Hello again!

As we approach Easter, things seem to be building up quite nicely here at Second City. Issue 3 came out at the start of March and has been received very well all round, and we are hopeful of picking up enough advertising investment to sustain the balance needed to not only sustain what we're doing, but to keep pushing things forward.

For those of you who haven't yet grabbed a copy of our third edition, what are you waiting for?! Get one for free from most bars/venues/cafes/independent shops across the city centre and beyond. It covers the whole of April as well as March, so it's not too late to read. No excuses. For those awaiting delivery via the postal service, they will be sent out tonight I promise! Nowhere sells stamps these days, do they?

Issue 4 will grace your world at the start of May and span until the end of June. We're lining up more exclusive interviews and churning out reviews and articles for your reading pleasure, so keep your ear to the ground for who and what will feature.

Please help to spread the word. We can't survive without backing, so any help that is offered is obviously much appreciated.

One final note, add us on Last.FM as a friend. If you 'play our library', you'll hear a continuous stream of current Manchester talent. It's very good and it's free music, so do it. http://www.last.fm/user/secondcityuk

As always, stay tuned to our website for all magazine content, extra stuff, listings and what-not. http://www.secondcityuk.com
Thanks to the amazing Google Analytics we can see we've had a staggering number of page views, and we have readers all over the world. Technology never ceases to amaze me!

So until next time, I hope you're all enjoying these nice days of sunshine we're having. Here's to a better summer than last year!

Alston

'ey up!

Right, so Issue 3 is coming along nicely. We've got exclusive interviews with Kong, Dave Formula (Magazine/Visage - .. go read up on them and their importance!), Buzzcocks, The Shadowcops and a few others. Sonic Boom Six are currently compiling a tour diary of their recent jaunts especially for us and we've got loads of other stuff for you to read.

Our IT guy is currently down with illness, so we wish him all the best in a speedy recovery. I'll be attempting to learn more website-based stuff in the meantime so that we can keep our main site up to date, but I'm a bit of a n00b if I do say so myself!

So yeah, Issue 3 will be out at the start of February all the way through 'til the end of March. 5,000 copies, careful distribution, full-colour for two whole months. Work out the cost of getting this done with flyers and try and beat our rates (you can't!). Basically we're funded by advertising - without it we cannot survive. I still need a few more ads to make this issue viable, so venues, studios, businesses, whatever, get in touch! Prices as low as £50!

Future plans? Well, once we've set up a subscription base, we'll be delivering the mag out to people and bundling it in with exclusive stuff such as a bi-monthly compilation of the best sounds coming out of Manchester and around. If your band are interested in getting a track on a free CD, then drop us a comment below and we'll get in touch.

Another of my projects-in-waiting is that of producing Enhanced Press Kits (EPKs). Essentially a 15-20 minute DVD in a professional-looking case, with a nicely put-together collection of live footage, interviews and other video - showcasing what bands act and sound like offstage as well as on it. Something to stand out from the piles of CD-Rs record labels get from unsigned acts, and a product that will give them far better insight to a band. All being well, I'll be doing the first of these for those excellent rockers The Shadowcops to conincide with their debut album 'A Big Pot Of Hot' which is out next month. Stay tuned on developments on that front, but interest and feedback would be much appreciated!

I'm sure there was some other news I had. If I rememeber it, I'll add it later. Off to Asda now to do the big shop and stock up on grub. Keep supporting local music and small gigs. Manchester is gradually becoming a good place to play again after having a bad reputation for turnouts and enthusiasm in recent years - so much so that bands often left it out on tours. Let's keep it growing!

Alston x

... will be dropped off around Manchester tomorrow.

We're absolutely overwhelmed with the feedback we've received so far, and the fact that people are actually picking up our mags and taking them home with them compared to the other free publications around town that seem to go untouched. It's been quite hard, but also very pleasing to monitor stockpiles and replenish supplies in bars, cafes and what-not.

So if you want a copy of our second issue - which features interviews with Failsafe, Gideon Conn, Harijan, Paul Draper (Mansun), Akoustik Anarkhy and much more - I'll be leaving some in the following places tomorrow...

Revolution (Oxford Road), Dry Bar, The Roadhouse, Pure Space, White Label Clothing, Rockers, Joshua Brooks, Thirsty Scholar, Corbieres, Adidas, The Deaf Insitute.

I'll also be popping back into my old stomping ground, Adelphi Building of Salford Uni, so there'll be some in the communal area and at the front desk too.

We've been ridiculously busy with our other lines of work, as well as the festive season and all that. But we've got straight back into action at the turn of the year, and are currently lining up a killer Issue 3! Expect another blog this week on details.

To help businesses in these tough economic times, we've decided to go to being bi-monthly for the time being. Two month's advertising for the same price (the cheapest around, I might add) as for one. Rates as low as £50, for full-colour inclusion in 5,000 copies. Can't argue with that really, can you? Get in touch at : editor@secondcityuk.com if interested.

I'm currently warming myself up with a nice bowl of soup and listening to a couple of CDs we've been sent today - To The Bones' debut album and an EP from A Middle Sex. Both cracking stuff so far, so expect reviews shortly. Add these to a massive pile of other local releases that we've been casting our eyes over (The Shadowcops, Stand Out Riot, City Lights, Lion, The Cost Of Living, C-Dub Soundtrack, The Freezing Fog, Everything Everything) and it's plain to see that the Manchester music scene is looking pretty damn vibrant for 2009. We're expecting big things, and we're looking to be a part of them. With side projects currently in the wings, keep your ears to the ground on what's next to come from Second City!

Any gig reviews for inclusion in Issue 3 should reach us by the 12th - we're off to print on the 16th you see!

After already seeing cracking gigs involving The Steal and Beat The Radar so far this year, I'm particularly looking forward to being at these in the next few weeks...

9th - Oh My God Vs Cancer - Jenna G / Ray Keith + more @ Music Box
11th - Stand Out Riot / Autonomads / Physical Jerks + more @ Retro Bar
14th - Animal Collective @ Club Academy
15th - The Living Daylights / Plan To Progress + more @ Satan's Hollow
16th - The Buzzcocks @ Academy 1
20th - Random Hand / Moral Dilemma @ Retro Bar
23rd - The Freezing Fog / The Plight @ The Library, Leeds
24th - The Longcut / Kid British / Beat The Radar + more @ Jabez Clegg

I'll leave you with a rather nice video to watch :



Alston x

Ok, so after a crazy few months, Issue 1 was FINALLY dropped on Manchester and surrounding areas last week.

We're quite proud of how it's turned out in all honesty - the few minor errors are my bad! What's more, it seems to have been received very well by all those that we've spoke to/have gotten in touch with us since. Thanks to all those that have shown such support and continue to back what we're doing.

Issue 2 is currently taking shape nicely. Expect news on what will feature very soon. We're looking at a double issue to cover the Christmas period, so we're working towards a mid-November release. We're constantly going to be looking for advertisers, so if you could spread the good word, that would be much appreciated!

Keep hitting us back with feedback, suggestions, input and submissions. All are welcome. Our website should hopefully be up at some point next week, and we've got big plans for that too, all being well.

In the meantime, take it easy, avoid the flu that's doing the rounds, pay a trip to your local record shop and continue to support unsigned and underground music.

We'll be at the following gigs the next few days. Come and say hello!

22/10 - Sonic Boom Six / Me Vs Hero @ Moho Live

23/10 - Mogwai @ Academy (hopefully!)

24/10 - The Kirkz / Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man / Stand Out Riot / Nana's Revenge / Laughing In The Face Of @ Retro Bar

- Metronomy / (We Are) Performance / Collapsing Cities @ The Deaf Institute

25/10 - Helping The Shadowcops film their new music video! Ask for details on how to be involved!

26/10 - 3 Minute Warning / The Fractions / Make It Better Later / Bombskare / BSN 4:20 / Beat The Red Light @ Retro Bar

Alston x

P.S. Yes... I got the colours of the French flag wrong. I'm not sure whether I can blame that on being colourblind or not though. Darn.

 

 

Right, here's the important stuff.

You can get in touch with us with any queries at : editor@secondcityuk.com.

Send anything you want reviewing to : Apt 19, 1 River Street, Manchester, M1 5BB.

Our advertising rates are dirt cheap! Ask for our rates.

If you want to review anything, get in touch at the above address also. We can't guarantee it'll get printed, but everything we do receive will be put on the website as soon as I've sorted that.

Photographers that want work for their portfolio, drop us a line too. We've got interviews lined up that we'll need promo shots for, as well as live stuff.

I'll update this with a list of places where you can pick up the magazine as soon as it's out!

Alston x