andy's judgement
for 95% of the time at least. Surprised
he never reviewed any zines this time
around? Maybe he didn't have enough
room. This is a zine that's well worth
getting and deserves your support
making a healthy main course in
between most of today's weaker zine
side dishes. A new issue is out as we
speak.For more information contact
Andy at...
17, MEDWAY AVENUE,
WITHAM, ESSEX
CM8 1TE UK
andyfnl@talktalk.net
or www.myspace.com/fearandloathingzine
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