| VIVE LE ROCK #22 winter 2014 ***** Had to get this when I seen old Lou's face staring out from the news stands and features a big dark lord look back after his demise one year on. "One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and your into jazz" one chord wonder indeed! There's an interesting look back at Skeletal Family. New outfit Ming City Rebels claim "Were the best band in the fucking world" with their Immingham Stooge routine. Meanwhile original Stooge James Williamson tells us all about how he reconstructed an album (Re-Licked) of song’s penned by Iggy Pop and the Stooges, which were originally intended to be the follow-up to Raw Power in the '70's, but were never properly recorded and only previously released as live versions and bootlegs, Only this time with guest vocalists. According to Rolling Stone mag "Pop did not really appreciate this". Broken Bones are profiled with the impressive new singer JJ in their ranks and of course Bones on guitar taking the band to new realms of exposure in their 31 years together. Spite are a punk super-group who are made up of a Testor, a Stooge, a Damned and a Pistol. The promo's good, but with so many of these super-groups knocking around these days it all sounds very similar and not very memorable. The reliable and only bona fide journo on this rag Kris Needs, takes us finally on a ten page voyage through Lou Reed's gutter soot, opiate sleazy legacy. Steve Severin of the Banshees guides us through the final years of the band and ultimately its demise. Meanwhile a 64 year old Lee Ving from Fear who looks very craggy these days. But when you've been a bartender, NY taxi driver, outlaw biker, actor and lead singer in the notorious Fear. I'm sure time does take its toll. Read and snigger at 6 pages of tales, he even dons Lee jeans fer fux sake lol. Plus we get the usual 14 pages of reviews. This current issue of rock'n'roll, punk, new wave publication features quite a lot of non punk acts like primal scream, bad manners, etc but punk wise it always gives us the goods. Comes with a FREE CD of disposable punk related tracks which for a fiver cover price certainly justifies the £4.99 price. For more info go here.... Vive Le Rock |
| FAILSAFE #12 May 2014 ***** The stylish but resolute Nottingham Failsafe fanzine just keeps rolling on and on, and don't we just love "Wishing it was 82 since 1983" and that strictly "no new bands guarantee". So if 80's punk is your bag you'll love this as it goes back in time to feature big names plus a load of obscurity's too. And its always good to see how they turned out and find out what the individuals are up to these days. You can see by a growing list of punk faces in all corners of the globe holding a copy of the rag in their mitts its definitely getting through to its captive audience. First out the traps this issue are the totally unknown to me outfit called Don't Know who changed their unremarkable name to wait for it... Don't No lol. Hailing from Huntington Beach Don't No look like they were bottom of bill artists throughout their short career. So lets move swiftly on to this issues cover star the Fits Mick Crudge, who looks the most in shape 80's punker I've seen since Beki Bondage and begins a massive part one of this mammoth 18 page Fits interview. I suspect its one this zine has been after for a very long time considering they were the very first group editor David seen live back in the 80's. And its good to hear the real story of the Fits as the interviews i read back in the 80's seemed like posturing affairs. But Failsafe really does delve into their beginnings and how even the songs got created, which is fascinating if your anyway familiar with their recorded output. They have since reformed and are out and about playing with new material. We then pick up on another also ran Anti Establishment from Epping who even i have heard of. Singer Gavin spills the beans on everything Anti including clashes with skinheads we then end with 12 pages of record and gig reviews from guests on both sides of the Atlantic and finally this issue is completed with a full colour shot on the back page of Milf Jennifer Blowdryer I'm sure a Beki Bondage shot would've been more eye watering but hey beggars can't be choosers!!! Contact failsafezine@yahoo.com |
| BALD CACTUS #31 October 2014 ***** Instead of 'BC' maybe we should in fanzine circles refer to periods prior to this Leeds printed bastion as 'Before Cactus'. This solitary Leeds zine has been around since 1988 which is such a long time and is still batting on in his lonesome innings these days for Yorkshire. As time soldiers on the detail, the enthusiasm and the dry prickly humour still rages on the page and is better than ever as it declares ..."Still a thoroughly, unashamedly, stuck in the 80s cut ‘n’ paste Punk Rock Zine". All i can say to Andy is if you still enjoy it, do it! It would be a shame and sorely missed if zines like Bald Cactus called it a day in an age of no or little personality in zinedom. The front cover has an array of punk orientated badges, see if you can spot the Skrewdriver badge? Interview wise we get Brummies Police Bastard who reveal their cop loving hangups, as well as all the political aspects of PB life in their local precinct. Leeds band Jaded Eyes bring us their particular 'dischord' take to the table, but I have to admit I much prefer the music they used on their new album trailer rather than the sound they actually create. Sunderlands HDQ have that lame American wanna be sound, that seems to feature on every Boss Tuneage release... Oh maan! Meanwhile Epic Problem who have finally become a band in their own right, all be it as a Leatherface tribute and mention they may do some Blitz songs in their set in future. There are 3 pages of record reviews and 2 pages of fanzines reviews. They're honest, but his taste in some of the music still has me scratching me head. The final interview is a 5 pager and an oldie resurrected from June 1991 with LA's Cringer who were on their debut UK tour. Which was quite interesting as they compared the US/UK scene at the time. This is all threaded throughout the zine by the Cactus rants on everything from posing bastards, guilt tripping bastards and punk passion. Oh and before I forget Facebook lol. It seems our Luddite editor has joined the Facebook fraternity...omg, shock horror he'll be recoiling at whose got a cold, whose hungover, whose Mrs has left him or whose died! Next thing you know Bald Cactus will be blogging like a slag or heaven forbid he might even do a webzine!...naaah could he?, would he? (A5, 24 pages, £1+ SASE) baldcactus@gmail.com |
| STREET DEED #2 2014 ***** Hardly any English text in this one, in fact theres nothing at all? So if your Bulgarian or have a degree in linguistics you might be able to decipher whats going on? Otherwise its admire the punk landscape and what a landscape! For only it's second issue Street Deed features fantastic cut 'n' paste, done with an urgency to detail most of the zines today would kill for! This is jam packed with news, views and reviews, plus some hilarious looking cartoons and thats even before we get round to the bands. but not quite as intense as the It's not quite as impressive as the complete utter madness that is to follow in the next issue (so read the 2019 for more on that). But for only a second issue Street Deed is head and shoulders visually above most of the current established punk zines with 20 or more issues under their belts. Issue #2 features 10 interviews/profiles starting with homegrown punks AAT from Sofia, Oxblood skins from the USA, New York's the Casualties, 45 Adaptors from Brooklyn, Boot boys from Chile, Link Wray the guitar legend, Czechs Pilsner Oiquell Oi!, 7er Jung's from Germany more OI!, Menace from London and Batmobile from the Netherlands. So pretty much something for everyone id say. It veers more to a skin orientated read this issue, unless its a running theme? But theres even a piece on Motorhead so you never can tell. Kamen the editor who sent this is in, promises future issues will feature more English text. Which is a shame he has to resort to that if most of his readership are not Bulgarian, but English seems to be the most prevalent language in the world at the moment so maybe a wise move? Contact... goranovkamen@yahoo.co.uk KV. CHAIKA 29; "V" ; ET.3;AP.32 9000 VARNA BULGARIA |
