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| PUKE #8 August 2004 **** Has it really been 2 years since Puke's last throw up in the zerox dog bowl? Per fucks sake!! Not that the Puke bastion has been dawdling in it's absence, coz Miss Puke's promotion sideline is kicking off big style in between drunken excursions. So we have to content ourselves with a now bi-annual shot of Puke, which is still a stimulating experience in punk print. And although it's not as up to date as it once was, or as 5th form and ink stained as past issues, this Stirchley based zine will always be a cover to cover read here in the Wolfs Lair. For the simple reason it's still got that raging, messy, handwritten/typed layout with a caustic attitude that makes it a veritable contender for one of our septic isles most notable zines today. Good to see Becca Puke changing her mind on Joe Strummer whom she slagged with a vengeance (circa his solo period) and rightly so. However since his untimely death she's given him a rather good and poignant send off. Pity some of the interviewee's in this issue don't live up to Pukes on the edge vibe. We get a somewhat mediocre one from from Geordie ex-skins Crashed Out. Derby's strumming punk minstrel Paul Carter adds a bit of humour, whilst long running Brummy skankers General Winter stay well on the fence for fear of aggro or upsetting their fellow comrades.. .chickens! Like I said Puke these days seems very grown up alongside earlier editions. Not sure that's beneficial in the big scheme of things, but I spose even zines written by Aylesbury defects graduate to adulthood sooner or later. The reviews are short and candid, but some of the matured taste as the Puke bowl widens leaves a lot to be desired. But one thing you do know with this zine is it ain't gonna pander to freebie favor, as the now defunct Fracture gets dispatched without mercy. Keeping the entertainment ante rolling, there's a great shot of some meat shop sign with the immortal 'Bush & Son Ltd'.. .Wholesale Butchers', which was a giggle. We also get a 2 year update on all the gigs Puke's made a mess at, and there's been quite a few. Plus an amusing if slightly surreal fly swatting routine in bed-sit land. As we speak Puke is making a long awaited appearance on the WWW so hopefully we'll be getting more up to date vomit and views pretty soon. If not buy this or check out one of the forthcoming Brummy Puke promotions at the Royal George bar in Birmingham where copies will be available no doubt! Puke |
| BALD CACTUS #22 2004 **** I picked this zine up in Wolverhampton of all places, at a recent dark Drongo's gig. And it wasn't until I got home the following morning, in the cold light of day and in alcohol recovery, that I checked out the residue littering my skyrocket. What scared me more than being skint was I realized I got the latest edition of Bald Cactus!!! Hmmmm the omens weren't looking good, as this was possibly the worst zine that I read in 2001! However from the 'Gurning' front cover onwards, I have to admit this Leeds zine has made one massive improvement on the last dismal time we met. The whole zine looks like it's had a major, and I mean significant overhaul. Loads more artwork comes in a fucking crystal clear print job, with dare I say it... a professional looking layout. And there's just enough cut 'n' paste to keep it from being the clinical boring drudge we were once witness too. It's even gotta a fucking upbeat feel to it! So Andy old bean, well fucking done! I really thought you'd lost the inky plot by issue #19. It's such a relief to be proven wrong, coz the longest running Yorkshire punk zine has finally arrived into the 21st century along with a full Anarcho battery a blazing in it's wake. Although it's PC politics and high almighty sectarianism is still prevalent, Bald Cactus don't ostracize the passerby nearly half as much as it did once upon a time. BC features good solid interviews with a good set of characters. First up are the vagrant Scarborough noise niks, Active Minds. They give us a real insight into touring Euro squats, dog kennels and Belgium which sounds nearly as bad as Scarborough! Local and lean hardcore outfit Indicator who are now known as Burn The Borders bring in a fresh hungry outlook. And finally we get Anarcho autocrat Colin Conflict, who sounds like he had his lawyer present when answering the probing questions. A revealing interview for what he didn't say I must add, and considering Conflicts assertive profile did ring alarm bells. Sacre bleur! there's even humour too. Check out the welcome return of the Andy Anarchist cartoon strip on the back page. The eclectic reviews are honest and on the ball, and this zine must be the only one I've read who's given those Scottish weirdo's Opaque a slot, all be it with the inevitable slagging. The letters page was entertaining, featuring Croats pledging undying love, money making schemes and football in punk. The columns were worth your perusal too with wide ranging topics like Security at gigs, capitalism, consumerism, first arrests and Christians tee hee. Good to see a few new UK zines making their debut in this issue too, which is promising in our UK zine scene. We do need NEW blood and ink badly! With this issue Bald Cactus makes a welcome return to form so c'mon kids can you match this blueprint?... we wait with baited breath. baldcactus@ntlworld.com |
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| GADGIE #18/ WATERINTOBEER #8 April 2004 ***l/2 This is one THICK fucker, as in page count, not intellectual performance. What you have here is a couple of zines with plenty to say and totally different ways to say it. From Gadgie's textual minimalism to WIB's crazy clutter, we get two very different angles what make split zines so good. Hailing from Lincolnshire, UK comes the by now veteran Boston Queen of the UK zine scene, Gadgie. This is a fanzine bought to us via Marv, who's a strange breed in zine circles. By day he's a PE schoolteacher, but by night (and during school holidays) he miraculously transforms into a punk scribe. Now if that ain't a weird twist of persona, I dunno what is? Punk has become so inbred into mainstream culture these days, that even schoolteachers, priests and god forbid cops make up remnants of our cultish phenomenon. I'm not knocking it, I just find it strange that some pupil at his school into punk could be reading his PE teachers fanzine ha! In my days teachers were authoritarian figures, especially fit sports teachers, who were the enemy at the gate. And for lazy, unfit cunts like meself who were barely made the cross country run before dinnertime, we deemed these bullyboys as positively satanic! But there ya go the times they are a changin. Marv retains that school boy view on life in his writing style, and I bet the kids think he's sound. Although I hope he don't switch personality at work. But back to the zine, we are still inundated with tales of his schoolboy past which can drag on somewhat, but luckily for us his other main topic of coversation is Middlesboro FC, which never fails to gives us a sly smirk at their expense. If you peel away those faded reminisces, Gadgie brings us up to date with punk reviews and interviews. What I like best about Marv's accounts are his Boston Indian Queen (local punk venue) anecdotes and tales of punk rock intrigue. So more punk please Sir! Waterintobeer based in the Yorkshire urban grime of Leeds, reads better when it's more compact and there's less space for trivial filler. Having said that, it's trio of editors are itching to dispel their scribbles to an ever growing mass (if there distribution links are to be revered). The best section in this developing zine was the editorial focusing on ghettos, which I gotta agree was bang on. There was also an amusing, if slightly fawning Justin Timberlake piece. The wanker was spotted on some local ski slide. Which made me wonder whether those rumours circulating the punk world, that he's gonna play Johnny Rotten in the new Penelope Spheeris biopic are true!? Gawwwwd help us if it is! Back in the real world, Trev Hagl keeps the humour flowing as a guest columnist in the 'I hate Leeds' series, which was a guaranteed laugh for anyone who been viewing his run in with the Leeds PC punk police. Some parts of the on going Finnish gig diary were interesting, particularly the hitchhiking bit. I enjoy the gig reviews best though, coz it reminds me of my not too distant past...sleeping in doorways, missing trains and meeting aggro on the street. You know the score. Although I think these kids may need psychiatric help if you're walking the streets at night talking to yerself! As always a fucking boat load of reviews that sweep a pretty big section of what we deem punk rock and all its offshoots. There's even room for a couple of interviews with Canadians, The Real (ha! that's a laugh) McKenzie's, and some faceless ska/metal outfit called Goddamn Minivan making up the numbers. www.waterintobeer.tk |
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| RIOT ON YOUR OWN #17 OCTOBER 2004 **** Always good to peruse a copy of Belfast’s funniest punk zine, coz Riot On Your Own’s persona shines through the dry ink stained yuma, making it a pleasure to read. You won’t get bored with countless columns, in-depth reviews or political intrigue in this fucker! But what you do get is a fast, no bullshit view on punk rock Belfast style. Along with just enough information to wet your whistle, crack you up or nudge you into further investigation. And Bill the editor, does hit the mark nine times outta ten, but I still can’t fathom how he can conclude the Ramones ain’t punk!!!? So with Judy and Sheena ostracized, what you do get in this issue is a slightly piss taking interview with Mr Terry Hooley. Terry‘s the geezer responsible for bringing us the early delights of the Outcasts, Rudi and the Undertones on his pioneering Good Vibrations label. It’s followed by a dull one with some schoolteachers who play in a pop punk band called Fool. I think they’re only in here coz they’re local. There’s a massive Wasted Festival romp, alongside a collage photo centrespread from the festival itself. We also get a profile on Bill’s other affliction… local piss-heads Runnin Riot, whose brand new album ‘Built In Belfast‘ is dissected track by track. If you thought it was all Belfast this issue, well your wrong! Guy Trelford who co-authored the ‘It Makes You Wanna Spit’ book, has sent in an exclusive Ozzie scene report from Adelaide. Amongst the pics (Bill being one of the few zinewriters who realises a picture can tell a thousand words, or in his case probably about ten) he manages to capture some funny as fuck snaps, including more assorted Belfast “totty“. Riot On Your Own goes serious for a minute on the ‘25 years of Thatcher’ rant (you can still smell the hate). And he pays homage to the fire in North Street Arcade which wiped out the local punk shop, and the Arcadia café which was one of Bill’s more yuppified hangouts. You can almost hear the violins above the vegan chit chat. Class read!!!! billyriot@hotmail.com |
| RIOT ON YOUR OWN #18 December 2004 ****
Fuckin’ hell Bill seems to be knocking these scruffy rags out like there’s no tomorrow, as 2004 rolls to a close. It must be the pull of all the Buckfast’s he’s about to consume, or maybe the Fuckwits have secured a tour support with McFly? I’m glad zines like this get released every 2 or 3 months if they’re this interesting. I done it myself for 4 years, putting one out every 3 months. So I know its hard work. But if you’ve got enough ammo and inspiration, which Bill certainly has. Then you can maintain the input without it becoming filler. From the classic cover shot of Bill dressed as Elvis and his spiky mate as Santa onwards, this Christmas issue is a lively affair. No interviews in this copy, but you get Bills top ten punk photos, and surprisingly he only appears in 2 of them!!! In between the paparazzi shots, we witness Bill’s first encounter with punk, which entailed watching the Jam on TOTP’S, along side a fitting John Peel epitaph. There’s an amusing piece on the WWE spandex wrestling phenomenon, and an impressive array of Bills gig tickets from across the decades, that he recently found in his moms attic. Including numerous Toyah sightings…tee hee! Bill’s currently putting together plans for a rough ‘n’ ready Belfast punk DVD compilation. This should capture some scintillating, rowdy moments from the last 5 years of the local punk scene. Definitely a disc to look out for. This zine always makes you look at your own local punk scene with some derision, it has to be said. They gotta a fuckin great scene in Belfast if this zine is anything to go by! And I’m bloody jealous! There’s tons of zine / record and gig reviews, including a spotlight on his own combo The Drunken Fuckwits, who round this 30-page FREEBIE off in a consistently smashed fashion! billyriot@hotmail.com |
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| NEGATIVE REACTION #1 2004 **** Great to see Sir Trev Hagl back on the ink trail. However I was slightly frustrated with some aspects of Negative Reaction, his latest return to fanzine life. He’s come back from the brink after he pensioned off his compulsive street punk newsletter Savage Amusement. Apparently a half hearted webzine wasn‘t much fun either, which no-one could fucking locate anyway? So with no other format to attack or flog for beer money, a full on paper fanzine is called for and where he really reads best. Negative Reaction comes out the trap with 2 new editors in tow to give it some 3D dimension? Although I’m not sure it needs that. It’s gotta be a nightmare to stage manage 3 zine writers within one publication on a regular basis. Maybe that’s the reason for a slightly subdued return? However with Trev as the major shareholder, the humour in this issue is still present, but maybe not quite so uncompromising or as gritty as in HAGL. I would’ve rather read more from Trev’s pen than the weakest link in the trio, Gareth from Cats Penis. Maybe Trev needs to keep his 2 new sidekicks on board in order to help finance this triple editorial on regular basis? Negative Reaction looks and feels like HAGL which is sound, and it certainly captures some diverse band interviews, which this issue is dominated by. They all have something to say, learn about, laugh at or disagree with. We get red New York punk outfit the Stockyard Stoics, who sound very interesting indeed, alongside gigging whores The Fight from Dudley, who make a rare street punk zine appearance. Fellow Geordie’s Crashed Out promote tattoos and shootings on Sunset strip. While the Cockneys are represented by The Business with tour calamity’s, and Last Resort who look very desperate, but didn’t they always. Californian skin outfit The Legionnaires tell us about homosexual skin spotting in London, and we end with a couple of short un‘s. Both of whom feature GG Allen affiliates, the Murder Junkies and power punkers Jabbers. The reviews are mostly spot on, but I was a tad disappointed with the Cats Penis contribution. I‘m still waiting for their hilarious punch line that Trev promised us in his editorial. The other editor who I nearly forgot to mention is Big Bison ex Eaten Alive zine, who certainly weighs in with a fair contribution level. But surprisingly it seems he’s got a major skin fixation! Which is worrying, especially for any skin out there in a dark alley at night! I’m sure next issue will be firing on all cylinders input wise, and for an A4 debut this pisses on a lotta more established zines. £1.00 plus 50p SAE trevhagl@hotmail.com |
| SUCK TIL I SAG #2 2004 ** When I picked this up at a gig earlier this year I wasn’t sure what zine it was till I checked it out the next day. The thrown together layout looks like it’s been done at the last minute on the way to the printers. Suck Til I Sag has gotta be one of the worst zine titles out there today, alongside maybe ‘Ploppy Pants’(uurrghh!!!) or Cats Penis (arrrrgh!!!). It promises us “enough laughs to make us cum“… yeah right! I’m afraid the only thing I cum to in this issue, was the conclusion that the smutty humour just don’t turn me on, and it gets worse as you read on. The editors on this one seem to be trying way too hard to go for the over the top shock value. And I bet they laugh at their own jokes too. Instead of splitting our sides in the process they just merely get very boring and very predictable, very soon! You’d expect this kinda crud off teenage schoolboys who have more testosterone stored up in their balls than is healthy for em. Not from a duo who are probably old enough to pay off a mortgage. And one of em’s female too, so are they trying to prove a point here with all the carry on shagging and sucking innuendo? Or ain’t she getting enough…Tom? Answers on a postcard please to Gary Lineker. I find it really strange when scribes involved in mags like this can afford to throw away good money on producing it, but then sabotage it all by filling it with remedial crap. The biggest giggle I got lasted all of 5 seconds on the ‘punk singles review’ but that was about it. What was really funny about this zine is it has the format to be really very good with way more punk input, a grasp of comedy and less hast. However it was all wasted totally on triviality. The best part of Suck Til I Sag was the live gig reviews, here at least we could get an idea of the gigs out there that our editors frequent. But I get a feeling they’re part of the Wasted promotions inner circle of elite, so that explains all the sucking up from that quarter. In between sex tips and boring letters from Charles Ingram (who wants to be a millionaire cheat) we get some short but worthy interviews with GBH and the Subhumans. Also Derby strummer Paul Carter gets some deserved exposure. However the Peter & The Test Tube Babies interview proves the Brighton beached whale has gotta be the worst interviewee in the punk scene. They finish with some porn literature nicked from the web, which was probably meant to get us all rushing to the bathroom, but even the Cambridge rapist would be firing blanks at this one. Plus where were Jordan tits? £1.30 inc P&P tomfoolery@fsmail.net |
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| PUNK SHOCKER #11 ****1/2 You know what, Andy Shocker certainly knows how to go out with a bang. For a start the print job on this baby is top notch! Unlike the blurry last issue I tried to decipher mid altlantic whilst clutching a bottle of pils and sardined on a plane full of Oregon Christian aid workers. But unlike those mixed up cunts, this issue translates flawlessly as a devoutly raw punk zine. In fact a lotta zines today could do with incorporating some of Shockers spiky traits. It’s basically a cover to cover read, for anyone who ain’t already familiar with the Punk Shocker aesthetics. This full on double issue of 72 pages should be devoured and sucked in like it was in it’s early 90’s heyday. Which rams home the fact that another top quality zine is vacating our zine scene grrrr! Yep this being the last issue may be a downer to most, but fret not dear spiky top coz the slashing of our virgin wrists ain’t quite called for just yet. We should at least hang around a while and savour this printed delight. Even local pen and ink rival Trev Hagl will be jealous with envy at this one. Punk Shocker #11 is pretty late in the day arriving, but the quality of scribbles included, some of which were written 18 months previous don’t lose their merit or appeal. And in classic zine tradition…the best ones are always worth the wait! Featuring a superb Poison Idea (Jerry A) audience where the fat beer monster shows us a side of his nihilistic nature rarely seen in public. Although Poison Idea ain’t my particular punk toxin, and maybe this exclusive does sometimes bring to mind an awe inspiring kinda vibe off our editor. It’s definitely a rivetting artefact and a fuckin compelling read! We also get top range discussions with Sensa Yuma’s Stu-pid Bastard dealing his anarcho cards on the table regarding his promotion of ‘Across The Decades’ festival and all his punk shenanigans in between. Also probably the last must read interview with Stig outta Icons Of Filth who sadly passed in late 2004. Bringing up the rear are the Gits from Seattle, Washington who sound a bit bland in comparison with their fellow interviewees, but it’s all done in a classic round the bar kinda atmosphere so you get the goods. It was good to see the Punk Shocker zineography which dates back to 1989 and along with humorous side dishes like the ‘I Fucking Hate Real Ale Cunts’, and the HITS autopsy by Dick Lucas (Subhumans) you can’t really go wrong in this hardcore odyssey. All this alongside a multitude of record reviews means there ain’t really a lot in this zine that won’t interest most punks out there today. Shocker lets rip it's final yell of defiance with a rather fitting synopsis of the punk scene in general. Which I agree with wholeheartedly, well maybe for 95% of the time. For all you completests out there, it comes with a Poison Idea poster and a full colour Polaroid postcard of Mr Only blowing fire. Great Farewell issue!!! (£1.50 + SASE) Andy, P.O. Box I.T.A, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE99 1TA, UK |
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| FEAR AND LOATHING #59 Summer 2004
****1/2 You have to take yer crash hat off to Andy P. who submits Fear And Loathing, which has one of the most intriguing zine titles in a very long while. This informative A4 read must be easily one of England’s longest running punk zines as we reach the summer of 2005. And with 59 issues to date it owns a dogged determination, rarely matched elsewhere. Fear And Loathing don’t look like its ever gonna change from the basic ‘courier new’ type format of columns and dark photocopied pics, not forgetting that light blue cover that seems to be a fave. And why should it change, coz it’s a very easy to read fanzine that boasts a load of info crammed within its 38 pages. Andy P. must’ve seen by now every reputable punk band who’s passed through his London portal over the past couple of decades and probably longer. And that familiarity ain’t dampened his enthusiastic approach to punk writing. He hangs out with Gaye and Tim Advert and knows my mate Shanne from the Nips who got me this edition to read. And when our editor ain’t jet setting all over America in search of more punk to cover, he journeys down to Brighton to catch the special bands that take his fancy. What’s good about F&L is when he finally does catch up with his prey he nearly always gives them a good probing interview. In this issue we have some really good reads with front cover stars the Epoxies getting presidence. They were at the time of this interview hitting the UK for the very first time. Plus we get fellow Portland punk pariah Jerry A from Poison Idea who gives us a really insightful discussion into the bands aggro attitude and what makes fat punks tick. On the opposite side of the punk equation we have Kevin Seconds from 7 Seconds infamy who gives us his spiel on the straight edge movement which he seems happy to dismiss as some ficticous disease these days. However the other bands on Andy’s hit list Handgun Bravado, Mission Of Burma, French Toast, The Texas Bombs weren’t nearly as illuminating it has to be said. And his worrying fixation with Sparks makes you wonder if maturity is diluting his punk tastes. But newest band Lightning Bolt seemed an interesting prospect to check out further. Along with some neat gig reviews and a fucking boatload of records reviews you get a feeling you can trust Andy’s judgement for 95% of the time at least. Surprised he never reviewed any zines this time around? Maybe he didn’t have enough room. This is a zine that’s well worth getting and deserves your support making a healthy main course in between most of today’s weaker zine side dishes. A new issue is out as we speak.For more information contact Andy at andyfnl@dircon.co.uk |
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| 2004 ZINE REVIEWS |
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