New Book: Tales from the Ghost Town

Alan Rider after many years intense work, has finally got his his awesome book on the Cov fanzines scene out to print – Tales from the Ghost Town by Alan Rider – buy this book!

Blurb from Alan: “The period 1979-’85 (usually referred to as the ‘post-punk’ period) witnessed an unprecedented and never-to-be-repeated explosion of grass roots musical creativity across the country and internationally. That, in turn, stimulated a plethora of fanzines of all shapes and sizes to spring from bedrooms, dining room tables, and even school playgrounds. Nowhere was that urge expressed more prolifically than in Coventry, England. Galvanised by the energy created around Two Tone, but extending far beyond, over 50 fanzines were produced in Coventry and the surrounding area during that brief time.

Examples ranged from scruffy, faintly photocopied efforts that blinked into existence for just a few issues, to more polished productions that ran for several years. From the tongue in cheek style of Ded Yampy, to the politically aware polemic of Issue, the in-depth local coverage of the front runner Alternative Sounds, to the confrontational design lead stylings of Adventures in Reality, the teenage anarchist diatribe of Antisocial, to the barbed commentary of Private Enterprise, the diversity of views and styles on show was almost endless.

With a foreword by The Specials’ Horace Panter, Tales From The Ghost Town collects together rare copies of every fanzine produced in Coventry at that incredible time. With an in-depth review of each, accompanied by covers and inside pages alongside exclusive interviews with their original creators tracked down from across the globe, it is THE definitive record of this unique, punk inspired, explosion of grass roots creativity expressed in cut and paste form.”

Tales from the Ghost Town. Alan Rider

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Furious Apples @ The General Wolfe 1983-84 ish

The mighty Furious Apples at the General Wolfe, probably 1983-84. Headed up by Greg Crabb who also promoted a ton of great bands upstairs at the Campbell under his Pilgrim Promotions banner, the impeccable artwork for which should be filling a gallery at The Herbert, if there were any appreciation or understanding of the cool shit that has gone down in Cov over the last few decades.

I have one other Apples film – which hasn’t been digitised – so that may or may not also find its way up here at some point, in the meantime there may well be a follow up to the This Is Then exhibition & performance at The Tin – watch this space.

Furious Apples @ The General Wolfe

Furious Apples @ The General Wolfe

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Mutant Image / Synth Battle – 12th Sept 2021

Just back from The Tin and my ‘Mutant Image / Synth Battle’ with Alex Miles, which although I say so myself was pretty neat. Alex’s mighty modular synth in communication with my Processing code. Thanks to everyone who turned up today, including all those I havn’t seen for decades and who had traveled many hours to get to Cov.

Plus across whole weekend been great to get such positive feedback on the prints from everyone who visited the exhibition – which is on at The Tin until Sunday 19th Sept.

warning: audio visual performance

warning: audio visual performance

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Attrition @ The Tin

Across time and space Attrition came together to perform the This Death House soundtrack at The Tin to launch the This Is Then exhibition – which is now on until the 19th of September. Thanks to everyone who turned up to check out the work, great to talk about the images and the Cov scene back in the day.

Also some quality sounds from DJ Mark Cook & thanks again to the crew at The Tin & Jacqui at CCCT for coming up with the funding in the first place.

Sunday 12th September, 1–4pm sees me collaborating with synthesist Alex Miles in a Mutant Image / Synth Battle at The Tin, and Monday 13th Sept there is a creative coding workshop with Ashley James Brown.

Attrition @ The Tin, September 10th, 2021, perform the This Death House

Attrition @ The Tin, September 10th, 2021, perform the This Death House

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Putting up show, in the sun, @ The Tin

Pretty good day, hanging work in The Tin, at Cov Canal Basin for fridays opening, plus got banner stand sorted thanks to Mark Cook, Photo Miners, Ludic Rooms, thanks to the awesome crew at The Tin, & Matt Rheeston for quality measuring, drilling and hammering.

This Is Then show stand, ouside The Tin, Cov Canal Basin

This Is Then show stand, ouside The Tin, Cov Canal Basin.

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this is then

A visual record of the Coventry music scene 1979-1981 by Mark Osborne.

A work in progress.

© 2011, 2021 Mark Osborne