Words by HEATHER CONNOR
Although There Is No Revolution is the shortest zine we’ve featured on here at just just a couple of pages of doubled sided A4 it is pretty jam packed with previous issues featuring reviews of The Soft Pack, Paradise Vendors Inc compilation amongst other treats such as top tens and crosswords.
What makes this zine stand out is it’s dedication to the Tamworth music scene as although I live miles from Tamworth I’d never really known about any acts from the area. Here I’ve been introduced to the likes of The Owlsa, Pressure Kids, Black Fang, At The Zoo and The Switches.
David Malys the man behind There Is No Revolution explains what inspired him to start his zine.
Who is behind the fanzine?
It’s just myself, after making the first couple of issues i’d asked about if anyone was interested in contributing to it, and while I did get a few offers, I had decided I was enjoying producing it on my own so much and would carry on that way. I may have some guest contributions in it in the future, but for the moment it’s just me.
How often do you publish each issue?
So far I’ve produced them to coincide with local gigs in Tamworth, where the chance to distribute them to the people who would be interested in reading would be greater. Thats been my only target, if I’ve got it into my head that I want to have an issue ready for a gig, I’ll work hard to get it done in time.
What prompted you to produce a zine in the first place?
It was after attending a gig promoted by This Is Tomorrow alongside Tough Love Records for their Vilest Thug Loop Single Launch in February. There had been talk between a few like minded friends in Tamworth about producing a fanzine about the local music scene for a good couple of years, and nothing had ever come of it, but while on the train journey back home after the gig, I felt inspired by what This is Tomorrow and Tough Love Records have achieved in their two fields as a promotor and as a independent record label, and decided I would do it myself.
The name of the fanzine was inspired by a lyric from a song ‘Heart Attack American’ by The Bronx.
What influences you when you’re putting together an issue?
Normally it will be the gigs i’ve attended, be that ones of Tamworth bands, or others i’ve seen elsewhere, or records i’ve been listening to, books i’ve been reading on a band, or genre of music. Generally it’s all things music!
Production wise what kind of methods do you use? i.e. scanner or cut & paste for example.
I design it via publisher at the moment, i’ve found it to be a pretty simple way to produce by, though I do like the idea of cut & paste, the hand made look is great. Printing wise i’ve been lucky that a friend at a local council run venue has printed the fanzines out for me so far, which has been a great help as my own printer is ancient (I’m looking to invest in a new one asap so I don’t have to rely on others to get things printed!)
Tell me how you distribute your zine
Normally I will have them on me in person at the gigs, get them put out on a band’s merchandise table, on tables in the venue, or will literally walk around the gig and hand them to people. I have had copies of one issue put into our local Tourist Information Centre, and this is something i’m hoping that can be done regularly. I have posted them out to a few people I know who were interested to see it but live a distance away.
Why print a zine instead of other methods such as blogging?
While the internet and blogs are a great way to read about music, I feel a physical fanzine still has it’s place. Everything seems to be going digital, but there’s something special about something you can hold, to look at, put on your shelf, similarly in the same way with vinyl, the artwork is larger and great to look at. It’s also down to a love of seeing and reading about old fanzines like ‘Punk’ (Legs Mcneil) and Sniffin’ Glue (Mark Perry), alongside the incredible flyers created for Black Flag by Raymond Pettibon. They are a record of the time, the music, and what was happening.
What was the first zine you ever read?
‘Thee Humbug’ produced by Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation. It was around the time that Arctic Monkeys were starting to create a real buzz (April/May 2005) and I came across it online while searching for information about the band. It also made me aware of other Sheffield bands coming up around the same time, like Milburn, The Long Blondes, Bromheads Jacket.
Are there any other zines you feel an affinity with?
Not really an affinity with, but I really like the ATTA Girl and Out Of Step ones i’ve managed to get my hands on, and like I mentioned before, the punk ones from the past, which really document the music scene and the feel of the time they were from.
What is the future of self publishing?
I think you’ll still see people self publishing for the foreseeable future, despite the ease of the internet and blogging. A physical fanzine, magazine, book etc something you can hold, to look at feels just that little bit special and hopefully there are many others out there who think this way.
Do you have a website?
No, not at this moment, i’m hoping to get a facebook group set up for the fanzine soon (This will require me staying in and not going to so many gigs!) build up a list of friends on there who are interested in reading the fanzine, and can hopefully spread word of mouth of it.