Noisy's reading room....

Noisy is a staunch supporter of printed fanzines! The plan is to update this as often as possible with the latest independent reads you must check out! Reviews last updated 16th August 2008.

 

Shebang is the kind of fanzine you wish you had made. Beautifully produced and printed in a sort of 'exercise book' style on blue paper and card and beautifully illustrated throughout, this first issue features a mixture of music and musings on culture which range from interviews with Poppy and the Jezebels, The Subways and Peggy Sue and the Pirates, pieces on crafts, Morrisey and cover songs, art, travel and really interesting features on one woman's experience as being dressed as a Geisha for a day and an interview with someone who worked on the TV sets for The Mighty Boosh. Plus there's the obligatory record and gig reviews. More a lifestyle handbook than a regular old 'zine, Shebang is essential reading for anyone interested in reading about more than just someone else's taste in music. It's not cheap but you do get a badge and cute contact card with your order and hell, it knocks the socks off most glossy mags that cost the best part of a fiver nowadays! Visit website to order

 

For the uninitiated, Pussy Rock is a fanzine that focuses on female musicians and this brilliant third issue takes in a plethora of artists old and new for reviews, retrospectives and interviews. Shampoo, Fuzzbox and Death By Chocolate are some of the older musicians revisited here, whilst lead singer of Wicked Little Dolls, Scareifina, Pam Hogg and Velocity of The Vulgaras are interviewed. There are in-depth reviews of releases by artists including Emilie Autumn, Dresden Dolls, Rasputina, Rosin Coven and Hazard County Girls, well worth reading for anyone who wants a closer look at these artists before deciding to delve into their back catalogues. There is also a great interview with Cazz Blase, about riot grrrl fanzines, as she has just written a chapter on the subject for a new book. If the reason you read fanzines is to be introduced to new and different things, then Pussy Rock should be at the top of your reading list. A copy of the fanzine costs £1.50 including postage and packing within the UK, send an email to: appleby dot jane at gmail dot com for further information on ordering.

 

A punk/hardcore fanzine with a freaky skeleton on the cover! This début issue contains interviews with Mike Scott (Phinius Gage), Omerta and Just Die, plus some fiction writing, record reviews and a quick guide to the art of the mixtape – it's good to see some people still promoting good ol' fashioned cassettes! No idea how much this fanzine costs or exactly when this issue emerged, but their e-mail address is: hallowedgreyzine at googlemail dot com.

 

 

 

 

Picked up for free in a Brighton record shop earlier this year, it appears OIB are a record label who also put on gigs. This short and sweet black and white A5 number contains a photo tour diary by Help She Can't Swim, a review of Iceland's Airwaves festival, book and music reviews and an interview with Mansbestfriend. Go visit their website and you'll find out what OIB stands for. Contact them via their website to get a copy sent to you for free, or read it online in glorious colour – the choice is yours!

 

 

 

One of things I thought when I looked at this fanzine is why are everybody's eyeballs are crossed out on the cover? Alan Partridge, Charles & Diana, even Zippy from Rainbow gets the biro treatment! Anyway, 'That's Not Skanking' originally started out as a fanzine and promoter and is now is a record label that puts out this free 'zine. Chocked full of stuff, it's well worth getting hold of. It has loads of interviews with bands including The Medicine Bow and The Fractions, to name a few, and a couple of record reviews. More information from their myspace page.

 

 

 

Andrew Culture, the man behind Beat Motel fanzine, spins a good yarn and there are plenty of them in each issue of his 'zine. This mini zine contains one such story about unlucky Andrew's night spent in a car park in Catford, and it's an entertaining way to spend 15 minutes so splash out 50p for it over at Andrew's fanzine distro

 

 

 

 

 

This glossy-covered read is essential for anyone living in the Cambridgeshire, Herts & Essex regions. Like the title, it's premise is simple – music, and lots of it. Each issue contains news, comprehensive events listings, live and CD reviews, competitions, interviews and regular features including the humorous 'How to be a rock n' roll failure' series. This July/Aug 08 issue includes interviews with The Subways, Audio Bullys and Malcolm Middleton (Arab Strap), plus masses of record reviews that include everyone from Feeder and The Futureheads to our own Colchester noisemongers The Kuru Smile. This mag can be picked up from various music venues and shops across Essex for free, but is also sold in some places for the princely sum of £1 (there's even an option to subscribe). It's worth it. Visit website.

 

 

Another great free local read is Level 4 magazine, describing it's contents as 'brain food for culture vultures', Level 4 covers music, literature, arts and events in the Southend area and really should be read by anyone looking for things to do and investigate in our seaside town. The main feature of this second issue is the editorial team's trip to Southend's twin town of Sopot, in Poland, they produce a handy travel guide for anyone wishing to take a visit to this interesting place themselves. But that only scratches the surface of what this issue serves up – there's also features on local artists, musicians, events, creative writing and poetry, a recipe (an Eastern European dish, to fit with the theme, of course), a feature on local theatres and, if you look closely, even Noisy gets a mention in these packed pages! Absolutely worth picking up if you see it around, Level 4 proves essential reading! Official myspace page

 

**OLDER REVIEWS (SPRING 2008)**

Living proof that there is a fanzine for just about any subject, the US gives us Sugar Needle - a fanzine about sweets or, should I say, candy. No idea which issue this is but it's dated early 2006 and has reviews of a variety of sugar coated snacks including candy pipes, Penguin bars and 'tourist' - a cream filled wafer from Taiwan (and no, it doesn't go down well with the reviewer!) plus interviews regarding some candy - related professions. Each issue is crammed with humour and you're guaranteed to learn something after glancing at each page - did you know Japan have red wine flavoured Kit Kats? Neither did I!

 

This zine is available from many distros, but try e-mailing phlox at gmail dot com for further info.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a great fanzine about the Bradford music scene, available from local stockists free if you're in the area or £1 via their website. It's a black & white professionally printed affair and this issue sees interviews with British Sea Power, oodles of live reviews and a nice piece by a promoter on his memories of putting on gigs in the 80s. This is a really eye-opening, good read whether you're involved in the local scene or not. Website

 

 

 

The zine directory has a simple objective - to provide a comprehensive guide to a huge number of independent fanzines (plus one or two larger publications) from all over the world. The listings are in alphabetical order and feature pricing and contact information, making this an indispensible guide for anyone looking to find new reading matter or to find the ideal publications to sumbit music/writing etc. for review to. There's also a very handy listing of distros at the back, so if you fancy buying a load of fanzines all at once, they're you're ideal one stop shop! This issue costs £1.50 which includes UK postage and packing. Further revised editions of this directory are planned for the future, so buy this issue and tell the editor what you think!

 

E-mail: appleby dot jane at gmail dot com for more info.

 

For those who haven't yet come across it, Skip To The 'End is a great free read shouting about all that's great and good in the Southend area, this festive issue is a nice green colour and features articles and opinions from local readers plus some music/website reviews. Well worth reading and can be picked up from a variety of local cafes and shops. They have a full list of stockists on their myspace page here.

 

 

 

Small fanzine by comedian Rachel Pantechnicon, and picked up at one of her gigs for 50p. Very funny, but probably better understood once you've seen the live act. Kind of like 'Jackie' but funnier and far more sarcastic - comics, poems and even record reviews. A nice memento and unfortunately I haven't a clue how you would get hold of a copy!

 

 

 

**OLDER REVIEWS (2007)**

 

The third issue of this great zine now has glossier printing and adverts, and still covers a great selection of music. This time around there is slightly more focus on the Cornwall scene and great articles on Pink Grease and Rosie & the Goldbug, amongst others, that will make you want to run and check out these bands after reading about them! There's also a great article written by Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls about the Edinburgh Festival. This is essential reading and a bargain at just £1! Website

 

This is one of my favourite fanzines ever. Based in Newcastle but happy to scribble about anything and anyone they take a fancy to, each issue takes in band interviews, label profiles, gig and record reviews, recommended books and in this particular issue, great articles including fifteen 'Best Ever Bands With Colours In Their Name' and a guide to local radio programming, complete with beautiful illustrations from co-editor Richard Short. Genre-wise, these guys are heavily steeped in indie and alt rock, with The Future of the Left, Mark Kozelek, The Research, These New Puritans, and The Maccabees making up the pages of this issue. Now, most of these bands I haven't heard of, and those I have give me a luke-warm feeling at best. But that doesn't matter because each and every one of these musicians is written about with a true understanding and passion that rivals just about any mainstream music mag I've picked up in the last few months – take editor Debbora's loving account of her first encounters with The Maccabees as a case in point. These people love music, and they love what they do. So much so, that this 34-page essential read can be yours for the sum of zero pence! Yes, it's free! Visit their website for full details of stockists and make sure you make them your myspace friends, you won't regret it!

 

 

A zine that's written by Candy Panic Attack's K*, this second issue features oodles of music reviews care of the editor's adventures on myspace, features on Helen's Evil Twin, Blood Red Shoes, The Elephant Dress, a packed-out gig diary, a great report on Ladyfest Cardiff and even a rough guide to Poland, plus much more! A truly great read at 50p, brimming with enthusiasm on every page! Visit website for more details

 

 

A chaotic mix of personal funny stories, interviews and music & fanzine reviews, there's something for everyone in an issue of Debunk. The recently NME-approved Gallows and The King Blues get the interview treatment this time and Beat Motel's Andrew Culture contributes a hilarious account of his school memories which makes for incredibly entertaining reading. Just £1 and definitely recommended! Visit website for more details

 

 

 

 

Unsigned is a bible for anyone in a band and everyone else who wants to discover new, great music. Each issue is packed with news, interviews, reviews and advice for unsigned bands. This issue sees Essex's Koopa grace the front cover, with other interviews including Queen Adreena side-project Dogbones, Enter Shikari and The Pricillas. There's heaps of record, gig and fanzine reviews and even a free 21 track CD so you can hear what you've been reading about! £2 has never been so well spent – to buy a copy or find out how you can get on the CD/a review in the mag, go visit the website

 

 

 

Touting itself as having a 'back to basics' approach – a price tag of £0.00 and printed at home, Grr Grr is a great read. This inaugral issue sees a mix of articles and interviews with the writer's favourite bands of the moment, including We Rock Like Girls Don't, Hed(pe), Pretty Boys, The Organ, Venom Seeds and many, many more. Complete with colour pictures and a genuine enthusiasm for all it speaks of, this is a marvellous read. For information on the latest issue and how you can get your mitts on a copy, go visit the website

 

 

 

For me, the best fanzines are those that introduce me to things I've never heard of, that are clearly a labour of love and written by people who seem to be constantly combing the planet for new and interesting things the mainstream press don't touch. R&EB is one such title, focusing mainly on the experimental, the electronic or low-fi indie rocker and supplying it's readers with a disc of bleeps and whirrs from a selection of labels, each issue really is an education. This issue strays very slightly into the realms of familiarity with interviews with Goldblade and Public Enemy's Chuck D. As ever the layout is gloriously minimal, this time peppered with clip art taken from old Practical Electronic magazines, the zine is celebrating it's 10 year anniversary, and with such a strong sense of identity, let's hope it lasts another 10 years. Visit website for pricing info

 

 

 

Black Velvet is an independent magazine rather than a fanzine, even more so since it had a small revamp and is now printed entirely in glorious colour with a cool new logo! This is the first issue I've seen in full colour and it looks brilliant, really bringing those fantastic live shots to life! This particular issue features interviews with Bowling For Soup, Wheatus, Son of Dork, Army of Freshmen, Ash, Towers of London, Cute Is What We Aim For, Miss Conduct and many, many more. There's oodles of news, fanzine, record, dvd and live reviews including the likes of 30 Seconds To Mars and My Chemical Romance. I remember reading about My Chemical Romance well before they became huge over here in Black Velvet, so if you're looking to discover the next big thing – it's probably amongst these pages! Each issue costs £2 plus postage & packing. For mail order info or a list of stockists, please visit the website.