The Screever - Issue 9

The Screever - Issue 9, spring 2016

A6, 56 photocopied pages.

£1

This is the third issue of The Screever that I've read - my review of the last issue holds true: I still love The Screever. 

It is the perfect distillation of what makes zines great. Where else would you find - an interview with IDestroy, a RiotGrrl punk inspired band from Bristol; an interview with Dead Bride Comics artist Dan Barnes on his wrestling themed Blood Stained Canvas; instructions on how to make a pin-hole camera; a recipe for mini oat pizzas; a feature on the West Midlands skating scene; an interview with illustrator Bodie H. about his Choose Your Own Adventure inspired zines (which sound right up my street!); and a pile of reviews of old and new bands - all in one place? 

It is the belief in sharing a personal range of interests and issues, reaching out to other people who have something to say, and putting it out in the world to connect with others. That is what zines are about for me. And that is what The Screever does so well. And it does it all for £1. A pound! There isn't much that is great that you can buy for a pound. And of those things, a bag of Haribo, and The Screever, are at the top of the list.  

Buy a copy here

Visit The Screever Facebook page and The Screever Blogspot

Review by Nathan Penlington

The Screever - Issue 8

The Screever - Issue 8, Autumn 2015.

The Stars are a free show - Volume Two

A6, 56 photocopied pages. Compilation tape made in conjunction with The Screever zine.

£4 (for zine, tape and a patch)

Ok, I’ll be up front – I love The Screever

I love the size. It has travelled in my jacket pocket for a couple of weeks, filling the moments I want to disconnect from the constant digital push with articles, interviews and features with people making things their own way. Like Thomas Lee Rutter who is making a western based on Mark Twain’s The Mysterious Stranger, shot in Worcestershire and Barmouth. Like Joe Solo who was responsible for the We Shall Overcome events to help express collective disapproval of the government’s hateful austerity measures. Like Crow a new diy West Midlands skate brand.

I love the tape. Mix-tapes are about curation and duration, which is rare combination to find these days. It is so easy to miss the bands starting out, playing small gigs hundreds of miles away in venues you've never heard of. Those bands might be making music that speaks to you personally - how do you find them in the digital swamp? In this instance that’s where someone like The Screever steps in. The Stars are a free show features 19 mainly currently unreleased tracks including the excellently named Bratakus, who are also interviewed in the zine, The International Hookey Club, La Mascleta, and Movies, Games and Videos.

I love how The Screever has been put together with an equal amount of passion and care.

I love its attitude and inquisitiveness.

Just buy I copy, you’ll see what I mean. 

Buy a copy here

Visit The Screever Facebook page and The Screever Blogspot

Review by Nathan Penlington

The Screever – Issue 7

The Screever – Issue 7, Spring 2015.

A6, 48 photocopied pages, limited to 150 copies.

£1

I’ll be honest, I had to look up the meaning of the word ‘screever’. The definition according to Collins English Dictionary is:

1.      a person who draws on the pavement with chalk and earns money from the donations of passersby

The Screever uses the pavement in a wider metaphorical sense, drawing attention to people and things you’d miss otherwise. 

It’s a great little zine, well put together, diverse, consistently interesting, and the features really illustrate how artistically and culturally vibrant the DIY scene is in the Midlands. Interviews in this issue are with Stourbridge’s Temple of Boom music venue, ‘one of the strangest sounding bands you’ve heard’ The Perverts, comic creator Patrick Scattergood, record label Wolf Town DIY, and zine maker and obsessive diarist Becky Kidner (see this recent post about Becky’s zines). Plus music reviews, puzzle pages, and a recipe for vegan gummy bears.

You can't really do better for £1. 

You can get your hands on a copy here: glassofspit.bigcartel.com/product/the-screever-zine-issue-three

And this is The Screever blogspot: thescreever.blogspot.co.uk

Review by Nathan Penlington