Robyn Writes

A personal history on paper (by soufex)

I realised, the other day, that I have been making zines since I was about 8 years old. My first was a zine about dogs (for they have always been a love of mine), and I distinctly remember tracing over typography from other magazines for my titles and headers. A few years passed and I made more zines, about the Brownies (I had a three or four-week stint there as a child), Beanie Babies, and another one about dogs (I obviously really, really loved dogs as a kid)- the latter two I actually distributed amongst one or two friends, and I remember correctly, actually collaborated on one of them.

For a very long time after that, for the few years that punk rock didn’t exist in my life I forgot all about my stints as a self-publisher. However, under my feet as I type this is a cardboard box filled with notebooks and sketchbooks that I have kept all but continuously from the age of eleven; a personal history on paper.

When I hit fifteen or sixteen (my high school years were mostly a depressing blur so forgive my vagueness), the world opened up to me and it wasn’t just about how much my braces hurt my mouth or how, as a 12 year old, I thought Éowyn from The Lord of the Rings was a bitch; I started to record my travels and gig experiences in books full of photographs and cut-outs, rant on at length via journals and one-sided conversations in the school grounds about how whatever album I was into that week was amazing and everyone should copy it or buy it, because it’s just that great. I would write stories and draw short, stupid autobiographical comics for my own amusement and to vent my frustrations in my notebooks and although I was very tedious about people going through things so personal to me I slowly, reluctantly, relented.

Seventeen years old, and I fell in love with David Carson. As an artist, he is one of my greatest inspirations to date; his beautiful, unforgiving images that set the style and broke the rules of 90’s graphic design ruled my world through the second year of sixth form, and has continued to inspire me through my somewhat short-lived stint at university and then some. (This is all relevant, partially because I made a zine for an AS Graphics project, and partially because Carson’s just that shit-hot at what he does that it needs to be extolled wherever possible.)

The world of zines fascinates me incredibly and one way or another, seems to have always been a part of my life. Granted, it’s perhaps hard to compare our very own Two Beats Off with Sniffin’ Glue or Cometbus, it’s still driving that same message. We all have our paper histories, and in a world where it’s very easy to feel alienated, finding a common ground and sharing our stories is integral to our (sub)culture.

~sfx

further reading

Microcosm Publishing

David Carson Design

Live: OK Pilot – Robbin’s Well Leamington Spa, 24/11/10

NB: I apologise for the shitty photo editing – my computer decided to be slow and didn’t like Photoshop, so I had to make do with Photobucket’s online tools. Whatever, it’s totally punk rock and DIY.

Tuesday is clearly not a good time to put on a gig. For a start, I had to wait half an hour for the bus as it didn’t show up. When I finally got there, as I wandered down the stairs to the basement part of Robbins Well, I saw Punksoc, people from bands and well… not many other people. A few of Kourosh’s (vocalist of Heads Will Roll) friends, who were clearly not into this kind of thing, appeared, looking more than a little bewildered. The basement show is a little more impressive when there’s more than thirty people in the room, but still, there’s always something exciting about tiny, intimate shows. We just had to make sure we crowded right round at the front.

There were just three bands playing tonight (which was advantageous for me as it meant not missing any buses), which could have also contributed to the relatively small audience. We all moved forwards so it looked like there were more of us, and Heads Will Roll took the stage.


For the first band on, this was a little intense. HWR play awesome metal-influenced hardcore, and as was stated on the Facebook events page for the gig, it really is ‘the music of nightmares’; Kourosh’s deep growls are completely unexpected and wonderfully terrifying. Despite a slight bass problem at the beginning of the set, the band played fantastically. The lack of audience was perhaps an advantage for Kourosh, who roamed through the audience and provided some much required energy to the room. Plus songs about bikes are always good and their drummer has one hell of an awesome beard. At the end of their set, I watched curiously while Kourosh’s friends left with slightly perturbed glances to each other. That’s the mark of good hardcore.

Next up were Company L, hailing from South London.


I’m told that these guys are the new project of Mike Scott, who used to be in Phinius Gage and should therefore be good. Unfortunately, I suck when it comes to knowing the British scene these days and therefore had no idea who either Phinius Gage, Mike Scott or this band that were about to be on were, so I nodded and decided to form my own opinion. Fortunately, it was a very good one, because Company L are just great. Awesome melodic punk with an edge and just generally pretty sweet. I’d hardly call Mike Scott an enigmatic frontman, but there’s something about him that’s just cool. They played a fantastic set, and I’d definitely go see them again. Also, kudos to their new guitarist Hannah, as it was only her third show with the band and played fantastically – a real inspiration to girl guitarists everywhere!

It soon came to headliners OK Pilot. I was pretty excited about this, being the only band I’ve seen recently that I’d actually heard of before the night.


I was not disappointed in the slightest, as they were absolutely incredible. I’ve always loved the back and forth between both vocalists, and this dynamic works extremely well live. OK Pilot are anything but static live, and despite the restricted space, threw themselves into the set and played pretty much non-stop, giving a energetic and exciting performance. If you’re in the area next time they’re on, I highly recommend that you check them out.

So in conclusion, Tuesdays might not be the best night to put on a gig, but that’s probably the best Tuesday night I’ve had in a long time.

What the hell happened to Green Day?

This morning, I stumbled downstairs, got myself a cup of coffee and sat down to MTV2 for five minutes of procrastination before I had to go and get ready for the day. It was on this very sofa that I am sat upon now that I first witnessed Green Day’s latest single, 21st Century Breakdown. And wow, did it suck. I’m not going to lie, I haven’t been keeping up with Green Day. After their second break into the mainstream with American Idiot (I’m also counting Dookie because it really did shoot them to relative fame, but not enough to ruin them), I was left disappointed and betrayed. It wasn’t a bad album entirely, aside from the singles, but it lacked that sense of fun I’ve always associated with Green Day. It seems that Billie Joe found some eyeliner and got all interested in politics and well, I’m sorry boys, but I just wasn’t that interested. This, coupled with that video where the kid goes to fight in Iraq and you’ve got Green Day being just a bit too serious. I don’t know about you, but I like my pop-punk with a sense of reckless abandon, thank you. 21st Century Breakdown is merely an extension of the political cry for attention, right down to the Banksy style video.

Quite frankly, it’s upsetting and unfortunately very typical of how most bands try and hit the right kind of ‘attitude’ once they hit the mainstream. 30 Seconds To Mars did it with title song A Beautiful Lie and that ridiculous video in the Arctic (isn’t having your band videoed ‘playing loudly’ on ice caps contributing to global warming?), NOFX did it with The War On Errorism and even Armor For Sleep tried it as soon as they got a little bit of recognition with third album flop Smile For Them. As soon as they can introduce a bit of politics into their work, you know a band’s got it made – well, as long as they aren’t a political punk band to begin with. My point being, Green Day were never political. Green Day were never serious. Green Day were never concerned with their hair. And now, all three of those dominate their music, and well… it sucks!

I decided that Green Day and I were no longer friends when I first heard The Saints Are Coming. The fact that they collaborated with U2, who are potentially the most safe and boring band on the planet, just showed that they had nothing of their former self left. I had stuck by them through American Idiot; I learnt to play Jesus Of Suburbia, I sang along to St Jimmy, but I mocked the very notion of the ‘rock opera’ they had put before us. I thought “Please, nobody but Queen can attempt anything as grand as that!” but no, Green Day gave it a go, and it tarnished what otherwise would have been a great album. Well, that plus the Iraq video. It’s not like Green Day aren’t allowed to be serious – one of the most depressing songs they’ve ever written, Redundant, is one of my favourite songs of all time – but come on, it’s not like they could ever inspire a teenage population to rise up and take on the government, and that’s all they’ve got backing them these days. The thing is, I want to like 21st Century Breakdown as an album. There are some standout tracks on it, like Lights Out, as directed to me by fightclubsandwich. It’s like, they’ve grown up, they’ve got better, and then they shit all over it with the singles they put out and the bland, generic riffs. At least each song used to sound a bit different, but now, I can’t tell the difference between half of their singles. 21st Century Breakdown in particular uses a real mashup of different styles in an attempt to make it more grandiose and it just doesn’t work. The oddly placed solo, the weird shift in tempo… it’s almost as if they’re trying to reinvent Jesus of Suburbia into a song that’s half the time.

I really hope that the next Green Day album is a return to form, I really do. I don’t want to end up hating these guys as much as I hate Fall Out Boy these days (that’s an article for another time) because I believe that Green Day can be good. Those hidden gems on each album are evidence of that. I just don’t want to have to search for diamonds in the rough any more.

Live: North Lincoln – Robbin’s Well Leamington Spa, 12/10/09

It turns out that my university has a little society called ‘Punksoc’, where people sit around, talk about punk and go to a lot of shows. The idea of this intrigued me, being a fan of such things, so I signed up right away. Monday was the first gig social, and we went to nearby town Leamington Spa to see North Lincoln at Robbin’s Well.

There were three awesome things about this particular gig. The first was that it was an actual basement show. Sort of. The Well has a downstairs area for gigs which is pretty much like a basement in that everyone crowds around the band who are playing on exactly the same level as you. This is probably the closest I’ll ever get to experiencing something like that, so it’s totally a basement show. The second was that it was North Lincoln’s last tour, and we got to see them in such a small and intimate environment. I will admit, I’d never heard of North Lincoln before (I really should follow record labels more considering they’re on No Idea) or any of the other four bands on the lineup, which brings me to the third awesome point – five bands for a mere £5. I am fed up of paying ridiculous prices for gigs. In January, I’m seeing Henry Rollins, and paying £22 a ticket for the privilege. It’s just not punk rock any more. So five for £5 is pretty damn good, even if the drinks were fairly expensive.

First band up were Caves, a fairly melodic punk band from Bristol. We came in late and missed about half of their set, but from what I could tell, they were pretty good. Nothing particularly original, except that their lead, female singer had an exceptionally gruff voice for a girl. Not a bad thing at all.

Second on were Big City Plan, hailing from Birmingham. It’s difficult to compare them to anything else, but I seemed to think that they were like a less hardcore No Trigger with rougher vocals, which is still pretty awesome. These guys were one of my favourite acts that night, with their tuneful, energetic songs receiving a great reception. Really good fun, and their song ‘Paint The Town Rad’ is a must listen. They’re also playing again soon, and I’ll definitely be seeing them again.

Next up was James Black, a folk punk artist from London. Now, I like folk punk, and I like it a lot, but every song here sounded exactly the same, both lyrically and musically, and not in a good way. I found him to be fairly bland and he didn’t really fit with the rest of the line up. Folk punk is tricky to get right, and you don’t need to shout all the time to do it. It also wasn’t too interesting to watch, even though I’ve found someone with nothing but a guitar to be compelling in the past. Personally, I’d give this guy a miss.

The Amistad, a relatively local band, were on next. The Amistad have this real charm about them, probably because they talk lots in between songs and are genuinely quite funny. The songs are good too. Very catchy, with the potential to become real anthems. They probably didn’t sound as good as they could, due to the vocalist having taken over bass duties and not really being able to play it. He managed pretty well though! Great energetic punk rock and one I’ll definitely be looking out for.

Finally, North Lincoln took the floor. I really have only one word to describe their set – amazing. They had a really laidback approach, and knew that they were having fun, which in turn meant we were having fun with some awesome music. Their gruff punk anthems filled the basement well, playing really old stuff as well as the last few songs they wrote. Everybody in the crowd was there for the same reason – to see North Lincoln – which sounds like a strange and obvious remark, but too often, I go to gigs and see people there because they were dragged there with friends, or because they wanted to see the support, or because it’s something to do, and it made for an incredible experience. All I can say is that it’s a shame North Lincoln won’t be touring again, because their wonderfully melodic punk needs to be heard live to be truly appreciated.

So this is the new year (resolutions of 2009) by Nox

What is a new year’s resolution? Why do people seem to make such a fuss over it? Moreover, how come the only time we ever hear about these resolutions besides at New Year’s is when they’re broken?


Well.

A New Year’s resolution is a goal a person sets for themselves, something they want to improve or achieve in the year, after reflecting on the previous year and realizing their mistakes, priorities, or what they would like to better in their lives or themselves. Usually, there are the generic ones such as cure cancer, bring world peace, stop world hunger, etc., but here at Two Beats Off we’re not trying to win a beauty pageant. Therefore, here are our New Year’s Resolutions!

Ripper:

My New Year’s resolutions are always completely and utterly ridiculous. Some of the ones I achieved last year were getting a better haircut and completing a Final Fantasy game. This year, I might be a little more serious though. This year, I aim to make sure this zine keeps going one way or another, because well… TBO is kinda cool. There’s the usual ‘get fit’ one, because no matter what, I’m always unhappy with my appearance. There’s a special condition for it – being female. I want to make sure I get into a good university, so actually studying would be a good one, instead of relying on just sheer luck and talent. I want to finish a novel this year, considering I have about three half finished ones on the go. And, because I can’t not make a geeky one, learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons properly!

ninthandash:

I always find it difficult making resolutions, but here goes. This year, I want to start doing things again. I feel like I put things off too much and waste a lot of my time. I want to make good use of it. I want to look back and feel like I’ve achieved things. I’m also going to try be less of a commitmentphobe, and stop pushing people away because I’m scared of where it might lead. I don’t want to be a coward. Finally, I want to get a job, go to uni, and I want to start a band. Here’s to ’09, baby.

Nox:

I have a few things I would like to do this year. Mainly, I plan to let go of one particular hopeless cause I have been clinging to for too long. On a different level, I’m going to try to be less introverted. I think I’ll take more chances. I decided I play it too safe and honestly, it gets quite boring. This year I would like to see Chicago, New York, and Denver. Also, I plan to be less of a heart breaker. It’s bad karma you know? Seriously though, I will be more cautious around others. Finally, a quick run down of lesser things: read a lot of books from my list, sing louder, write more, keep my straight A streak, keep up with my friends better, and hopefully get a baby turtle named Ringo.

fightclubsandwich:

fightclubsandwich was unavailable to comment at the time, so we’ve decided that we’re going to give her some. Whether she likes them or not. So, we reckon that she’ll want to start or join a punk rock knitting circle and make jumpers filled with revolutionary stitching, be able to co-ordinate better with Ripper when they go to gigs, start a band and write some kick ass fiction.

soufex:

I’m not an advocate of New Year’s resolutions. I’ve always held the belief that if you really want to change yourself, you’ll change it now, and in my experience, most people manage to keep their resolutions for about five minutes. However, it’s nice to feel like you have a clean slate and a new year for a ‘new you’… or at least a ‘slightly improved you’.

Now, I am an angry person, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Henry Rollins makes a living out of being an angry person. Anger is a good thing, it’s a healthy thing. Good things have come from being angry; revolutions have changed the world we live in!

The problem is, too many of us – myself included – don’t use this energy and passion constructively as often as we could. It’s far too easy to sit around and complain at length and volume about something we disagree with, but not use the opportunity to change or better ourselves or the world around us.

So that’s my New Year’s resolution – not to be a less angry person, but a better angry person!

But, we decided to get you involved this time, and we’ve had some pretty cool responses. So, here’s our readers’ New Year’s resolutions!

Richard’s resolution:

My resolution is not to make a resolution. That way I can break it immediately and not have to worry about it, while having a laugh at all resolutions’ expense.

Hab’s resolution:

To learn to control my drink. I think a few people can vouch for that!

Alice’s resolution:

To bag myself a surfer. It could happen, you know.

Ben’s resolution:

1) Quit masturbating (I failed this one on the 2nd January)

2) Get the girl, get the job, get the car

3) Get fit for summer.

Hannah’s resolution:

Find a rich man at university… or marry Fernando Torres!

Mike’s resolution:

To quit that nasty oxygen habit I have… no, really, I want to learn to be more
understanding of people this year.

Heather’s resolution:

I want to learn to dance, because I’m a big fan of Strictly Come Dancing and I think it would be sweet if I could pull off some of those moves. Also, quitting smoking would be good.

James’ resolution:

Read more books. It might be a smart idea, considering I want to go to Oxford University!

Megan’s resolution:

I want to find myself a wench. It’s been too long since I had a girlfriend!