Lights Go Out Zine

The majority of you that read this blog of mine will know that I write a zine called Lights Go Out. And let's face it, there are not many of you who do actually read this little random scribblings of mine. I'd like to think that's because it's still very new and not the fact that I am basically a boring shit. Anyways, people do sometimes ask me why I write the zine and what I actually get out of it.

It's certainly not for the money, the zine will never make money and as soon as I get enough cash I just print a new one anyways. I used to write a zine years ago, back when I could photocopy it for free at work and distribute it for nothing. At the start of 2008 I decided I wanted to get back into the zine writing scene and came up with the idea for Lights Go Out. I'd been reading zines like Beat Motel, Fracture, Debunk for example and the odd other one here and there that I managed to pick up. I'd also been writing columns for other zines like Beat Motel and Unsigned Showcase in Reading and just felt it was time to start my own one up again.

I sold a Marshall 4x12 cab to Dan from Bastion and used that money to get the first issue of Lights Go Out printed. It felt great to have a zine all printed properly and with minimal hassle of sorting the pages out and stapling them myself. Obviously with the printing costs I stuck the cover price on the zine of just a quid. Pretty good value if you ask me, especially considering the amount of effort I'd put in and still continue to! Issue 1 sold pretty well to be honest and I made some great contacts thanks to the zine. People asked me about a second issue, so indeed Issue 2 was produced and printed once again. This one too did pretty well so I kinda guessed this was worth pursuing. Issue 7 is currently at the printers and is due out in a week or so.

There is nothing quite like when that box of new issues turns up and I get to open it up! The new issue is always really exciting for me, both for myself to see the fruits of my labour and also to see what others think about the zine.

But what do I actually get out of it? Nothing really. I like the fact that I am bringing a positive product to the scene, helping to highlight bands people might not know and would like to check out. I realise it may not be the greatest in terms of using a resource in the fact that the zine is paper but let's be honest it's much nicer than a webzine. I admit webzines are great for a source of information and are free to access, but I personally much prefer having a physical product in my hand. It's like getting an album, why download it when you can have the actual product complete with art work. Incidentally, I would always prefer to buy a band's record than download it. And if possible direct from the band at a show rather than using some online purchasing place or shop.

The zine isn't easy to put together. It does take time and effort. I don't use the many design packages available to do this on a computer - I prefer the old way of cut and paste. The scissors get well used and the gluing the little bits together to try and form something worth reading is half the fun to be honest. Finding the time to review stuff is always an issue as well. I probably get about 6-10 CD's a week fall onto my doormat (the postie probably hates me!) and I do have a great team of people who help out by adding their thoughts on releases. But the hard part is chasing them up to get them back to me in time. Something I hate doing to be fair! Of course the inevitable happens, the reviews are just about finished, I'm caught up with the review pile and then a bundle more turn up! I do have to just make a cut off point at some stage and hold some over for the next issue.

Another of the hardest things is the interviews. Contacting people/bands and requesting interviews takes a while. Loads never respond back to me. And on more than a few occasions I have sent interviews over and never got a response. This does my head in to be honest. I appreciate that people come back and say they're up for it, but then not to bother answering is more than a tad annoying. It's great when some bands come back really quickly and I appreciate that big time, it really does help with the zine process.

The other thing is when people rip you off. I have a few people who have taken copies of the zine and never paid for them. We're not some big company, I'm one bloke doing this pretty much all by myself. People who rip me off like this put the future of the zine in doubt. There are many great zines out there, please do not rip them off!

With Issue 7 on it's way in the coming days, it is once again pretty exciting for me. I can't wait for the box to arrive with the new issue in and off I go to sell as many copies as I can. So please if you see me at a show, do get a copy from me, like I said the zine is only £1 and I think it's well worth it. I would love to be able to give the zine away for nothing to as many people as I can, but with the costs of printing, I just can't do that! Of course we do have the online payment option. This can be from the main website: www.lightsgoout.co.uk and via the Myspace page which lives at www.myspace.com/lightsgooutpunkzine - so please do check them out if you get the chance.

I’d like to think that the zine is moving forward with each issue. We kinda have our format down now, the front covers seem to be getting better and better as well. Of course I am happy for suggestions for the zine, so please get in touch via the website with any ideas that you may have.

So for now the future of Lights Go Out does depend on the readers. If people keep buying the zine and want the zine to be there, then I am more than happy to keep on producing issues. Once the call for the zine seems to cease in existence, I will probably have to call it a day. I won't deny that I love writing the zine, it does take up a whole lot of my time, but it's time I am willing to give to be able to bring the zine into the scene.

Please do support Lights Go Out and other zines. Without you buying it, the zine just won’t exist.