A Disgusting Exercise In Self Publicity no.1 (A5 12 Pages Free+SAE; 10 Clent Rd, Penfields, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 4LN)
This is done by the people behind Potato Print records and is a distro list with a couple of columns and reviews of pop punk type stuff.
A Punk Kid Walks Into A Bar no.13 (A4 48 Pages $1; PO Box 254, Rye, NY 10580, USA; or 40p ppd from Steve Nice)
This is supposedly quite a popular zine but I can't quite see what all the fuss is about. It's not bad, it's just average. Ints /w At The Drive-In, Alkaline Trio & Mike Maronna, some record and gig reviews. The columns & personal bits are the best but there isn't that much of them. There's a lot of wasted space as well.
Arkangel no.22 (A4 64 Pages ぴ+SAE; BCM 9240, London, WC1N 3XX)
The animal rights magazine. This is full of useful information, news and contacts. It also has loads of articles some very well written while others are, unfortunately, atrociously bad (the one with a load of christian mumbo jumbo and another one trying to link the school shootings in the US to eating meat. Printing this sort of crap gives AR a bad name). There is, however, more than enough good stuff in here to warrant getting a copy.
Artcore no.14 (A5 48 Pages び+SAE; 1 Aberdulais Road, Gabalfa, Cardiff, CF14 2PH)
This could have been an amazing zine if it wasn't for one thing. IT'S ALL WRITTEN IN CAPITALS AND IN A STUPID FONT SO IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO READ. Read this and the last issue of SAE and your eyes will be permanently damaged! The content, though, is ace. There's ints /w The Tone, Brezhnev and Grand Theft Audio records. An article on the Seattle WTO riots, and 'rantin n ravin n reviewin', as it says on the cover. Another good feature of this zine is the Vaultage section where Welly looks back on some old punk/hc bands and gives a history of them or digs out an old interview. This time the subjects are Code Of Honour and Flipper. Next time lose the caps.
Attitude Problem no.30 (A5 24 Pages 50p+SAE; PO Box Colchester, Essex, CO3 4AY)
It may be small but there's loads of stuff packed in here. There's a long, interested int /w Code 13 and a fantastic one /w a guy who does a punk puppet show. There's some stuff on veganism, recipes, record reviews and a bit about bandana thrash. Well worth getting.
Bald Cactus no.17/Cargo Cult no.2 (A5 40 Pages 50p+SAE; PO Box HP171, Leeds, W Yorks, LS6 1XX)
BC has a fantastic cover which is an adaptation of the famous anti-Nazi poem to deal with fox hunters. Inside there's a big interview with Brother Inferior. There's loads of opinion pieces as well plus some reviews. The CC half as ints with Puget Sound and Blyth Power (a trainspotting, folk-punk band!). There's a few reviews and an article on an old anarchist called Nestor Makhno.
Bats Aren't Bugs no.1 (A5 36 Pages びppd; 140 Burley Rd, Leeds, LS4 2EU)
This is done by members of the band 86. Not unsurprisingly this has quite an emo slant. Ints with Boy Sets Fire, One Car Pile Up and Zoinks. There's a load of columns (including one about how great true metal is and another about how shit Friends is. Couldn't agree more!), a Manchester scene report and some reviews.
Better Off Dead no.1 (A5 40 Pages び+SAE/$2; 6 Norton House, Mace Street, Roman Road, London, E2 0ST)
This wins the biggest geek of the issue award. It's entirely devoted to old punk and hardcore. Stuff on Texas (Big Boys, Dicks, Really Red), top 30 rare records, Problem, New England/Boston punk scene and an interview with Existential Vacuum records. If you like Mark Murrmann or Felix Von Havoc's columns in MRR then you will love this.
Betty Kiss Olympia no.3 (A5 12 Pages Free; Synthesis)
This is a personal gurly-feminist type zine which contains lots of 'positive fun kool stuff' and a habit of changing spellings of words and things like that. It's like Chimps' little sister. It's basically just loads of rants and things on a whole load of different subjects that the editor cares about. It's free so make sure you ask for it when you order that whole pile of stuff from Synthesis.
Burn Collector no.9 (A5 24 Pages; 307 Blueridge Rd, Carrboro, NC 27510, USA, 40p ppd from Collateral Damage)
This is a fantastic read. It's written in a kind of diary format. There's tales of crazy people on coaches, seeing Reagan speak, having a friend have a bad accident on a bike and stuff like that.
Cherry Bomb Press no.4 (A5 44 Pages $3ppd; Blk 339 Woodlands Ave 1, #03-541 (730339), Singapore; びppd from Synthesis)
This is a combination of computer generated and cut and paste layouts. Also combines serious tuff and fun stuff too. Loads of stuff about feminism and homophobia and things like that. This is the kind of personal stuff I like - not drearily over-melodramatic and not militant and dull. It gives the impression of a person who likes to have loads of fun but is also socially aware etc. I'm trying to say I like it!
Club Stupid no.5 (A5 48 Pages び+SAE; Jamie, 4 Kings Ave, Bromley, Kent; xdoughboy1000x@hotmail.com)
I purchased this off a cheeky 'sarf' London chappy at Good Clean Fun gig who had an excellent Used Car Dealer type spiel. Unfortunately it doesn't have the funky gold cover that no.3 had but it is packed full of stuff. About half of this zine is taken up with humour. It's good humour as well. Jamie proves that you don't have to be a racist/sexist etc moron to be funny. As well as that there's interviews with Good Clean Fun, Kill Your Idols and In The Clear, plus a few reviews. Very straight edge, very posi, very fun and very good.
Colours Make You Blind no.2 (A5 52 Pages; Johan Lundgren, Albogatan 14, 26633 Munka-Ljungby, Sweden; yakuzabarbershop@hotmail.com; び.50ppd from Synthesis)
This is a mainly music zine (ints /w Combat Wounded Veteran, Atomic Fireball, The Nemesis Noise Project). I liked it a lot mainly because their taste in music is good! The review section has lots of slagging off about tuff guy hardcore bands etc. The ints are nice and long with loads of stuff covered. This is how music zines should be done!
Cooties no.7 (A5 68 Pages $2; 2504 Ravencroft Ct, Va Beach, VA 23454, USA; or び.25ppd from Collateral Damage)
Zines like this are really awkward to review. Just listing the stuff that's in here is useless but the main topics are fat liberation, straight edge and pornography. It's full of well researched articles combined with very personal touches. You could say it's a cross between Shag Stamp and Synthesis. Great stuff that I've already read and re-read quite a few times.
Counter Information no.54 (A4 4 Pages Free/Donation; 17 W. Montgomery Place, Edinburgh, EH7 5HA; burn.ucsd.edu/~lothian/ci ace@punk.org.uk)
This is a great newsletter that keeps you up to date with all the direct action and political resistance that's going in the world. It's free so there's no excuse not to get hold of this.
Cross Examination no.2 (A5 28 Pages Free+SAE; 53 Trimpley Road, Bartley Green, Birmingham, B32 3PE; crosexam@hotmail.com)
This is an attempt to give the Birmingham metal/punk/hardcore etc scene a bit of a kick up the arse. Apparently it's all a bit quiet at the moment so some people have got together to do something about it. Loads of stuff about local bands and so on. A bit of ranting and an interview with Blackfish records make up the rest. Hopefully this will be able to rescussitate Birmingham.
Cuwan no.1 (A5 20 Pages 6kr; Viborgsslingan 25, SE 224 72 Lund, Sweden; or from Bald Cactus)
A great little zine which ints with DS 13, Opstand and Hell and Damnation, Class War and Doomsday zines which are all really in depth. There's also a Belgian scene report and some reviews. I hope more issues are going to come out because I really liked this.
Direct Action Against Apathy no.6 (A5 76 Pages び.50+SAE; Green Action, QUBSU, University Rd, Belfast, BT7 1NF)
Another great issue of this zine that's packed full of information about direct action and other things related to it. There's loads of articles ranging from the J18 protests to the arms trade to GM food. As well as that there's stuff about direct action in Belfast plus music and zine reviews. It's all written in a friendly, non-self righteous way that gives off a very positive feeling about all the actions and getting involved. Essential reading for anyone and well worth the money.
Direct Hit no.1 (A4 48 pages ふ.50ppd; Mel Hughes, PO Box 36, Armagh, BT60 3PQ; barcod@freenetname.uk)
This is basically No Barcodes Necessary under a new name. Don't worry Mel hasn't sold out and started charging obscene prices for zines. It's ふ.50ppd because it comes with an Active Minds/Urko split 7". Two fantastic bands and 1 fantastic zine for ふ.50 is a bargain in anyone's books. There's interviews (all in depth and intelligent apart from a comedy one with Urko) with DS 13, Urko, Jen Angel, Drop Dead, Active Minds, SOA Records, Suspect Device zine and Commitment Records. Also a gazillion reviews of all things hardcore and punk.
Dirty Dog no.4 (A5 36 Pages 50p+SAE; 2 Forge Close, Marsh Gibbon, Bicester, Oxon, OX6 OH2; nickspit@hotmail.com)
I basically bought this to sate my Snuff addiction. Snuff and Dog Piss are interviewed in here (along with Vandals, Frenzal Rhomb and Mad Caddies). Thankfully the Snuff int is actually quite good (as opposed to one word gibberish answers they commonly produce). Apart from that there's a few columns and reviews. The Snuff stuff is the only stand out thing in this zine. The basic components are here but it's lacking that special something, if you know what I mean. Possibly it's the concentration on Epi-Fat stuff.
Downsided no.3 (A5 24 Pages 5FIM/$1; Toni Eiskonen, Siltapellonkuja 2 K 98, 00740 Helsinki, Finland; http://ww.freespeech.org/downsided eiskonfekt@earthling.net)
I really like Downsided because the editor seems to share a fairly similar musical taste to me. In here there's ints /w Rubbish Heap, The Jam Session, John Holmes/Flat Earth recs, Creation Is Crucifixion, Geckonews zine and Engine zine. There's also zine reviews, columns, rants and some fiction. It's small but perfectly formed. Highly recommended.
Dragg no.4 (A5 32 Pages 30p+SAE; 33 Queens Road, Kenilworth, Warks, CV8 1JQ; draggzine@hotmail.com)
A cheap and cheerful little zine. Not essential but at 30p you can't go wrong. Ints /w Engage, Discount, Shai Hulud, Speedowax Recs, Spine and Grade. There's also the essential zine gubbins like columns and reviews (music and zines). No space is wasted which is a good thing because many a fledgling zine would spread it all out onto more pages then try charging a quid for it. Anyway, back to the review, get it you won't regret it.
Eborsisk no.2 (A4 42 Pages 70 BEF/3.5 DM/$2; Tramstraat 38, 3800 Sint-Truiden, Limburg, Belgium; theo.van.broeck@skynet.be; or from Synthesis)
This issue's main theme is Development Aid and Third World Politics. Tackling this topic is to be applauded because it is an important one but not often covered in hardcore zines due to the fact that it is not possible just to come to simple conclusions. There's quite a few articles relating to the theme including an interview with someone from Oxfam. Musically this zine is entrenched in the Belgian metalcore zine. It's good to see that they don't interview the more popular bands. Instead they concentrate on smaller bands that need the exposure more like Full Court Press and Castdown. Paura from Brazil are interviewed. Also some music and zine reviews.
Embrace no.4 (A5 36 Pages; Saha, 4a Irg 6, KG Baru, 86000 Kluang, Johor, Malaysia; sahaembrace@hotmail.com); び.20ppd from Synthesis)
This is a great way to do a very music based hardcore fanzine. It's mostly interviews but the interviews cover a whole range of subjects and it's obvious that the editor and the bands are clued up people. The ints are with Honey Honey, Unhinged, Stalingrad, Highscore, Petrograd, Stonehenge Recs, Rubbish Heap, Directed Crew, Eternit and Summer Day in June. There's also a few reviews and a load of scene reports from various far flung parts of the globe.
Engine no.5 (A4 64 Pages $2; PO Box 64666, Los Angeles, CA 90064, USA; engine98@earthlink.net; or び.50 from Steve Nice)
This zine is essential if you love fast and brutal hardcore. There's interviews with Devoid Of Faith, Crudos, DS-13, Hellnation, Opstand, Society Of jesus, Devola and Scatha. The Devoid Of Faith one was really interesting because it discussed lots of stuff about a members work with the mentally disabled. I'd say this zine is worth getting just for that interview. Apart from that there's loads of the usual hardcore zine affairs like columns and reviews. Virtually essential.
Fanzine no.2 (A5 20 Pages 70p+SAE; 16 Rockland Cresent, Clayton, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 25N)
This is a re-written review of this because I did one a while ago that was a bit too harsh. It had incurred the full might of my 'zines with too much wasted space in' wrath. That complaint still holds though because there is too much blank space in here. Just fill it up people. Fill it up with whatever the hell you like. Just don't leave it blank. There's an interview with One minute Silence and the rest is fille dup with a coupl eof reviews, a bit of ranting and a few lists of good/bad things. Not worth 70p but next issue could be better if they had some more content.
Forced But Not Broken May 2000 (A5 12 Pages Free+SAE; 17 Boverton Street, Cardiff, CF2 5ES; vegan_compassion@hotmail.com www.i.am/forcedbnb)
A free newsletter that is dedicated to the South Wales punk/hc scene. There's stuff about a rip off promoter in Cardiff (Hustler) and a discussion about the ethics of putting on punk gigs at a venue where lap-dancing nights are also put on. There's also some local news and gig listings; some gigs reviews; and a few other rants and short articles. Worth getting even if you're not from South Wales.
Forum no.5 (A5 56 Pages RM4/$2; Lot 2341-D Off Jalan 1, Green Wood Park, 68100 Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia; or Bald Cactus)
It's a shame that this is going to be the last issue of Forum as it's a great hc zine that's packed full of stuff. Ints /w Hate To State, Homegrown Records, Contrasto, Black Market Fetus, Spazz and Nula. There's scene reports from all around the world, reviews, rants and articles - all the stuff that make a good DIY hc zine. It's one of those zines you find yourself reading again and also looking at periodically for information.
Fracture no.12 (A4 104 Pages Free+SAE; PO Box 623, Cardiff, CF3 4ZA)
Yet again Fracture comes up trumps. I reckon it's now fully grown out of it's UK version of MRR/HaC tag and is in a position to kick their arses! Ints /w Good Clean Fun, At The Drive In, Stalingrad, Ray Cappo, Trans Solar Records and Spanking Herman Records. Also loads of columns and reviews, a big tour diary thing of Jane Shag Stamp's stripping tour of Croatia and Slovenia. It's free so what are you waiting for?
Geekscene Thrashcore no.1 (A4 2 Pages Free+SAE; Chris, 14 Eastern Esplanade, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 1DR)
This is supposed to be a newsletter for the Kent HC scene. Not too much about it but that's why Chris is doing it, to try and kick start it a bit. Gig and record reviews fill this up. He has a great taste in music (although not liking Voivod is a sin) so they make a pretty good read. Make sure you get in touch with him if you're from Kent.
Get In Touch no.7 (A5 96 Pages $3ppd; Dangie and Butch Regale, 1260-D, Quiricada St Sta Cruz, Manila 1003, Philippines; getintouchxxx@yahoo.com; or び.20ppd from Synthesis)
Fucking hardcore! That's pretty much the only way you can describe this. It's full of passion, full of opinions, and full of a love of good music without ever straying out of the hardcore genre. This is by no means a bad thing when it's done this well. You know the score ints (OnexMore, JR Ewing, xFeudx and Bridge Records), columns, reviews, scene reports etc. It won't turn your world upside down if you've read a lot of hardcore zines but it stands out just by the sheer quality of the way it's done. Get in touch indeed!
Heartattack no.25 (A4 80 Pages 50・ PO Box 848, Goleta, CA 93116, USA; heartattack@ebullition.com)
Essential and not just because it's the price of a packet of crisps. It has a font size that makes SAE look like it's printed with 10 foot high neon letters so you know that there's a lot packed in here. About a gazillion record and zine reviews and a fair smattering of good quality columns. The articles this time are about films and about Kosovo. It has to be said that a lot of the columns are better and more informed than what a lot of zines pass of as being articles.
Here Be Dragons no.5 (A5 24 Pages; 2036 Wendover St, Apt 4, Pittsburgh, PA 15217; or 75p ppd from Collateral Damage)
This is kind of a cross between a personal and articles style zine. It's mainly articles on important subjects like consumerism, cultural genocide, gentrification and euthanasia but written in a personal way if you see what I mean. It's a good read but a little bit short.
Ideas As Matches no.2 (A5 36 Pages びppd; 57 Woodview, Lucan, Co Dublin, Ireland)
This has a good mix between personal and political stuff. There's stuff about work, an account of a trip to america, menstruation, Dublin food co-op, housing and other personal bits and bobs. I enjoyed reading this. I'm reviewing this a while after I read it and I reckon I'm going to go and give this another read.
If Tomorrow Ever Gets There no.1 (A5 52 Pages 40BF; Jeroen Vanderven, Eikelstraat 47, B-2920 Kalmthout, Belgium; herman.vanderven1@planetinternet.be)
A great personal zine. Not personal in an emo-whining I can't get a girlfriend because I've got no social skills and my mum wants me to do the washing up boo hoo it's all so unfair type way. It's all short pieces about stuff and thoughts and things. It's all fairly positive without being yucky-cutesy. It's hard to describe this kind of zine but I like it and think you might too.
In Darkness There Is No Choice no.4 (A5 24 Pages 30p+SAE; Ian Thomas, 4 Cumber Drive, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 6DZ)
This is a pretty rocking zine (even if the editor does like 'terrible crust punk'!). Ints /w Wat Tyler, Abusive Youth, and Ebola. A feature on Icons Of Filth, a Portland Scene report, an article on radicals in the civil war, some rants and some reviews of records and zine. It's small but it's packed full of stuff and is a good read.
In Darkness There Is No Choice no.5 (A5 24 Pages 30p+SAE; Ian Thomas, 4 Cumber Drive, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 6DZ; ianindarkness@lineont.net)
Christ, another issue already. This is a Portland special with interviews with War Machine, Aftermath, Atrocious Madness, Axiom and Kismet HC. They're not all from Portland but they are all anarcho punk type stuff. All the interviews are fairly in depth and cover a wide range of interesting topics although I think Atrocious Madness are a bit too concerned with conspiracy theories. If you like your A's circled then get this!
Infiltration no.14 (A5 24 Pages $1; PO Box 66069, Town Centre PO, Pickering, ON, L1V 6P7, USA; or 75p ppd from Collateral Damage)
This is a genuinely original zine. It's basically all about exploring places where the public doesn't have access. In this issue there's stuff about Roswell, an old school and Fort San. The locations are fairly irrelevant. What grabs your attention is the writer's way of expressing the danger of getting caught and the danger of getting hurt. The editor is also a bit of an architecture geek which gives the zine a further level of idiosyncrasy. Reading this makes me want to check out all the disused buildings in Bradford. A good example of the fact that you don't have to concentrate on music to do a zine.
Interpol Times no.14 (A4 100 Pages ぴppd; 2 Church Meadow, Surbiton, Surrey, KT6 5EW)
This is one of the most underrated fanzines in the UK. It's amazing how good it is but yet pretty unheard of here. This is the serial killer issue. They have loads of stuff about serial killers but try and shy away from just shock value. There's ints /w Avail, At The Drive In, Boy Sets Fire, Dahmer, Impel, Pridebowl, xSarahx and SOIA. As well as that there's crap loads more stuff like reviews, scene reports and columns. Best hc zine in the country? Quite possibly.
Irritant no.8 (A5 32 Pages ぴ.50ppd; PO Box 13840, London, N15 3WF)
This comes with a tape full of noise, digital hardcore and other bedroom breakbeat bollocks and very good it is too. The zine is nothing to sniff at either. There's a history of biker flicks, stuff about marijuana, a proposal for eating babies, christian cults, winos wine tasting, sending drugs through the post, monsters, midgets, sex and most importantly a table showing Elvis's weight on different planets. If you're looking for something other than run of the mill punk zines this is a good place to go especially as you get the tape with it too.
Itchy Bum no.8 (A5 68 Pages び+SAE; 6 Holyrood Close, Donington, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 4SP)
This would rate as a quite good mainstream metal-core type zine if it wasn't for the fact that it's filled with 'humour' and 'jokes' that even Loaded would reject for being too sexist and stupid. I think this is the reason people are loathe to call this a punk zine Cookie, rather than your love for metal. It's not even if the sexism is totally over the totally over the top and offensive. It's just lame 70s rugby changing room/pub style humour that's so overused and bland that it loses any effect. If you're going to be offensive at least do it with some style and not be half-arsed about it. Brighter points include ints /w Urko, Mustard Plug, Rykers, Turmoil and 17 Stitches. Plenty of reviews as well. Also some spoof newspaper articles that prove Cookie can actually be quite funny if he tries. Erm yeah, 50/50 on this one.
Just Another Damn Zine (A4 2 Pages Free+SAE; Paul Devine, 3E Brammal Court, Cannon Street, Salford, M3 6WA; knuckleheed@hotmail.com)
An excellent idea. This is a monthly newsletter consisting of gig dates for punk/hardcore gigs in the UK. Make sure you write off to Paul for a copy. Also send him any gig dates you know about.
Knucklehead no.3 (A5 68 Pages ふ; Paul Devine, 3E Brammal Court, Flat 1, Cannon Street, Salford, M3 6WA; knuckleheed@hotmail.com)
"How much?" I hear you all cry! Well it costs ふ because it comes with a CD full of DIY Scottish hardcore bands. Has interviews with Urko, Engage, Billy Club Sandwich, Stapleton, 3daysfallen, Indecision, Hard Resistance and 4 In Tha Chamber. Masses of other hardcore zine staples like scene reports, columns, reviews and big dollops of pasion and humour.
Loud And Noisy no.3 (A5 44 Pages び+SAE; eyeliner65@hotmail.com)
Ahhh. Big problem here. See, I know the editors of this zine as friends but think their taste in music sucks (ints /w Robb Flynn, Rachel Stamp, Kittie, Dog Eat Dog, earthtone 9, One Minute Silence, Kill 2 This, Coal Chamber, Raging Speedhorn and Drown). Luckily they're mostly one to one chats and some original questions are asked so the ints are a good read. Also non-music stuff is covered with a good, long rant about why TV is shit and some stuff about Brian Deneke (murdered punk kid). As well as that there's some lengthy reviews including a section promoting demo bands. Future issues may see the music coverage changing if me battering their ear drums with some good 'ol hc noise works but if you do happen to like nu-metal this is well worth getting if you want a more fulfilling and intelligent read than Kerrap.
Lost Dreams no.4 (A5 52 Pages び+SAE; 289 Princes Rd, Stoke On Trent, ST4 7JT)
having the zine as a benefit for the Save The Hillgrove Cats campaign is a great idea. However, having an entire zine of poetry is a bad idea, possibly verging on one of the worst ideas you could possibly have. I'm afraid that I've never really liked poetry. I did english lit up until a-level and I was never once grabbed by a piece of poetry. It's just a medium that I like. I can only recommend this zine if you really love cats or if you really love poetry.
Mass Movement no.5 (A5 40 Pages 50p+SAE; 18 Hazeldene Ave, Brackla, Bridgend, CF31 2JW)
I'm still not too keen on this zine's layout. It all just blends into one (not that I'm one to comment!). Some quite good contents though. Ints /w Mike Ness, Voorhees, Agnostic Front, Bad Town Boys and Kill Allen Wrench. Fair few columns too including one about Stampin Ground's trip to the US. Record reviews present but no zine reviews.
Maximum Rock n Roll no.205 (A4 168 Pages $3; PO Box 460760, San Francisco, CA 94146-0760, USA)
It seems that in the last year MRR has got better. It might just be me changing but they seem to cover some more interesting stuff now. However, I couldn't give a shit about virtually any of the records reviewed. This is the parenting special issue. There's loads of stuff on being a punk rock parent and loads of stuff about family planning and other related subjects. There's ints /w Wilbur Cobb, 50 Million, the Skudz and Coalition records. And of course there's all the billions of columns. I don't feel the need to get every single issue but picking up a copy every few months is always a good idea.
Medium Of Expression no.3 (A5 64 Pages び.20+SAE; Matt, 16 Holne Chase, Morden, Surrey, SM4 5QB)
This zine just gets fatter and fatter. Again it's mainly ints (Abjure, HHH, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Engrave, Cameran, The Ladderback, Bi-Focal Media, Time In Malta, Torn Apart) and reviews. All the ints are very in depth (including a couple of very long, face to face ones) and a good to read even if you haven't heard of the band. They're the kind of ones that make you want to check the band out. It's got more personal stuff in it this time as well. This zine is becoming one of the best in the UK at the moment. Make sure you order this to give Matt the encouragement to carry on.
Mindbreaker no.1 (A4 60 Pages 70 BEF; Doorniksewijk 134, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; or び+SAE from Bald Cactus)
I'm pretty sure this is the new project of Brob Tilt. The music coverage has been dropped in favour of politics with some zine reviews. He's an opinionated and intelligent bugger so this is a good, informative read. There's lots of stuff in here about racism, the effects of immigration and police brutality which are linked together well. Also stuff about the WTO and the 1968 riots. As well as that there's an interview with Point Of No Return, a brazilian hardcore band, all about third world hardcore which is a great read. Hopefully there'll be a new issue of this out by now. Go get it.
No Barcodes Necessary no.8 (A4 32 Pages びppd; PO Box 36, Armagh, BT60 3PQ, Northern Ireland)
Not as good as previous issues because it's smaller and only has interviews and reviews in it this time. Does that mean it's bad? Oh no! Even with this issues few minor points NBN still stands head and shoulders over most other HC zines. The ints (/w Imbalance, Detestation and Matt Average) are massively in depth, informative, opinionated and great to read. The reviews are also great, shying away from just giving pointless 2 liners. Future issues are also going to have 7"s with them. Another zine that should be on your must buy list.
On Display no.2 (A3 16 Pages $1; PO Box 578, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark; ondisplayzine@gaymale.com)
Typical isn't it. You finish a review of a zine and then, as soon as you've done it, the next issue comes out. Not that I'm complaining because On Display is pretty damn cool. They have a really cool aim of reaching out to no-DIY people without losing their DIY edge. It has all the usual newsprint elements like columns, ints (Section 8, Lack, Panicsville, Cock ESP and Good Clean Fun), and record and zine reviews. Extra points for featuring noise stuff as well. Harsh noise is more hardcore than you'll ever be. This is a good, intelligent hardcore zine. If you see it, get it.
Peoples Global Action Bulletin no.5 (A4 32 Pages; c/o Reclaim The Streets, PO Box 9656. London, N4 4JY; www.reclaimthestreets.net rts@gn.apc.org)
A good newspaper type thing put together (I think) by Reclaim The Streets. Information about various RTS events as well as loads of stuff about why it's needed in the first place. It's jam packed with informative articles. It thankfully doesn't fall into the trap of sloganeering or Socialist Worker Party style recruitment efforts. Has loads of addresses of similar organisations in it. If you're at all interested in the recent demonstrations against capitalism then this is a good place to start.
Personality Liberation Front no.3 (A5 68 Pages び from HHN; Kylie, PO Box 3023, South Brisbane BC Qld 4101, Australia; unigeek@yahoo.com)
This is how to do a hardcore fanzine. Load sof passion, music stuff, political stuff, 'emo' stuff, humour and general cut and paste mayhem. There's ints /w Arms Reach, Knuckledust, Atom and His Package and Submission Hold. Other stuff ranges from pictures of punk mullets to feminsm and everything in between. I liked this a lot!
Popart no.4 (A5 36 Pages び+SAE; 40 Alma Lane, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 0LH)
I suppose you could describe this as being at the slightly punky end of the NME/evening session scene. Lots of stuff about bands I've never heard of and don't really have much urge to hear either form the reviews. There's interviews with Angelic Upstarts, Jims Super Stereoworld and Inhale. There is loads of reviews so if you're into this kind of stuff then it would be worth getting hold of. Loads of godawful poetry is splattered liberally throughout as well. The editors obviously have a passion for the stuff they're doing, it's just not a passion I share!
Real Overdose no.23 (A5 76 Pages び+SAE; 64 Chatsworth Drive, Rushmere Park, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 5XD; realod@aol.com)
Masses of interviews with a variety of different punk type bands. I think it might be a good idea if occasionally they did big interviews with a few bands rather than loads of small ones but that's aminor complaint. One of the best things about this is that it has some contributions from Jas Toomer. Unfortunately they don't print his column in the 'Grinner' crazy handwriiten style but never mind. Masses of reviews and stuff.
Ripping Thrash no.19/Dripping Gash no.1 (A5 56 Pages びppd; PO Box 152, Burton On Trent, Staffs, DE14 1XX)
The Dripping Gash half is pretty disposable. Just young, drunk punk shenanigans. Ints /w Dead Pets, loads of stuff about why school is shit, reviews and a cartoon about a turd. I preferred the Ripping Thrash half more. Ints /w 4 Past Midnight, Annalise Schmidt, Power Of Idea and Blind Destruction records. Scene reports from Poland and Malaysia. There's also loads of reviews, mainly focusing on crust type stuff. I prefer reading about it than listening to it!
Savage Amusement no.11 (A4 12 Pages Free+SAE; 57 Briardene, Burnopfield, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE16 6LJ)
Oi Oi Oi! Get this if you like oi. The entire newsletter is just reviews and news related to oi and 77 style punk. Trev knows his stuff about oi and 77 punk although hates thrash metal which is a bad point. Also got lots of his humour and rants in it as well. It's free so if you like oi then I suppose I can recommend this. Did I mention Trev likes oi?
Scanner no.7 (A5 76 Pages び+SAE; 6 Chatsworth Drive, Rushmere Park, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 5XA; Scanzine@aol.com)
Another great UK punk zine. It's definitely established itself as one of the best regulars alongside the likes of Suspect Device, Vision On, Real OD etc. Lots of the zine is given over to Revelation records stuff with an interview with the owner and some bands (Gameface, Farside and Shelter). Never got bitten by the Rev bug but it's still a good read. There's also ints /w The Boys, Blood and Whiskey, Assert, Randumbs and Fishsticks. As well as that there's a huge article on the new anti-terrorism (protesting more like!) bill that's very informative. Big sections of columns, music and zine reviews, and film stuff. Insert phrase urging you to obtain a copy here....
Scenic no.1 (A5 48 Pages; Sarah Gelper, Bamberg 12, 3140 Keerbergen, Belgium; GSarah@mail.dma.be; or from Synthesis)
This is a pretty good hardcore zine from Belgium. Ints /w 30 Seconds Until Armageddon, Circle and Exit 19. There's also loads of personal stuff and rants and things. It won't change your world but it's still an interesting read.
Secret Files Of Captain Sissy no.3 (A5/A4 48 Pages $2; PO Box 4493, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA; or び.25ppd from Collateral Damage)
This is fantastic. It took me ages to review it because once I began to review it I just read it all again and I'm sure at some point in the future I'll read it all again and still be impressed. This is a personal/political type zine that thankfully doesn't fall into the trap of whiny emo crap. I find that listing what's in a zine like this one is pretty pointless because it doesn't tell you how great it is. This managed to make me feel angry, happy, sad, positive and a billion other things when I read it. Zines like this rule.
Shag Stamp no.8 (A5 52 Pages び.50ppd; Mohawk Beaver, Poste Restante, Norrebro Postkontor, 2200 Kobenhavn N, Danmark; janeminx@yahoo.com)
This is basically a load of tales of stuff that's happened to the editor, Topics covered include sexual harassment, cleaning pubs, 'houses i lived in once', new york, love and stuff. You know when you're drunk and with people you kind of half know and people start telling stories of stuff that's happened to them just for the hell of it and also to help get everyone to know each other better? That's what this comes across like. Only fault with this zine is that there isn't enough of it.
Sharkpool no.4/Real Overdose no.22 (A5 84 Pages び+SAE; PO Box 208, Nottingham, NG7 6EN; tracysharkpool@hotmail.com)
A split issue of two fine fanzines. No doubt by the time you read this there'll be billions more issues of Real OD out because they get them out so quickly. Sharkpool's pace of zineage is a bit slower so it's still worth getting hold of this. As you'd expect when Real OD is involved there's loads of interviews which I can't be bothered to list. There's loads of columns and reviews and stuff like that too. Hopefully there'll be a new Sharkpool solo effort out soon.
Short, Fast And Loud no.5 (A4 56 Pages $2; PO Box 420843, San Francisco, CA 94142-0843, USA)
Not sure why this is labelled as being no.5 when it is the first issue of this zine. Doesn't really matter, though, because this is a fantastic zine. If you like extreme hardcore then you need to get hold of a copy. If you didn't already know this is put out by Chris Dodge of Slap A Ham/Spazz fame. Just the title should give you an idea of what to expect. Ints /w Nice View and Blaine Cook; an article on Heresy; loads of great reviews and columns. If you like thrash, power violence, sludge, metal, hardcore etc this is your new bible.
Short, Fast and Loud no.6 (A4 80 Pages $2; PO Box 420843, San Francisco, CA, 94142-0843, USA; shortfastloud@hotmail.com)
Unbelievably this is even better than the last issue! Int's /w Hellnation, Exclaim, Abstain and Jliat. Articles about Ripcord and Larm. Also contains issue 6 of Max Spazz's demo review zine Mosh Of Ass. Comprehensive review section and loads of columns. All of if about fast hardcore, thrash, power vilence, grind etc. Get this or cry over your Get Up Kids records.
Silly Me no.2 (A6 48 Pages; Heloisa Arruda, Rua Amadeu II, Cherubini, #201/32, Sao Jose de Rio Preto, SP, Brazil, 15091-250; allergic@chickmail.com; or from Synthesis)
I love little personal zines like this. Just cut and paste photocopies of a persons thoughts and ideas. It's cool that it's from Brazil as well because it means that it has a different slant from the masses of US personal zines which can often come across as being 'spoilt little brattish'. It's like one big letter. Yep I like this. Silly You if you don't get this.
Slug And Lettuce no.63 (A3 20 Pages Free; PO Box 26632, Richmond, VA 23261-6632, USA; or from Active)
Another frustrating zine to review. Not because it's rubbish but because it's so difficult coming up with another way of saying that it's essential. All the columns are completely DIY, positive, intelligent, eco-friendly, punk as fuck and completely life affirming. Also masses of music and zine reviews from across the globe. Another good part of S&L is all the classifieds. You'd really have to be a knucklescraping moron not to get this.
Slug And Lettuce no.64 (A3 20 Pages Free/Donation+postage of course!; PO Box 26632, Richmond, VA 23261-6632, USA; Active distro it in the UK, send an SAE or something)
If you are into hardcore/punk at all then this is essential. You won't be able to believe how much stuff is reviewed until you actually see a copy. Also tons of contact addresses to get in touch with distros, pen pals, and all manner of other things. Columns too.
Stray Housewives Handbook no.4 (A5 48 Pages 50p+SAE; )
There seems to be a really positive trend in UK pop punk zines at the moment and that's a dedication to smaller UK bands rather than just covering Epi-Fat stuff. Ints /w Dillinger 4, Douglas, One Car Pile Up, Propagumbhis, Dugong, Clingfilm, Copperpot Journals, Skirtbox and Moon Monkey. The requisite columns and reviews are also here. Well worth getting if you're a pop punk/emo kind of geek.
Suspect Device no.33 (A5 60 Pages び+SAE; PO Box 295, Southampton, SO17 1LW)
This is possibly the longest running UK punk zine and it's still great (not that I'd know because the first one I got was 29). It's one of those zines that it doesn't matter who's interviewed it'll still be a good read. Incidentally this issues subjects are Farside, Shonben, Bug Central and Stephen Egerton. Loads of columns and a big section by David Stuart. As ever, record and zine reviews are present. This is a hell of a lot more than the sum of it's parts. Get it.
Synthesis no.5 (A5 60 Pages び+SAE/$2 Eur/$3 RoW; Laura, 14 Batavia Mews, London, SE14 6EA; http://connect.to/synthesis laura_wirtz@yahoo.com)
Long time coming but well worth the wait. It's more like a small book than a zine because it's packed full of intelligent writing on a wide range of topics (GM Food, gentrification, censored news, J18, animal rights, sXe & feminism, hc festivals, fat, vegan cooking, survey about non-western punk scenes, human nature, children's rights and loads more). Ints /w a GAndALF defendant and a Brazilian band called Dominatrix. Masses of zine reviews from across the globe and a few music ones. It'll take you ages to read all of this and you'll keep wanting to re-read it as well. When I say that this is essential reading I mean it. Get it or forever be known as a poseur.
Thirsk 2000 (A5 40 Pages 50p+SAE; 39 Station Road, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 1QH; thirskpunx@hotmail.com)
This is a 3 way split zine with Small Sailor no.8, My God Can Beat Up Your God no.7 and Monkey Bizness no.4. The Monkey Bizness section is a waste of space but the other two are good pop punk type zines. There's ints /w Dropnose, One Car Pile Up, Against All Authority and Crackle Records. There's columns, zine and record reviews, stuff on exorcisms and humour. Good but would have been better if the Monkey Bizness section hadn't been included. Aaron is starting up a zine distro so write to him and see what goodies he's got.
The Ugly Duckling no.4 (A4 42 Pages; Lieve Goemaere, Zwaanhofweg 3, 8900 Ieper, Belgium; lieve.goemaere@rug.ac.be)
This zine is almost entirely handwritten and is very much on the emo/personal side of things. Well I bet that's turned off all the new-school-hc-only-DTp'd-zines-are-worth-reading-if-at-all crowd. You lose turd brain because this is ace. You never get bored reading Lieve's writing and there's a hell of a lot of it. There's also some reviews and itnerviews and stuff. I got this from Synthesis for び or something. Go get it.
The Union no.1 (A5 68 Pages び/60BF/10FF+postage; BP 3021, 59703 Marcq-En-Baroeul Cedex, France; unionstrikeforce@yahoo.com)
This is done by the guy who used to do The Paper and this is an A5 version of that said zine. However, The Union is a lot better than I remember The Paper being, perhaps because the editor's had time to improve. This is well DTP'd and looks great and is on glossy paper but thankfully isn't crap and Terrorize'd. There's ints /w Botch, Grade, MK Ultra, The Locust, Kill The Man Who Questions, a tattooist, Phyte Records and Larry E Watts. Of course there's loads of reviews but there's also stuff about xDot Cottonx gig collective and a great section called 'Smartass' in which the editor, Rudee, tries to show how much of an asshole he is with his sense of humour. Rudee may be an asshole but this shit certainly smells of roses.
Vision On no.17 (A4 32 Pages Free+SAE; 27 Springbank Croft, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, HD7 1LW; steve@visionon1.freeserve.co.uk)
Does this even need to be reviewed? If you didn't already know this is damn near essential, especially if you like pop punk type stuff. In here are ints /w Bouncing Souls, Jello Biafra, The Dragons, Crackle Records and Down By Law. Loads of informed record reviews are scattered across the pages. Also book and film reviews. As well as that there's some columns which are interesting to read and not just 'um, err, don't know what to write about' crap. It's free too. Are you stupid or something? Get those envelopes out and send off for it now.
Vision On no.18 (A4 48 Pages Free+SAE; 27 Springbank Croft, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, HD7 1LW; steve.lee@ntlworld.com)
Another stupidly packed issue of Vision On here. Just the fact that it's a free zine should send you scurrying for your stamps and envelopes. However, if you haven't already buggered off to write to Steve you should know that this issue has interviews with Shelter, The Dwarves, Leatherface, Get Up Kids, Knuckledust and Four Letter Word. There's also loads of columns, a big section where people write about their first gig experiences and masses and masses of reviews.
VPSG Newsletter Autumn 99 (A4 14 Pages び+SAE; PO Box 194, Enfield, Middx, EN1 4UB; hvpc@vpsg.freeserve.co.uk)
This is the newsletter of the Vegan Prisoners Support Group. Most of this is prisoners or recently released prisoners writing about their experiences of prison. It also has details of animal rights prisoners in the UK at the moment. One thing I would have liked to have seen is more details of why they were in prison. The reports in here show that it is often very difficult to remain vegan in prison so the VPSG's work is very valuable and important.
With Harmful Intent no.2 (A5 40 Pages 50p+SAE; Cormac Sheehan, 14 Antogher Road, Roscommon, Ireland; http://go.to/whi whizine@hotmail.com)
This is one of those zines that is split 50/50 between a punk attitude and a Kerrang attitude. Future issues could go either way but hopefully the editor will choose the former. There's ints /w Neurosis, Bouncing Souls, Mixtwitch and No Use For A Name. They're face to face ones which makes them a pretty good read. Quite a few very long record reviews, some live and zine reviews are what make up the rest of the zine. There's also some stuff about why Tower Records are rip offs. Just a couple of ideas. If you can't get your pop punk albums at a reasonable price either get them from Crackle mailorder who are super cheap and have everything or get you and your mates to club together and get some wholesale. Cuts out the middlemen and everyone's happy.
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