EVERLONG #6 February 2005 **** I find Everlong to be constantly one of the easiest zines to read, around the UK today. They don't go for a maze of cut and paste, but offer a more clean cut, desktop finish. Which although lacks a certain panache, it can make for a fast and easy to suck in guide through it's 48 pages. There's quite an interesting floor show of punk luminary's to make a mess in this issue. So swot up on how Californian punk billionaires Bad Religion, function away from the office. Swoon at how Hull's Freaks Union (formerly run of the mill guttersnipes), have turned into a real band...shock horror! Or wince at Blaggers AKA/ ITA/ CIA/ C&A who were never punk to start with, but are back sniffing for more of our leftovers. Maybe you wanna simply croon with delight at the progressive, melancholy, Ska, thrash, rock outfit called :howards Alias:. If those fuckers didn't make yer laugh out loud, you can smirk slyly when no-ones looking as New York's Leftover Crack singer Stza (this issues cover star) throws down the gauntlet to his former record label BYO's pretentious Stern Brothers, over threats and intimidation. Those East/West coast punk rivalry's are something else ain't they? My moneys on the Crack head!!! All this subterfuge and big business is thirsty work, but is eclipsed by the massive Headwound (Leeds 'right on' Fanzine) interview, which turned out to be the highlight of this issue. Opinionated gob shite's from Yorkshire or just a stubborn mind-set?, the jury's still out? Catty editors Rachel and her Geordie crony Chip pan give us their dogmatic views on everything zine wise, gig wise, punk wise and unwise from their Leeds PC ghetto. Finally, Burning Britain book author Ian Glasper reveals his highly anticipated next Anarcho tome is gonna be called 'The Day The Country Died'. So a pretty eclectic bunch eh. All this comes along side a multitude of gig, zine and record reviews. The only major bummer I found in this their best issue to date, was these West Country periodical sons, seem to review nothing but Ska punk, which here at Punk Rocker is a crime against humanity!!! If I hear one more 'brass section' comment it'll be too soon! But apart from that war crime, this local zine has a definite worldwide appeal so check it out. £1.00 & a5 SAE from Shane.Baldwin@uwe.uk |
PUNK, THE WHOLE TRUTH Mojo March 2005 ****1/2 Not another Mojo Punk Special you may well ask. Yeah it is, but this was really worth getting. If you wanna capture the spirit of the 76-1980 punk boom in Technicolor, you won't go far wrong with this. Contains some rather pleasing rare pix, in amongst a gigantic pile of long lost punk gems from the Sounds (early UK music weekly) archives. And yeah I know the original wave of punk has been dissected, scrutinised and reproduced so many times before, but this 148 full colour glossy mag manages to regurgitate a load of exceptional interviews that ain't been seen or published elsewhere for at least 20 years. They contain all the shit you need to accompany those UK punk rock gems from our snotty legacy. And a great way to get the kids into the vibe of their early punk roots too. Nick Kent the Ex-NME junkie scribe and victim of Sidernee Vicious's rusty chain slinging, gives us an hilarious take on the early punk scene. Nina Antonia lets us in some long lost clandestine Johnny Thunders memoirs. Alongside some terrific early interviews with the Ramones, the Jam, Buzzcocks, the Clash, the Stranglers, the Damned, Siouxsie & the Banshees and the Ruts. As well as a rather good glimpse of the Pistols in Sweden. Best bits however was the short up to date interviews done with punks like Jayne County who in-between caring for her elderly parents in Georgia, is still doing sporadic gigs both here and abroad. Gene October of Chelsea was another scream, as he confides he's now working for Brighton council on the bins in-between recording a new Chelsea album. They're funny, intriguing and down right entertaining. And yeah they do ask Billy Idol if he's made a million, coz he's probably the only one featured in this mag who has. And Bill answers in prophetic terms by announcing he's also spent a million too. Other items worth your perusal are a bleak eyewitness accounts of Sid's last few gigs in New York by people who were there as well. All the major punk records, CD's and DVD's get analysed. Plus a good roundup of punk on the TV and the big screen. You can even win a night out with Rat Scabies in the competition if you guess the colour of Rat's barnet. For a more up to date focus on punk, we get the rise of Green Day, but then it all went completely off the rails by checking the modern pulse beat of punk, which included such DIY acts as the Libertines (what?), Kaiser Chiefs (who?) , and Busted fer fucks sake!!! Errr what happened to the Briefs, Midnight Creeps or the Violent Fuckwits that's what I wanna know? Mojo's obviously out of touch with today's scene, but thankfully on an historical level these punk specials really are spot on! special.projects@emap.com |
THIRSK FIRST #1 2005 **** Debut issue of this rather dapper looking green 40 page zine risen out the ashes of Small Sailor and My God Can Beat Up Your God zine camps. Thirsk for all the people outside Yorkshire and England is the northern outpost that has an unhealthy punk rock affiliation for sporning bands and zines alike, and with an unrelenting turnover. They don't all deliver the goods however, but this fucker certainly looks the part and does indeed create an amusing and entertaining read for most of its debut. And like my current fave Thirsk zine Small Sailor, Thirsk First radiates an engaging cut 'n' paste veneer to it's spiky and somewhat acidic prose. A neat looking zine that draws you in with every corner of the page bunged up with text on politics and punk in general. However for an added touch of annoyance, co-editor Mr Aron Beatup's 'Chav' viewpoint on life these days seems totally alien towards our punk rock landscape. Has he really turned into some anal blink weighted white gangsta rapper that are a breed set for obvious ridicule in black hip hop circles let alone punk? Or is this just another attempt at controversy in the Yorkshire dales? I get the feeling his outlook these days is something the punk scene is or should be attacking not condoning? It seems pretty sad that a punk zine has to resort to other cultures to get its kicks, whatever happened to the spiky punk attitude that was funny and intriguing once upon a time? That aside, we get loads of columnists in here that greet us from all walks of punk life, including Wolverhampton via Portland ferfuksake! And alongside a varied snapshot of reviews which thankfully don't suck up to media hype, it keeps the reading ante in the red. However the bands in this issue weren't really living up to its smart looking interior. The Foamers who've since split up are ska tinged street punk which in other words means boring. While the more imaginative Mingers from nearby Leeds seems to have a certain allure all of their own, which remnds me i gotta get hear em for myself. There was a good interview with yank artist Kristen Ferrell who is responsible for some rather apt Alice In Wonderland kinda punky graphics. Not sure if this'll be an annual thing but I look forward to the next issue of Thirsk First if only to see what scene Mr Beatup has hijacked next time. 50p + (SASE) PO Box 132, Thirsk, YO7 1WR, UK |
RIOT ON YOUR OWN #19 April 2005 *** 1/2 These are coming at us thick 'n' fast and 4 times a year, these days. Which is always a good sign. However Bill mustn't succumb to freebie pressure quite so much if you know what I mean. We much prefer his naturally spun script even if it means waiting an extra month or two coz this Issue does seem slightly rushed to meet his quarterly deadline me thinks. Especially if you gotta resort to interviewing web nerds like me till local legends Runnin Riot come back off tour. I was a bit miffed considering my current high profile that I didn't make the front cover of this issue. But realistically speaking how's an old wanker like me gonna compete with some young in their prime and contemporary Mohicans, I ask ya? Oh well despite my failed shot at infamy there's still enough laughs and entertainment in this rapid read to leave most other zines standing. So ever mind the bollocks here's the booty. As per usual we get some up to date news bites on the local Belfast and international punk scene. A boatload of record, zine, gig and book reviews are administered in Bill's usual articulate way. Plus some short but rather readworthy bits 'n' pieces on CD and vinyl artwork. And to add a bit of glamour there's a punk chick centre spread. And for social history buffs a profile on Fatty Arbuckle who caused scandal in the silent movie era. As a bonus we get the missing lyrics to the 1000 Drunken Nights/Violent Fuckwits CD, which no self respecting punk should be without. Plus a misspent tale of youth gone off the rails in 'Land Of Hope And Glory'. Definitely a bit slimmer than usual but as well as the usual spiky pix and witicisms it's FREE, it's a riot and its punk! FREE with an SAE to BILL, 5 GLEN ROAD, BELFAST BT5 7JH billyriot@hotmail.com |
RIOT ON YOUR OWN #20 JULY 2005 **** Riot On Your Own comes staggering out the boozer with its 20th instalment and enough debris from the recent Wasted festival that you just know you're in for a grubby Morecambe treat. Our vet Belfast scribe bears witness to the 4 day drinkathon in between sniffing round the young birds and getting himself photographed with an array of C-list punk celebs. Blackpool's Sick 56 are this issues cover stars and a bitter Uknige (who also fronts One Way System) gets a severe questioning on subjects like the highly important issue of "what football teams do you support, and should Blackpool FC change their horrendous orange strip?" I must agree with our editor here, coz orange ain't half as sexy or pleasing to the eye as old gold 'n' black. The other band to get pursued round the bar are local punksters 1000 Drunken Nights who give equally zany answers to the extremely wacky questionnaire. Highlight of this issue has to be the hilarious Wasted review, which seems to have cost Bill an arm and a leg in B&B's and air travel this year. But those extra finances didn't stop him stalking the young punk pussy or asking Pauline Murray of Penetration to take pictures for him. It's highly entertaining as our hero prowls the punk resort in his unquenchable quest for action. He manages to get some decent shots of all the female bands in action (why doesn't that surprise me?). Andi from NY Relix tops the totty chart for about the 3rd year running so no change there. The reviews in here cover a vast selection of the Captain 0i catalogue which makes me pretty envious that the Captain doesn't deem it suitable to send any of his contraband out to webzines tut tut. All this plus a punk anagram, a giant teddy bear and a Wasted centrespread of pix gives this Belfast Freebie a recommended place in your punk staple diet. Highly entertaining read. FREE with an SAE to BILL, 5 GLEN ROAD, BELFAST BT5 7JH billyriot@hotmail.com |
ANTHILL #6 2005 *** This is a brand new un, at least to my Wolvo mince pies. And arrives from the less trendy Yorkshire bastion of Sheffield in the UK. I picked up this fluorescent pink freebie on one of my recent Brummy gig outings, and like Riot On Your Own this being Free doesn't necessarily mean inferior punk rock rants from some sad twisted idiot with a spare photocopier on hand. On the contrary Anthill is well laid out and has a professional print job. It covers a wide range of punk that's splattered its way through Sheffield and beyond. Editor Jake slides anti hunt gripes at us every so often, but doesn't quite bore us to death unlike some of the other Yorkshire zines with similar views. This issue is however dominated by a 5 page Goldblade interview. And although their kinda punk rock 'n' roll ain't really up my street, the singer John Robb who used to write for Melody Maker does has some valid points to make about the punk scene today. We also get a UK debut zine interview from Germany's Shark Soup who are according to Anthill, are Germanys best new punky outfit. They apparently play some sorta hybrid with a psychobilly edge. Plus we also get an introduction to brassy punk outfit Buzzkill from nearby Leeds. My only niggle regarding the interviews is they don't include any form of contact or even an email address so you can't really find out more about the bands in question. There's a wide selection of gigs reviewed, plus a smattering of records and zines. Jake the editor seems to be a relic from the early 80's era of UK punk but don't let that, or his easily pleased outlook put you off coz his enthusiasm for the new punk sounds like the Briefs has to be applauded. We also gets some varied newspaper cuttings and an old Toxic Reasons profile plus some classic US Hardcore albums that pleased Anthill in the dark distant past. Anthills a light hearted fast punk read and worth picking up at a gig near you if you spot a copy or you can get one here instead. Jake Anthill, 68 Southend Place, Sheffield, S2 SFQ, England. |
PART TIME PUNK #15 Summer 2005 **** First time I've actually checked out Part Time Punk zine that sails from the punk port of Southampton. And after inspecting this issues punky cargo it has to be said this most certainly won't be the last time either. Part Time Punk boasts some cracking interviews with Poly Styrene, Michelle from Brigandage and Santa Barbara's Derita Sisters taking the biscuit in my own personnel reading stakes. Bringing up a strong supporting cast is a rare Nicky Tesco (The Members) interview plus part one of a massive interrogation of Jack Rabid from the highly respected New York maga-zine Big Takeover (part 2 comes with next issue). PTP also boasts probably a UK first for you punk train spotters out their as the Thrills from Boston run us through their late 70's punk career. We also get shorter blasts with Picture Frame Seduction from Wales and Michael Rother of Neu/Harmonia kraut rock specialists. So as you can see this is definitely a diverse zine of taste and substance and with such an interesting clientele, it maintains your interest throughout its 48 A5 pages. We also get some juicy titbits with the sultry Lydia Lunch whose apparently partial to some Tizer and legendary tranny Jayne County whose been appararently baiting Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise (and why the hell fuckin' not?..pair of cunts!) The reviews cover the whole spectrum of zines, records, gigs and DVDs and leave you with a short but vivid snapshot. This zine reminds me of Punk Throwback in many ways but in a more condensed and less detailed delivery. Ian certainly has the same kinda burning urge for the classic punk sounds which is definitely a plus in its favour. My only real disappointment with Part Time Punk and this is purely cosmetic, is after 15 issues I'd have thought it may have learned to be a bit more adventurous in its cold, sterile desktop layout. If this came with some daring cut n paste attack or some thrilling graphics it would certainly be an all round killer zine. But let's not lose the fact that this is definitely a zine worth your full time scrutiny. Next issue is due out in September so they're coming at us thick 'n' fast which is always a good to see. And only a quid too. So for more information on how to get a copy check out the online presence here. www.geocities.com/iancanty/index.html |
FEAR AND LOATHING #60 May 2005 **** Yet another high calibre edition of this long running punk fanzine from inner London and featuring the return of one of California's all time punk faves, the Avengers on the blood red cover of this the 60th edition. Andy's editorial points out the scourge of tube travel - 'corporate buskers' (boo hiss!!!), which we can all sympathise with. However since this issue was written even Andy could put up with the bloodcurdling drone of those backing taped clones compared with the infinitely more chilling threat of the suicide bomber I reckon! This 32 pager comes at us with a predominantly American fixation that you'd be lucky to read about in an annual dose of the more popular UK zines, let alone one lone issue. I'm always enthralled to read more about the gutsy late 70's US punk icon Penelope Houston, as she gets compromised in a Kensington bar in another probing F&L conference. We also acquire some enlightening gig reviews from the Avengers recent UK mini tour. Which makes me kick myself for missing their Leicester gig in the confines of a tiny club, which is without doubt the best setting to view classic punk rock. There's also an exclusive meeting of minds with the reformed MC5 who I wasn't really that excited to read about. But when guru's like Wayne Kramer and Michael Davis dish the dirt it turns into a worthy exercise. Plus we get a massive Northwest Seattle/Portland 2 week Tour diary, which our jet setting hero undertook late last year. This was of particular interest to me as I'd spent some hard labour there meself. My only regret was Andy never got to check out Sabala's punk club in Portland, as I wanted his take on the club from another UK perspective. However he did manage to gatecrash my scribbling pal (Christeen Aebi's) 40th birthday bash, even though the bands apparently sucked! I'm not very clued up on anything by Guided By Voices from Daytona, Ohio. They are this issues other main ingredient. They're calling it a day after 21 years. But when you read Fear And Loathing you realise they are a permanent fixture in this zines diet for what looks like an eternity. I must say they sound and look way too fuckin' indie for my snotty tastes but as they seem to be the F&L flagship band, who are we disagree? All this comes along side a mammoth selection of gig and record reviews that are for the main on the ball and can only make for a consistently good read from the Capitals leading punk zine of the moment. 17, MEDWAY AVENUE, WITHAM, ESSEX CM8 1TE UK andyfnl@talktalk.net or www.myspace.com/fearandloathingzine |
4 MINUTE WARNING #8 Summer 2005 **** Has it really been a year since we last set eyes on Blackpool's premier punk zine? Well by the amount of punky rants, dissenting anarcho baggage and general tokens of acidic innuendo squeezed into this massive 30 page issue, you can almost imagine why. However the major delay for 4MW not hitting our punk rock shelves earlier, is that familiar old bone of contention amongst the zine hierarchy...waiting for bands to reply to interviews! 4MW suffers like most zines do from this incredulous disease that seems rampant amongst the apathetic punk legions of today. Anybody would think these punk 'rock stars' have an annual diary of events to pre occupy their crusades as they globetrot the toilets playing 365 days a year. When in reality they probably only have a fortnightly appointment down to the jobcentre. Maybe apathy is a kickback from e-zines who reach a bigger audience? Or as I suspect where the real blame lies is, they just don't have nothing of interest to say!!! This along with sucking up attitudes, politically correct dogma and practically no talent is the reason why bands today have no real opinion on anything thats worth printing. But it's good that zines like this still bother asking, even when 5 out of 10 bands don't even muster a reply. Fortunately for us though, the bands that did reply to 4 Minute Warning are the exception to the rule with a fucking boatload of opinions. First up giving us their 15 minutes worth of no compromise, are the now defunct Active Slaughter from North London. Followed closely by Bristol's Disorder who tell us "were just a punk band with some serious lyrics, and some which are complete bollox!" Ha! Scouse punks MDM reveal the delights of using insect spray to keep Mandy's spikes erect! While Cockney rockers Superyob admit to being big Killing Joke fans. Also along for the ride are local school kid punks Outlaw whose average age is just 13! And last but by no means least, Mitch pins down fellow Blackpool zine writer, label boss and one man entertainer Andy Higgins ++ who gives us possibly the longest answer to a question I think I've ever read in any publication since maybe War And Peace. All this is interspersed with current protest topics like the 'anti hunt punk' campaign which Mitch the editor is spearheading. Plus we get newspapers cuttings, news and a massive section of reviews spanning all the available media...gigs, books, videos, CD's and of course zines. Yeah 4 Minute Warning builds up into a fucking big juicy read every issue and should accommodate punks from all walks of life. £1.60 & A4 S.A.E. from Mitch Elsden 31 Fir Grove, Marton, Blackpool, Lancs, FY16PJ, UK. |
POGO TILL I DIE! #8 2005 **** Continuing the Northwest of England's high quality punk in print, comes Pogo Till I Die from the salubrious municipality of Preston. Sadly PTID #8 is gonna be the last issue of the UK's sexiest fanzine for a very long time, as Roy the editor has joined the public sector with a REAL job! Let's hope he comes outta it all unscathed and is ready to pogo once more, some day soon. This issue is also dedicated to the recently departed British DJ John Peel who was the catalyst for a generation discovering punk nationwide, and rightly so. However PTID loses credibility by having 3CR on the front cover who also get a further probing inside. But suprise suprise their credibility ratings zoomed when answering questions on their gigging regime lead singer Boggy replied succinctly "I don't even know where we are playing most of the time. They pick us up in the van and I sit in the back 'n' get blasted" tee hee. Alongside 3CR we get a short but healthy stab at the Briefs who rate Deadline as one of the better UK bands. Blood And Whiskey from Dublin at long last tells us some home truths regarding the new resurgence of so called Irish/punk bands which are springing up from some strange places. Their latest album 'Cashed Out On Culture' rams this home as Beano vox/bassist explains "the titles basically a comment on the fact that a lot of bands use irishness as a commodity especially when they're not even Irish in the first place!" I'll drink to that! Along side the international array of punks we get young local outfits like the Phlegm Fatales who seem to be trying to incorporate too many styles all at once. While vet punks Boredom on the other hand, tell us tales of dodgy London labels. Well what do you expect if Alan Parker was the middleman? There's a good piece on the Genocides who were one of the great under exposed punk rock talents from the early 80's Preston/Blackpool scene. Whilst Ska- Billy Rebels and Sadie Hawkins Dance were included just to make up the numbers me thinks. We also had to endure a tired looking Tony James and Mick Jones of their dodgy Carbon/Silicon outfit in the centrespread, which should’ve been binned in favour of the explosive Briefs, but that was a minor gripe as there's a boatload of gig reviews with selected images, and talking of pix you get some splendid colour shots of Sham 69 and Crashed Out adorning the inside jackets of this slick issue. Pogo Till I Die may not be pogoing for a long time so with all the plagiarism going on in the punk scene lets hope someone takes a leaf out this zine and brings a new publication out in its high quality wake. Highly recommended. £2.00 P.O. Box 514, Preston Central, PR2 9WY, UK. (No longer in print) |
SUCK TILL I SAG #3 2005 *** "The cheap zine for skint unemployed fat cunts, made by rich self employed thin cunts!" eh. Well the truth hurts sometimes, don't it? I think this zine is geared up for skint unemployed fat cunts who still have UK Subs painted on their leathers and the remnants of a hair thinning Mohican planted on their skulls. Didn't realise I resembled the target audience when it was thrust into my clammy paws by the sultry co editor Scarlet at a recent gig! Now I've recovered from this blatant character assassination Suck Till I Sag it has to be said has greatly improved by its A5 resize, but the compression does get nullified in comparison to the exceptional print quality of the previous issue. Issue #3 lets just say has been sabotaged by a fade to grey cheapo copy job. And like I say if you peer closely and I mean very closely, this is a more substantial read and actually looks like a real zine this issue. They actually do themselves a favour for once, by interviewing a current top band of the moment...Seattles the Briefs. However the interest level starts to diminish rapidly as we tread water through a jaded session with Red Flag 77 who seems to have really lost their grit these days. Maybe Rikki's online punk emporium has sucked all his spare energy? We finally hit the real shit with the inbred Barnyard Masturbator who are in this issue coz apparently no-one else will interview 'em, ahhh de dums! The best bit in here though was a 2 page year in the lives of our two zine writing super heroes Tom Foolery and Scarlet Da Harlot. We read and squirm as they stagger from Discharge (the band) in Notts. to Paul Weller in Blackpool!! No arrests, no aggro, no sex and not much fun it seems for a pair of swingers such as these. Maybe our editors are letting this rag down themselves? The CD reviews in this issue were pretty much on the ball although like so many of the freebie hunters in these cheapo zine circles, Captain Oi! And Cherry Red records all get a resounding arse licking thumbs up from the greedy reviewer. The other highlight was probably the Academy In The UK gig review. Or should that read 8 hours of light deprivation, aural assault and muggings by the bar staff. Which reminded me why I never bothered going to that overpriced bash. We also get attacks on Chav's which was really a few gripes about the UK elections, the doss goss, and of course Scarlet's sexy stories which this time round features lesbian bondage oh la la. Better than last issues dismal display so getting there slowly. 50P from tomfoolery@fsmail.net |
NEGATIVE REACTION #2 2005 **** Now this is more like it, a zine that's getting into its stride with a return to the snotty, lewd and side cracking world of HAGL dressed in the emperors new clothing of Negative Reaction. And even when you're carrying dead weight like inferior collaborators, its surprising how entertaining this zine can be. All the most memorable items seem to emanate from the Newcastle boy wonder Trev Hagl, who sits in control over this zine like some Geordie Buddha with a sensa yuma. And to think that poseur who won Big Brother comes from the same estate as Hagl, is fuckin' unbelievable! In this issue even his two sidekicks are now adopting his attitude on their output which has gotta be good for this zines longevity. This issue boasts Fat Bob of Hardskin as the star interviewee, but from reading his answers im sure the hype surrounding this band ain't justified one little bit. Emergency from Canada don't exactly fill us with glee either. So its left to the collaborators to earn their keep by rising to the bait interview wise. Just a pity some of their prey like overweight skinheads Argy Bargy and Micky Fitz's new band called imaginatively Fitz (who are gonna play old Business tunes fer fucks sake) get the lions share. From the punkier side of life we get peroxide portions with Liverpool's MDM plus an inoffensive scratch with all girl punk band the Itchy Tits from Guildford, who should change their name to Scabies I reckon. Plus another pot shot with the popular Deadline who despite creating a powerful mix of street punk power on record, have about as much personality as Jack Straw without his autocue. Best interview this issue fell to the unlikely European sector with the Stage Bottles from Germany giving some hilarious broken English comments and an interesting insight with street punkers the Razors Bois from Moscow. These red Ruski's paint a pretty grim portrayal of Russian life as some bonehead infested fascist state. Oh how the times they are a changin' eh! There was also a bang on '8 Million Voices' column which hit's the Government's petty bureaucracy and out and out lieing right between the eyes. And what a way to get back at the burglars as some local crack head gets named 'n' shamed for burgling one of the editors residence. Hilarious Free Sun stickers and 'Things To Do Now Hunting Is Banned' are priceless bits of comic observation, which is why we buy this zine. All this alongside some decent record, gig and zine reviews makes for very entertaining read. As a footnote it seems Gareth one of the sub-editors is fucking off, so it will be interesting to see who steps into his boots. I nominate Paul Raggity! £1 & 56p S.A.E. from Rosehill, 20 Front St, Tanfield Lea, Stanley, Co. Durham, DH9 9LY, UK. trevhagl@hotmail.com |
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