Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Printed Noises #2, 1979


 
The 60c pencilled top right corner on the cover of this Printed Noise hints at a journey across the Atlantic and back to finally reside just across the Pennines from its Chorlton-cum-Hardy home. There’s a fine assemblage of bands for this second issue with Martin Clayton and Dirk R.E. Matrix interviewing A Certain Ratio, Joy Division (a choice typo has Peter Hood on bass! Rob Gretton gets his tuppence in, and bless Ian Curtis for exclaiming, “fanzines, you are the future of the world”),and The Teardrop Explodes (Julian Cope in comical messianic mode and Mick Finkler recalls Wire – just as Gretton did – just as Charlie Chainsaw did....). There’s an article on The Mediators and Manchester for Beginners puts the spotlight on venues (just the Factory and Band on the Wall really + a mention of City Fun fanzine Ed., Andy Zero reopening The Mayflower as Fun House). Modern Life, Modern Man & the Future offers a schematic for survival + PN’ take on the playlist with their Trendy/Matrix Earlists. Admirable.

A4 scanned at 600 dpi

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

Chainsaw #5, 1978

It's Chainsaw time again! Here's issue 5 of Charlie Chainsaw's smashing fanzine. Replete as ever with Charlie's charming comments. The editorial notes the move to double-sided printing and promises, “if I make a profit on this mag I’ll use it to get the bleeding N fixed!”. There’s a fetching snap of Charlie by Jon Romney of Negative Reaction fame and Mr. Chainsaw tells us that the rest of the photos were self-shot using his recently acquired “Boots Beirette that cost £12 new (good eh?)” – how sweet... Anyroad, Chainsaw #5 features: an interview with The Users; Money Corrupts discusses the allure of major labels, photo-fit punks, the “absolute bullshit” nature of the “New Wave” scene and offers props for Wire and Siouxsie & The Banshees; live reviews of The Soft Boys, Squeeze, The Boys/The Force, Slaughter & The Dogs, Siouxsie & The Banshees; LPs  - Live at The Roxy comp (Wasps, Mean streets, Neo, Bernie Torme, Art Attacks, Suspects, Maniacs (the Art Attacks review is ace - “it just sounds like a singer with a Northern accent, with a distant rumbling...”)), Raw Deal comp (The Users, Raw Sewage Co., G.T.s, Bloodclots, Sick Things, Psychos, Killjoys, Zhain); 7”s – Magazine, The Wasps, Devo, Blitzkrieg Bop, The Panik, Metal Urbain, Chelsea, The Pigs, Sham 69, Alternative TV, Menace; a review of Julie Davis, Punk; a short article on Charlie’s band, The Buttocks and neat ads for The Panik and Johnny Moped. Oh, and we mustn't forget Willie D’s Hitler’s Kids cartoon...HACK!

A4 scanned at 600 dpi
Chainsaw #5         

 Allied Propaganda Issue 2, July/August 1979 Any fanzine is worth checking out if you can spare the time or money, if only for the principle...