Concept Justification

Louder than Lectures is a Leeds-based music zine that is aimed at increasing engagement with live music and encouraging support for grassroots venues. At its core, the project is about getting people to care about music beyond just passively streaming music. A lot of music media, especially zines, are targeted towards those who are already engaged within a scene. They know the venues and bands. Zines have historically been linked to niche communities. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Fanzines are typically grassroots, and they connect fans with each other to their subject of interest. (Watson, 2025) They have also long helped create communication networks within underground culture. (Triggs, 2006) But challenging the longstanding barriers to entry that gatekeep counterculture so that it can be explored and enjoyed isn’t a negative. When conceptualising this zine, I was constantly told that I needed a niche and that the business would fail without one. However, that made me resent the idea of a niche-led zine. I was questioning, what about the people not already in the room? 

That became the starting point for Louder than Lectures. The target audience initially was not the music head who attends three gigs a week and knows the name of the first support’s drummer. The original audience was the passive music listener. The person who likes music, listens to playlists and maybe goes to the odd big show, but they don’t know where to start with local gigs. That audience mattered to me because, before coming to Leeds Conservatoire, I was basically one of them. I liked music, obviously, and I knew my way around a guitar, but I had little to no knowledge of what was happening around me. I rarely went to gigs because they felt exclusive and hidden when I did attend them. So, in a way, Louder than Lectures came from a personal gap in knowledge that I later realised was probably not just mine. 

Zines have a long, well-documented history in music culture, particularly through counterculture music scenes. Zines are a part of alternative publishing culture outside the mainstream media, and many hold them to a higher standard because of this. (Duncombe, 2017) Punk fanzines are an example of DIY design and self-publishing work that becomes part of the scene’s identity. (Triggs, 2006) Therefore, the originality in Louder than Lectures stems from the fact that it takes a format that is usually consumed by already engaged fans and tries to use it as a gateway for people who are not fully engaged yet. It tries to make live music easier to enter and tries to make it a little less intimidating.

This was why Leeds, with its rich live music scene, is so important to the concept. Leeds is a city with a strong student population and a busy creative culture. There are venues and gigs every night, while the city is full of young people and students who could be part of the live music scene. There are clearly events around the city, but the issue is that not everyone knows how to access them. That is what Louder than Lectures tries to deal with, and it is also precisely why Leeds is the perfect place to experiment with this enterprise. 

It is a well-documented issue that the live music sector needs to support grassroots venues. The 2025 annual report shows that music venues struggle, 53% of them posted no profit the entire year, and over the past year, 175 UK towns and cities no longer have regular touring shows from professional artists. (Music Venue Trust, 2026) These venues are where audiences build connections with acts; they are also where new bands learn how to perform and build their own style. If people no longer attend these spaces, talk about and recommend them, then we will lose them.

In that sense, Louder than Lectures is a small act of cultural support. I am not claiming that one zine can save grassroots venues. Obviously, it cannot. But it can contribute to the ecosystem through recommending gigs and creating discourse around venues. The aim isn’t to lecture people into supporting live gigs; it’s in the name, Louder than Lectures. It’s casual and immediate. I don’t want people to care because it’s ‘culturally important’, I want them to care because, like in my article, “I went, it was mint, you should probably get involved.” (See Appendix 1a)

The editorial style of the zine is intentionally informal, opinionated and personal. Pieces such as the Keo gig review or the Big Special review are not written like traditional music journalism. They are personal and structured as if it’s a part of a conversation. Written by someone who was clearly there. The zine could be written by anyone, but that’s the point. It’s intentionally written to feel like a friend giving you a recommendation. For the target audience of students, I feel that it is important. If the writing is too formal, it feels too intimidating and keeps up the barriers that the zine tries to remove. (See Appendix 1a, 1b, 2, 3)

This connects Louder than Lectures to the idea that zines are personal forms of communication. Watson identifies subjectivity and expression as key themes in zine research (Watson, 2025), and zines are alternative spaces that challenge dominant forms of representation. (Licona, 2012) Louder than Lectures uses its subjectivity as a strength, the point is not to pretend to be neutral. When I write that I was sceptical about Keo and then ended up surprised by how good they were, and just how many people know every word to every song from a relatively new band, it is a record of my discovery. It shows that you don’t have to arrive at a gig well-informed. You can go in unsure. You could be wrong. You could be surprised. That is the point that I am trying to get across with this zine, and outlines the reason the editorial style is the way it is.

Louder than Lectures tries to lower the perceived barrier that engaging with live music has to begin with knowledge. I feel a lot of people avoid scenes because they don’t know enough. I did that with Hardcore. They don’t know the bands or what kind of gig they would enjoy. An article like a beginner’s guide to festivals is saying you’re allowed to start somewhere. It is practical, but it also implies that you don’t have to start with Reading and Leeds, you can start smaller. You can go to Truck or ynot? Or one of the many other small festivals the UK holds each year. You could try a genre you’re not sold on yet. If it’s not your thing, that’s fine. But at least go and find out.

This also links to behavioural theory. Typically, behavioural theory is linked with Marketing and influencing consumer behaviour, but, at its core, the content of the zine is trying to convince people to try new things. Thaler and Sunstein’s nudge theory is based on influencing the behaviour of consumers without removing freedom of choice. (Thaler and Sunstein, 2008) The EAST framework suggests that behaviour is more likely when it is Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely. (Behavioural Insights Team, n.d.; Pilat and Krastev, 2021) Louder than Lectures’ content doesn’t force anyone to support grassroots lectures, it nudges them. It makes gigs feel easier by explaining them in normal language, not advanced jargon. It makes them attractive as it focuses on the atmosphere and reflects on lived experience. It makes them social as gigs are inherently shared. It makes them timely by responding to actual gigs and local events. In this way, Louder than Lectures gently tries to change behaviour.

Overall, Louder than Lectures was conceptualised and developed, rooted in the feeling that not everyone who could engage with music felt connected to it. The zine uses its personal voice and appealing graphics to try to connect with those potential fans. It supports grassroots venues by making music feel more accessible and less hidden.

Business Model Analysis

The original business model for Louder than Lectures has evolved over time. It was going to start as a paid zine, costing £1.50, this felt like a reasonable place to start. (See Appendix 20) The aim was not to make serious money, the thinking was more that if the zine could cover its own costs, then that would count as success. Breaking even felt like it would prove the business idea held value. However, through the development of the project, we realised that this model did not fully match what Louder than Lectures was trying to do. This idea of success actively conflicted with the mission of the zine. If we wanted to encourage people to become more active in gig culture, then our true value as a business lies in the cultural aspects of building a community.

This is where the original model is limited. Charging £1.50 creates a barrier, this was rightly pointed out to me, and it caused me to reflect. I decided that for someone who is already into zines and local music, £1.50 might seem reasonable, but for the audience we were trying to cater to, a price tag can become a reason not to engage. It makes the zine seem exclusive, even with the small charge. Thus, it didn’t fit within the business’ aims to charge any money for the zine.

The original business model and pivot link strongly with behavioural theory. Again, nudge theory states that influencing behaviour without restricting freedom of choice is effective. The £1.50 charge would have put a wall in front of the community that the business was trying to build. Charging money also conflicts with the EAST framework as it restricts how attractive the zine is to new readers. This would have also placed administrative pressure on the business, as someone would have had to sell the zine, which is timely. And for £1.50, we needed to reassess how effective a business model this would be.

The pivot from a paid zine to a free one was therefore a strategic decision. Originally, the thinking for the zine as a business was narrow and commercial, but Louder than Lectures fits better within a creative business model. Our success is now not measured through direct income but is now social. Schiuma and Lerro argue that Arts and cultural organisations often need business models that recognise different types of value. Their ‘business Model Prism’ is useful as it acts as a framework to help us map out our current business model, as it suggests to me that the business holds multiple forms of value, which helped us understand the project more clearly. The zine operates through differing value exchanges rather than financial value. It now asks for audience attention rather than their money, which makes the zine feel less transactional and, in hindsight, that suits the project better.

Another issue with our original plan and business model was our scale. Originally, we were going to print 10 copies of the zine, which meant that our community would grow by 10 readers per issue. This is extremely limited. At the time, this goal felt manageable and realistic, but now we realise that it is too small to call a community, it’s more like a test group. That level of readership also does not necessarily create enough momentum to justify the effort of producing, designing and distributing the zine. It would take too much time for diminishing returns. From this, we scrapped our scale goals and restocked the zine as needed. This meant that more people could access the zine, and the possible audience could be larger. This was an important decision because Louder than Lectures was trying to expand a community. A larger free readership made this more possible than a smaller paid one.

From a business model perspective, Louder than Lectures shifted from a direct sales model to a social enterprise model. In this model, the zine creates its value by building awareness and giving readers the feeling that they have an accessible route into gig culture. This connects with Social enterprise thinking, as the business is judged to hold value based on the mission. Saprviero’s Social Enterprise Model Canvas was a useful tool as it adapts the traditional business model canvas for organisations that have social or cultural aims. (Sparviero, 2019) Although Louder than Lectures is not a formal social enterprise, the framework applies as the mission now expands beyond selling copies.

Wider market context supports this decision to pivot. It is a well-documented issue that grassroots venues continue to face pressure. The Music Venue Trust annual report in 2025 revealed that venues operate at a 2.5% profit margin and that more than half of the venues 53% posted no profit at all. This has resulted in 6000 jobs lost, which is 19% of the venue workforce. (Music Venue Trust, 2026) The value of small music venues lies in their ability to generate social and symbolic capital, not just economic. (Whiting, 2021) While Whiting is correct in this, these figures paint a chilling picture. Louder than lectures’ aim is to strengthen the audience’s connection with these spaces. It’s in this sense that the zine business model indirectly supports the live music scene. It doesn’t make money for venues, but it contributes to the awareness venues need. The zine tries to normalise participation through its reviews, nudges, and tries to make live music less intimidating.

The business value of louder than lectures is now its cultural success. A completely unsustainable free model will not work long-term. But it suits the business’s needs right now. We initially prioritised the short-term profits over our long-term development. That trade-off became clearer as the project developed. I had initially avoided properly exploring this, as breaking even felt like a safe, measurable goal.

There are risks to this business model. A free product can be undervalued because people sometimes assume that if something is free, it is worthless. How sustainable this business model is is also an issue. If printing costs increase or creating the zine takes too much time, then it could become difficult to maintain. Zines often rely on DIY, which gives projects authenticity, but it can also lead to burnout if the workload isn’t managed. With a team of three, however, I can’t see us burning out soon, but zines take a lot of time to make and manufacture. The Guardian recently noted that zine creators and readers value the handmade qualities of zines and reject AI-written ones, which signals that authenticity remains important in zine culture. (Efemini, 2026)

Because of this, the free model should not be seen as the final business model, instead it should be understood as the launch model. At the launch stage, our main aims were to remove barriers and test whether the concept works. In the future, Louder than Lectures will move to a mixed model. What that looks like isn’t clear at the moment. But one model we have discussed is the possibility of paid special editions in the future, while the monthly zine itself remains free. This would protect the accessibility and create possible revenue streams at the same time. However, the zine would most likely have to publish bi-weekly instead of monthly, as the limited editions need to feel special, and this might lead to a decrease in content quality. The future model of the zine needs more consideration.

Overall, the business model of Louder than Lectures has and will continue to develop significantly. It began as a simple single-purchase model and has now developed into a free zine in order to align with the purpose of Louder than Lectures. Charging £1.50 would have covered costs, but it would also limit access, thereby limiting the audience. The decision to make the zine free was a necessary pivot, and it better suited the business. The biggest lesson from this process is that the value of a creative business is in social value. It is harder to measure, but, for this project, it is more important.

Marketing Strategy Analysis

The marketing strategy for Louder than Lectures has also evolved during the project, mainly because the goals of the project became clearer. At the start, the zine itself was the marketing strategy. We printed the zine, distributed it, watched what happened, and then responded to it. It sounds simple, but it gave us valuable feedback. Initially, the plan was to distribute physical copies in places that we thought our audience would be, we also added a control to see if our initial audience profile was correct. The zine was placed in the Leeds Arts Student Union, University of Leeds Student Union, Hyde Park Book Club, and Left Bank Leeds. The latter two were chosen because we thought our audience would be students around the Headingly and Hyde Park area, and they are spaces that students often frequent. The first two were chosen because they are adjacent to each other, and we wanted to assess if the zine would appeal to more artistically inclined or academically inclined students. Although our mission is to appeal to an audience who passively engages with music, we felt it was important that we include a venue where people who actively engage with music would be frequent, to see if our perception of our audience was right, HPBC was that venue. We also decided on these spaces as we wanted to place them where people might pick them up casually. (See Appendix 4-15)

The actual distribution results showed that our original assumptions were only partly right. Copies went quickly at the Leeds Arts Student Union and the University of Leeds Student Union. They did not move as quickly at HPBC or Left Bank Leeds. So, we changed our focus. We stopped focusing on the places that were not performing and restocked the places where the zines were going. We adapted to the situation, it wasn’t perfect but it was responsive. (See Appendix 21) As seen in appendix 21 the university locations had the strongest uptake, however a weakness with the way we have kept the records is that we don’t know the exact number of zines taken as we decided to colour code them based on a number range. Red is less than 5 taken, Yellow is 5-8 taken, light green is now 8 to 20 taken, and dark green is all taken

This decision helped narrow down the target audience because, at first, it was quite broad, as people who don’t really go to gigs but are interested. By watching where the copies disappeared fastest, the audience became narrower. The Leeds Arts was the space where the copies moved the fastest, followed by the University of Leeds. Out of the four, HPBC performed the worst. We think this could be due to the fact that people attending HPBC were perhaps picking up the zine but not taking it for some reason. Regardless, the university spaces had the strongest demand and that was where our new focus now lay. This also aligned with our predictions and mission. The aim of the zine to reach people who may be curious but not involved now seemed achievable.

We deliberately chose not to use Leeds Conservatoire as a main distribution point. Because it’s a music-focused institution, the decision not to stock the zine there may seem strange. But when we factored in our mission and geographical assumptions about our audience, as well as the fact that LCON students are more likely to be already engaged with live music, performing and attending themselves, then our decision made sense. The audience at LCON would have understood the zine quickly, but they would also likely put the zine back down just as quickly when they realise that it says little of musical substance. The zine is not designed to appeal to music students or members of a niche. I feel as if this is also reflected in the fact that our zine performed poorly at the only venue we stocked it at. But perhaps we need to start stocking at other venues to confirm this thoroughly. We also perhaps have some confirmation bias though.

The physical zine strategy worked because it matched the nature of the product. Zines connect fans with each other and their subject of interest. (Watson, 2025) Zines also act as physical archives that present stories that may not appear within mainstream media. In the context of Louder than Lectures, the business was trying to make something that feels local and can be shared. The marketing, therefore, had to be physical and direct at the start.

Instead of trying to reach everyone online straight away, we felt that focusing on specific locations was the best way to build an initial community. Our marketing strategy links to STP framework. (Smith, 1956) The segmentation was based on geography and behaviour, spaces Leeds students frequent, and living in the Hyde Park and Headingley area. The targeting became more refined as the project progressed. The positioning was a zine that makes music feel more accessible.

After the physical strategy, we set up an Instagram. This was a necessary development for the marketing strategy, as relying on the zine alone as marketing has limited reach. The print-only approach was useful for testing demand. Online promotion allows for the project to continue between issues. It also allows people to find the zine even if they don’t walk past a stack of copies. Moving online extends the visibility of our zine. The zine itself still remains a core marketing tool, but Instagram is a way to maintain visibility. (See Appendix 16, 17)

On Instagram, the intention is to use the 4-1-1 rule to avoid over-promotion. The basic idea of the rule is that brands shouldn’t constantly promote their product in order to avoid brand fatigue. This suits Louder than Lectures because people would switch off if we constantly pushed the brand on them. Instead, Instagram feels like an extension of our zine. The online presence needs to keep the same tone as the zine. Louder than Lectures is strongest when it feels personal, and having an over-promoted Instagram would probably not work.

The marketing decision to stop stocking slower locations was important. HPBC and Left Bank are creative spaces with frequent foot traffic. But because the zines weren’t being taken, the strategy had to change. In this case, the audience seemed more reachable through the Unions. That doesn’t mean that Hyde Park and Headingly are irrelevant as geographical areas. They host important venues like Brudenell and a rich music history. So even though HPBC and Left Leeds were not the strongest distribution points, the surrounding area is a content focal point. The difference that I have learned is that where the zine is about doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s best distributed there. I think that’s because the people in the surrounding area know what’s going on as their surrounded by the venues.

The marketing plan is not perfect. The first weakness was the fact that the initial audience was too broad. People who don’t go to gigs are useful as a mission, but it’s not specific enough to structure a marketing plan around. Some people don’t go to gigs because they aren’t interested. Some don’t go because they’re anxious. Others don’t go because they can’t afford it. These are different barriers and need slightly different messaging. Through the distribution process, the audience became clearer as students who are culturally open but not necessarily active within the gig scene.

The second weakness was the lack of online presence from the start. This is something I regret. A physical launch made sense. With an Instagram, though, it gives the audience something to engage with after reading. It would also provide feedback loops. Given hindsight, the Instagram should have launched adjacently with the physical zine.

The third weakness was measurement. Restocking gave us useful information about how many were gone, but not if people took multiple or if they even read them. We also didn’t provide adequate feedback loops, which we will include for future issues. This could be a QR code linking to the Instagram or a short reader survey, or a callout asking readers where they found the zine. This would make the marketing more evidence-based and help us improve our impact in relation to the project aims. (See Appendix 21)

Professional and Legal Process

The professional and legal side of Louder than Lectures was probably the least developed part of the project. To be honest, it’s not something that I properly addressed at the start. The focus was more on getting the zine made. I treated the legal side as something to address later, which is not ideal.

The main legal area connected to Louder than Lectures is intellectual property. In the UK, copyright is automatic. The GOV website states that copyright automatically protects original literary and artistic works. (Service, 2014) This includes the zines writing and illustration as well as the layout of our zine. This is important because the creative elements of Louder than Lectures is protected. And is useful because I don’t have to register to have some legal protection. It protects the work, but it does not protect the brand.

A trademark protects signals that identify a brand like the name. Registering a trademark can protect a brands name and allow the owner to take legal action against unauthorised use. (GOV.UK, 2014) In context to Louder than Lectures the name is the most important brand asset but it has gone under development which makes it less stable to protect. This is where my approach was underdeveloped. I didn’t check whether Louder than Lectures was already being used by another media brand, Its not. The Government provides a trademark search service to check if the name exists and who owns it. (GOV.UK, 2014) That should have been apart of the professional process before launching publicly, especially before setting up an Instagram. Unlike copyright, trademarks are not automatic and they cost money to register. With costs of £170 to register, for Louder than Lectures this would be a financial decision as well as a legal one. For a free zine with no direct income, it is expensive. It would not be the best use of money because the brand is still developing.

Copyright also matters in relation to what Louder than Lectures uses from other people. Copyright prevents others from copying and distributing protected work. (Service, 2014) The zine has used gig photos, posters, and logos without the explicit consent from the publisher. (See Appendix 1a, 1b) We have stopped doing this, and I had to inform the team that they can no longer do this. Even though the zine is free, that doesn’t mean that I can use anything I want. Free distribution is still distribution. It is easy to assume that promotional images are free for use, but this is not the case. If I take photos at a gig I own that copyright, unless there are venue restrictions or ticket terms saying otherwise.

There are also legal considerations around reviews. They need to avoid defamation or falsehoods. My writing style is blunt and personal, which is part of the brand, and that means that I need to be careful. Saying a gig was disappointing is fine. But making any claims that I cant back up with evidence is not. The approach we take with Louder than Lectures is to keep criticism clearly opinion-based. The Speed gig review was a good example of this because of the injury in the mosh pit. (See Appendix 3) Describing what happened was important because it opens discourse around safe gig practices. When writing about what happened I was careful not to identify anyone and maintain a focus on the events as they happened.

Data protection is also relevant to Louder than Lectures. It is less immediate than the other legal processes but if the business ever starts a mailing list or collecting other sensitive data, the business needs to be honest about how long it stores said data, where it stores it and why it collects it. UK GDPR gives a useful framework for how businesses should store their client’s data. (UK Government, 2025)

Overall, the legal process was reactive rather than planned. Copyright is automatically present, but I did not properly document ownership and permissions from the start. The project now has four zines and an Instagram and has thus moved away from being an experiment into something with a public identity. That means that the legal and professional processes need to catch up. In hindsight the biggest weakness was that I treated the legal side as something separate to the creative.

Analysis and Self-reflection

Looking back, Louder than Lectures has changed a lot from what I first envisioned. At the start, I had a fairly simple idea of a music-based zine to sell for £1.50. But the more I made and thought about what I was trying to achieve I realised that the zine was about access and giving people to access the things that I personally enjoy.

Changing the zine from a paid product to free was one of the strongest decisions that I made. I liked the idea of the zine paying for itself, and I think at the start I was holding onto that because it made the project feel like a proper business. Changing that removed the barrier to entry and made it more aligned with the aim of increasing engagement with grassroots music.

The distribution strategy was another decision that worked because it gave me real evidence that the zine held demand instead of assuming that it did. An important lesson for me about the distribution is that the audience is not always where you expect or want them to be. We paid attention to our marketing plan and responded accordingly.

The tone of the zine is something that I think worked well. I wrote in a way that felt like me. I think the tone suited the audience as it made the zine feel accessible because it wasn’t full of confusing jargon. If the aim is to get people who aren’t involved to care then the zine cannot use language that is catered for experts.

That said the project had its weaknesses. The one I regret the most is not setting up the Instagram to launch alongside the physical zine. It meant that we had no channels for feedback from the community we tried to build. I think moving online was the right decision and it should’ve happened sooner.

I also regret not addressing the legal and professional side of the business properly. And now that Louder than Lectures feels more like a public business, there should’ve been more of a focus on it. The project being DIY doesn’t mean that it can be legally careless, but it was.

Measurement is another area for improvement. Restocking gave me evidence that people wanted the zine but not who those people were. This is a significant issue as the projects main aim is centred around engagement. In future I would include a feedback system. Without it, I can talk about impact but I cannot prove it conclusively. In the end, Louder than Lectures worked because it came from my lived experience. I was not pretending to be an expert. I am writing from a position of someone who also didn’t know where to start, and in my eyes, that gives the project authenticity. That is still the strongest part of the zine for me.

(See Appendix 18, 19 and 22 for future business ventures)

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Appendix

Appendix 1a – First zine

Appendix 1b- Second Zine

Appendix 2 – Third Zine

Appendix 3 – Fourth Zine

Appendix 4 – Zine at LAU

Appendix 5 – Zine at UOL

Appendix 6 – Zine at LAU

Appendix 7 – Zine at UOL

Appendix 8 – Zine at LAU

Appendix 9 – Zine at ULO

Appendix 10 – Zine at LAU

Appendix 11 – Zine at LAU

Appendix 12 – Zine at UOL

Appendix 13 – Zine at LBL

Appendix 14 – Zine at LAU

Appendix 15 -Zine at UOL

Appendix 16 – our instagram

Appendix 17 – our instagram

Appendix 18 – We have applied for the HPBC Summer Zine Fund – see appendix 22 for application

Appendix 19 – HPBC summer zine fund cont

Appendix 20 – Early cost graph – the zines still cost this to print but obviously we make no profit

Appendix 21 – Our distribution master sheet

Appendix 22 – Louder than Lectures application to the zine summer fund

Appendix 23 – Raw Article drafts

Louder than Lectures article drafts: 

Feb 7th 2026, 12:03:

Beginners guide to a festival:

If your thinking about your first festival READ THIS. Many people say that your first festival should be either Redding and Leeds or Boardmasters. And while you could go to one of the big ones, why would you? They are overpriced, overcrowded and full of leary teens, drugged up teens, drunk teens. Instead, I reckon you should go to truck or y not? Or one of the many smaller festivals the UK holds each year. Similar lineup quality, Better prices and most importantly LESS TEENS. Ahhh they do my nut in. oh well we were all like that I guess. If you do go to your first festival make sure to get there early. Those camp spaces fill up quick. Make sure to know whose on and when. If u have cash to spend you might not even need to take food just eat in the arena. Make sure you don’t take glass (made that mistake before :/). If you do take a bag, hide it well. And most importantly enjoy yourself. 

Feb 7th 2026, 12:18:

Missing Boom:

I know its moved location, but old boom was special. It was a nightlife hub

Feb 7th 2026, 12:30: 

Keo gig Booked:

I like Keo’s songs. But I’m not sure what to expect. I’ve only just heard of them as well through a friend and to be honest I’m a bit skeptical but, as per, I’m open to being surprised. Their standout song for me is; I Lied, Amber, and out of the three they have on spotify this is the song i think will sound the best live. But as ive said i dont really know them, ive never seen them live and before a few days ago I had never even heard of them… so we’ll see. 

Feb 19th 2026, 16:01

Big Special gig:

Was excited for this one and to be honest I was somewhat disappointed. Not by big special or Ganz they were both mint but by both the crowd and first supporting act. The crowd was a weird mix of people with seemingly completely different expectations for the gig. I saw a man dancing, having fun, just doing his thing and he accidentally bumped into the man behind him from the way he reacted you’d be forgiven for thinking he shagged his wife or something. Idk it was just weird. Anyway, Ganz, they are always a pleasure to see live. I love their sound and energy, well worth your money to see live. Big Special are always amazing, they have a self awareness about them that I appreciate and their crowdwork is immaculate. Their music feels both raw and polished at the same time. They took multiple years for their first album, to great acclaim. Their second, on the other hand, took about nine months and there, for me, is no dip in quality. This was the third time I’ve seen them live and I will be going to more. Big Special are just that, special. 

March 7th 2026, 13:34:

Keo Gig Review: 

Everyone and I mean Everyone knew every word to every song. I was honestly surprised, I went with no expectations. If anything I was ready to be disappointed but nah. I haven’t seen many bands (who are just beginning their careers) that have the dedicated support of that many fans. I mean they only have three songs released on spotify and they dropped some more on soundcloud the day before the gig. And still people knew. Every. Single. Word. I think these boys will be big. I think all it would take would be one album and one tour of the festival circuit. Pay attention people. 

Speed Gig Review:

Wow… what a gig. It had it all. Everything youd expect from a hardcore gig and some. Although there is much to rave and gush about, before i do that i feel the need to address the elephant in the room. We need to keep safe when Moshing. I know people can get a bit carried away and there is obviously danger when moshing at a hardcore gig. Everyone there understands that. But we were close to losing someone today, he got spin kicked in the pit and hit his head on the floor after getting knocked out. All credit to the bands, staff and venue today because they immediately stopped the gig, ushered everyone outside, ensured he was safe and in an ambulance and then continued the gig. Obviously after that you would imagine that the vibe of the gig would be off and people would be scared to mosh… nah. The pit was even more intense after. The bands seemed to find another gear, Speed and all the supports were intense and amazing. I personally didnt join the pit after the incident but others definitely did. Ive never been to Newcastle before but it was goooood. Will deffo be back. The night was unreal. I had an amazing time and after the gig I was buzzing. Words simply cannot do it justice, I’m trying but I just cant. You wont understand unless you go to a hardcore gig, you just need to go. Try something new and if its not your thing thats fine.

The one for boom i never finished but the new genres was going to be like a recommendation type of thing ive got the rest not sure why it didnt send.

Trying new genres:

Schranz. Not completely sold on it yet, i like its uptempo beats, the high energy, the lack of vocals, Im not a huge fan of vocals on D&B. I love the techno adjacent sound. If your getting started with schranz, like me, then here are a few recommendations: Jungle schranz – Leonswork: If you like jungle you could like this, it loses the vocal lines heard over most jungle tunes though

System – In Furcht & 42Q: The melody throughout the song keeps you from losing the beat, one thing that happens quite often when i listen to schranz. The song itself is german so i cant understand a word but it sounds good, give it a listen.

Welcome to Hell – HELLBOUND!: not too sure why its called this but pop off i guess, this ones name stands out but to be honest, is it dark and grungey… yea but it also has a slightly ethereal feel to it that i cant place. Closest thing i can think of that gives me the same feeling is Type O negative, dont know why though.

Hardcore Band Recommendations

If your looking to get into hardcore here are some bands to ease you in

Turnstile – Are probably one of the most mainstream hardcore bands today, but that doesnt mean they aint good, i recommend starting with New Heart Design and moving on from there 

Have Heart – straight from the early 00’s. They have a more punky hardcore sound that i really recommend, even if your not trying to get into hardcore, these are one of my favs – i started with Songs to Scream at the Sun, its an album but worth a full listen.

Knocked Loose – best saved for later but still another top pick for a band that you can start with, their sound is heavy, if you already like metalcore they are a great place to start tbh. I recommend listening to slaughterhouse first, i know its an extream name but trust.

Speed – finally speed, you knew it, i knew it, everyone knew it. Speed are a great place to start, theres multiple reviews in this zine about them and quite frankly if u haven’t listened to them what r u doing? I recommend starting with their newest EP – All my angles, only three songs, quick and easy

Enjoy! 

Festival recommendations

If your thinking about going to a festival this year and don’t know where to start, i got u. These are great starting points  

The Great Escape – Brighton, four days, over 30 venues, this isn’t like your traditional music festival, its in the centre of the city, ive been its great, only problem is the size of it, you might want to see one act then have to walk 3 miles to see the next, Good festival if you do go, that is if you can be bothered to make the trek down to brighton. 

Slam dunk – Hatfield Park and Temple Newsam, An emo’s wet dream. nuff said

Truck – oxfordshire, Its a nice festival, family friendly with lots of music tents, the lineup is pretty consistent every year, its a good beginner festival, plus the oxford symphony are there every year and they put on a good show 

Leeds fest – Leeds, Look i know this ones on the bigger side but so is slam dunk, remember just because its big dont mean its good, i wouldn’t recommend sleeping there but if you go for the day its a lot of fun, big crowds for big acts in my opinion the benefits outweigh the cons