Last Hours

Last updated
Last Hours
TypeDecentralized collective
Purpose"Last Hours is a publishing collective for the anti-authoritarian, DIY and punk communities." [1]
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Website www.lasthours.org.uk

Last Hours (known as Rancid News prior to 2005) is an anti-authoritarian publishing collective. From 2003 to 2008 it produced a fanzine, initially called Rancid News until issue 9, changing its name to Last Hours from issue 10 till the final issue, 17, in May 2008. All 17 issues were edited by Edd Baldry before he stood down as editor. Since 2008 Last Hours has become a publishing collective, launching a website, and releasing two books in the autumn of 2009, Excessive Force and Diary of a miscreant.

Contents

Rancid News

At its inception Rancid News was a punk zine, which began circulation in April 2003 with interviews from AFI, One Minute Silence, and Johnny Truant, alongside articles, columns and reviews. Rancid News was initially launched at a time when the Fracture and Reason To Believe zines were still in existence. After those publications ceased, Rancid News assumed their mantel documenting the UK punk scene. A key difference between Rancid News and the aforementioned zines is that Rancid News was sold outside gigs, and in record and comic stores rather than being available free. It was compared to San Francisco-based Maximum RocknRoll , due largely to similar political beliefs and style of music covered. [2]

Rancid News was often connected with the Household Name records scene, featuring most of the label's bands between 2003 and 2005. Rancid News was also distributed by many of the Household Name Records bands, including Five Knuckle, Captain Everything!, Adequate Seven, Howards Alias, and Antimaniax amongst others. At its height Rancid News distributed around 4,000 copies around the UK and Europe. The zine was printed on newsprint and most issues were 116 pages long, with a colour cover, and saddle stitch binding.

In early 2005 the name Rancid News was considered a hindrance. People mistakenly assumed the fanzine had something to do with the punk rock band Rancid and it was felt that it forced contributors to focus too heavily on music. The final issue of Rancid News, published in February 2005, gave an indication of the changing direction, with a greater emphasis on radical culture in general and with particular focus on political articles, vegan recipes and longer columns.

The name Last Hours was agreed on in a meeting in March 2005, with the first issue - issue 10 - of the fanzine being released in June 2005, with subsequent issues to be released every six months. It maintained a balance between interviews with punk bands and political articles. [3] It was published under the strapline 'Radical culture and punk rock'.

The print production remained the same as Rancid News until issue 13, when the fanzine again changed direction with the first perfect bound edition, and an issue dedication to 'Punk rock and comics'. [4] It marked the first time that interviews, articles or reviews relating to punk rock took up less than 50% of the fanzine.

After issue 13 each issue of Last Hours was themed in one way or another, most often around the principle article of the zine. So, issue 14 focussed on acoustic punk rock, issue 15 on anarcho-punk compilations, issue 16 on DIY punk rock houseshows, and issue 17 on radical illustration. In all of the issues of Last Hours anarchist politics and radical culture took prominence over the music.

Last Hours live

Last Hours regularly put on gigs in London under the monicker Last Hours live. During 2006 these were most often at The Square, a squatted social centre in Russel Square, where Last Hours put on, amongst others, The Steal, Ghost Mice, Attack Vipers and The King Blues. During 2007 Last Hours continued to put on gigs in squatted social centres around London, including The Vortex, in Stoke Newington, and The New Camberwell Social centre off Camberwell New Road, Kennington. In late 2007 Last Hours live started putting on gigs at the Cross Kings, Kings Cross, to launch Last Hours issue 16, and for the first five months of 2008 had monthly gigs at the venue, including one of Fall of Efrafa's few London shows.

In addition to putting on gigs members of the Last Hours/ Rancid News collective have been involved in a number of squatted social centres, for example in 2003 with involvement in the Blackstar collective, 2004 with the In Arms Reach collective, which squatted a building off London's Oxford Street for a two-week punk festival, and 2005 at the Institute for Autonomy on Gower Street, London.

London Zine Symposium

In 2005 two members of the Rancid News collective established the London Zine Symposium, which for the first year was held in the Institute for Autonomy. [5] It has become an annual event, and in 2009 had over 1,000 attendees with talks given by Roger Sabin, Teal Triggs, Barcelona Zine Library, and Alex Wrekk from Portland[ clarification needed ], United States. [6] Up until 2010 the event had been organised by members of the Rancid News or Last Hours collective.

Hiatus

After issue 17 Last Hours was placed on a brief hiatus as Edd Baldry stepped down as editor of the publication. Other members of the collective pushed for the publication to be migrated to the internet, and a regular resource for the anti-authoritarian and punk communities in the UK. The website was relaunched in early 2009 and long articles written about the protests against the attack on Gaza, [7] photo essays about the G20, [8] and responses to Ian Tomlinson's death. [9] It also started publishing a podcast and offering regular vegan recipes.

"Creative resistance"

During 2009 Last Hours changed its strapline from 'Radical culture and punk rock' to 'Creative resistance', indicating a greater focus on radical politics and a move away from punk culture. In the autumn of 2009 Last Hours released its first two books. 'Excessive Force' was a 150-page comic's anthology against the police, with the subtitle, 'Police everywhere, justice nowhere'. It featured artwork from 17 international illustrators about abuses of power by the police. It was a benefit for FitWatch and LDMG, two organisations working to curtail police abuses. Excessive Force was the first of what will become a regular comix anthology being produced by Last Hours. At the same time the collective was working on 'Diary of a miscreant', a book collecting ten years of the comic zine Morgenmuffel , by Isy Morgenmuffel. It offered a document on the anti-globalisation movement through the prism of an anarcha-feminist, vegan who was heavily involved in the manifestations during that period.

Last Hours, in 2010, aims to publish books about the London Zine Symposium, the squatting movement in the UK and a series of posters offering alternative perspectives on subjects such as anarchy, prisons and the general election. It will also be creating a film about the UK small-press and fanzine community. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fanzine</span> Magazine published by fans

A fanzine is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest. The term was coined in an October 1940 science fiction fanzine by Russ Chauvenet and first popularized within science fiction fandom, and from there the term was adopted by other communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do it yourself</span> Building, modifying, or repairing, without the aid of experts or professionals

"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi-raw materials and parts to produce, transform, or reconstruct material possessions, including those drawn from the natural environment ". DIY behavior can be triggered by various motivations previously categorized as marketplace motivations, and identity enhancement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zine</span> Collection of self-published work reproduced by photocopying

A zine is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very small group, and are popularly photocopied into physical prints for circulation. A fanzine is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest. The term was coined in an October 1940 science fiction fanzine by Russ Chauvenet and popularized within science fiction fandom, entering the Oxford English Dictionary in 1949.

CrimethInc., also known as CWC, which stands for either "CrimethInc. Ex-Workers Collective" or "CrimethInc Ex-Workers Ex-Collective", is a decentralized anarchist collective of autonomous cells. CrimethInc. emerged in the mid-1990s, initially as the hardcore zine Inside Front, and began operating as a collective in 1996. It has since published widely read articles and zines for the anarchist movement and distributed posters and books of its own publication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punk zine</span> Fanzines of punk rock

A punk zine is a zine related to the punk subculture and hardcore punk music genre. Often primitively or casually produced, they feature punk literature, such as social commentary, punk poetry, news, gossip, music reviews and articles about punk rock bands or regional punk scenes.

Maximumrocknroll, often written as Maximum Rocknroll and usually abbreviated as MRR, is a not-for-profit monthly online zine of punk subculture and radio show of punk music. Based in San Francisco, MRR focuses on punk rock and hardcore music, and primarily features artist interviews and music reviews. Op/ed columns and news roundups are regular features as well, including submissions from international contributors. By 1990, it "had become the de facto bible of the scene". MRR is considered to be one of the most important zines in punk, not only because of its wide-ranging coverage, but because it has been a consistent and influential presence in the ever-changing punk community for over three decades. From 1992 to 2011, it published a guide called Book Your Own Fuckin' Life.

Profane Existence is a Minneapolis-based anarcho-punk collective. Established in 1989, the collective publishes a nationally known zine, as well as releasing and distributing anarcho-punk, crust, and grindcore music, and printing and publishing pamphlets and literature. Stacy Thompson describes the collective as "the largest, longest-lasting, and most influential collective in Anarcho-Punk so far." The collective folded in 1998, although its distribution arm, then called Blackened Distribution, continued operating. It restarted in 2000. "Making punk a threat again" is the group's slogan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punk ideologies</span> Group of varied social and political beliefs associated with the punk subculture

Punk ideologies are a group of varied social and political beliefs associated with the punk subculture and punk rock. It is primarily concerned with concepts such as mutual aid, against selling out, hierarchy, white supremacy, authoritarianism, eugenics, class and classism, while supporting anti-consumerism, anti-corporatism, anti-war, anti-imperialism, leftism, anti-globalization, anti-gentrification, anti-racism, anti-sexism, gender equality, anti-homophobia, racial equality, animal rights, free-thought and non-conformity. One of its main tenets is a rejection of mainstream, corporate mass culture and its values. It continues to evolve its ideology as the movement spreads throughout North America from its origins in England and New York and embraces a range of anti-racist and anti-sexist belief systems. Punk does not necessarily lend itself to any particular political ideology as it is primarily anti-establishment although leftist punk is more common due to the prevalence of liberal and conservative ideologies in the status-quo.

<i>J.D.s</i>

J.D.s was a Canadian queer punk zine which started in 1985 and ran for eight issues until 1991. The zine was co-authored by G.B Jones and Bruce LaBruce and is credited as being one of the first and most influential queer zines. The zine's content was centred around anarchic queer-punk themes and heavily discussed queer-skewed punk music from the late 1980s.

Tim Yohannan, also known as Tim Yo, was the founder of Maximum Rocknroll, a radio show and fanzine documenting punk subculture. He also helped in establishing a number of DIY collectives, such as 924 Gilman Street, Blacklist Mailorder, and the Epicenter Zone record store.

Kill Your Pet Puppy was a UK punk zine that ran for six issues between 1979 and 1984. It was edited by Tony Drayton who had previously produced Ripped and Torn fanzine, which he started in October 1976 and for 18 issues until 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BYO Records</span> American independent record label

Better Youth Organization Records (BYO) is a Los Angeles, California based independent punk rock record label created by Shawn and Mark Stern, two of the three brothers of the California punk rock band Youth Brigade.

Queeruption is an annual international queercore festival and gathering started in 1998 where alternative/radical/disenfranchised queers can exchange information, network, organize, inspire and get inspired, self-represent, and challenge mainstream society with do-it-yourself (DIY) ideas and ethics. Shows featuring queer punk bands, performance artists, and other entertainment are put on at night, while workshops and demonstrations take place during the daytime. Queeruption generally takes place in a different city in a different country every year. It has contributed to anarcho-queer movements. The groups that organize each event and even within the same city may have disagreements about how aspects should represent politics including queer safe spaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punk house</span> Type of communal dwelling

A punk house is a dwelling occupied by members of the punk subculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crass</span> English punk rock band

Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977, who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, advocating direct action, animal rights, feminism, anti-fascism, and environmentalism. The band used and advocated a DIY ethic approach to its albums, sound collages, leaflets, and films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self-managed social centres in the United Kingdom</span> Self-organised anti-capitalist communal spaces in the UK

Self-managed social centres in the United Kingdom can be found in squatted, rented, mortgaged and fully owned buildings. These self-managed social centres differ from community centres in that they are self-organised under anti-authoritarian principles and volunteer-run, without any assistance from the state. The largest number have occurred in London from the 1980s onwards, although projects exist in most cities across the UK, linked in a network. Squatted social centres tend to be quickly evicted and therefore some projects deliberately choose a short-term existence, such as A-Spire in Leeds or the Okasional Café in Manchester. Longer term social centres include the 1 in 12 Club in Bradford, the Cowley Club in Brighton and the Sumac Centre in Nottingham, which are co-operatively owned.

German punk includes a body of music and a subculture that have evolved since punk rock became popular in Germany in the 1970s. Within the subculture of punk in Germany, a style of music called Deutschpunk was developed; this style of music has developed distinctly from hardcore punk, and includes lyrics in German as well as a fast tempo. In the punk scene in Germany, some bands play music in the Deutschpunk style, while other German punk bands pursue various other styles of punk music.

TNSrecords(also known as TNS and That's Not Skanking) is a punk record label based in Manchester, UK. TNSrecords aims to support and spread the word about exciting bands, who could be considered punk in either sound or ethos. The emphasis is very much based around community spirit, the DIY ethos and working collectively with like-minded people. The TNS family continues to expand. They started out as a punk zine and then a gig night way back in 2003 in Manchester. TNS evolved into an independent label in 2008.

Animal rights are closely associated with two ideologies of the punk subculture: anarcho-punk and straight edge. This association dates back to the 1980s and has been expressed in areas that include song lyrics, benefit concerts for animal rights organisations, and militant actions of activists influenced by punk music. Among the latter, Rod Coronado, Peter Daniel Young and members of SHAC are notable. This issue spread into various punk rock and hardcore subgenres, e.g. crust punk, metalcore and grindcore, eventually becoming a distinctive feature of punk culture.

<i>Ox-Fanzine</i> German punk fanzine

Ox-Fanzine is a monthly punk zine from Solingen, Germany, founded in 1988. It is edited by Joachim Hiller and has had many contributors. Besides its focus on punk subculture, it also covers similar genres, reviews of comics, books and films, and has included serial novels by authors such as Klaus N. Frick.

References

  1. ↑ "Last Hours website".
  2. ↑ Boarts Larson, Christine, Slug and Lettuce #82, August 2004
  3. ↑ "issue 10". Last Hours. 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  4. ↑ "issue 13". Last Hours. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-09-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-09-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ↑ "A burning rage: analysis and report of 10/01/09 Palestinian solidarity demonstration". Last Hours. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  8. ↑ "G20 April 1st photo overview". Last Hours. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  9. ↑ "G20: another version of the truth – the police assault on Ian Tomlinson in context". Last Hours. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  10. ↑ "Last Hours — creative resistance". Archived from the original on 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.