Another State Of Zine....

Scanner was born in a hail of phlegm, defiance and attitude as an A5 print zine back in the Summer of 1998, in the English hamlet of Ipswich, Suffolk. It ran for near-on five years, culminating with a 92-page whopper in January 2003, which featured the likes of AVAIL, Exene Cervenka and Winston Smith.
From small beginnings - the first issue was a comparatively small 40-page minnow - the zine grew steadily in stature with a final print run of over 1,000 and distribution throughout the UK and in various parts of Europe and America plus Australia and New Zealand with further readers in Japan and South Africa.
The zine stopped not due to my personal lack of interest in the world of Punk Rock, or any kinda burgeoning disillusionment in an overtly commercialised and tame Punk Rock scene. Admittedly, I was getting tired of generic releases from say-nothing bands and ‘Punx’ who cared more for the shade of their hair dye and brand of sneaker than they did for the ideals behind MDC or SUBHUMANS. Thankfully, this was constantly countered by bands like FOUR LETTER WORD, DILLINGER FOUR and many bands like them that released vital, energetic, intelligent and out-spoken releases. Of course, the old faithfuls - surely I don’t need to name names - always revitalised the soul and scorched the ears.
Nope, Scanner in print form stopped due to a life-changing move. In March 2004, I packed my bags and headed to New Zealand. At the time I had no idea whether it would be a long-term move. I sure wanted it to be, but due to seemingly limitless bureaucratic red tape bullshit from the Immigration Services, I had to wait a year to see if my future here in NZ could be even semi-permanent. During that year I set up this website in an attempt to continue where the zine left off.
Move forward to August 2005... My application for Residency in NZ was approved and here I remain with no plans of leaving. From here, Scanner on-line continues and will continue until I either go back to a print form zine or get so disillusioned by the whole bloody world of Punk Rock and its seemingly increasing links to the safe, corporate and sponsored world of mainstream society that I would rather vomit all over my crotch than face another tiresome safe, major label band desperately wanting to be ‘dangerous’ and/ or ‘cool’. Fuck ‘em!
Where is this website gonna go from here? Well, I hope it’s just gonna get bigger and better, just as the print version did. I did have a ‘News’ section, but due to lack of release news etc being forwarded, I ditched it. Except for a few notable labels - Fat Wreck, Revelation, Household Name, Recess and Alternative Tentacles in particular - I had no release news sent despite requests and adding myself to mailing lists.
You can forward all review material to the address above that’s shadowed by Crass. For electronic contact, hit this LINK and send me an email. If you work for EMI or Columbia, yeah, please forward me your releases. They sell well on ebay but do NOT expect a review of your corporate crapola. My review policy remains the same - all releases sent WILL be reviewed, but anything on a major label does not run parallel to my ideals of Punk Rock. Period. Get over it and concentrate on your lucre-lusting contracts.
Also hit the LINK if you wanna join the mailing list to receive emails of each and every update as it happens. OK - get on with it - self-explanation over. Enter and enjoy....

October 6th - READING MATTER - Review of DIARY OF A PUNK: LIFE AND DEATH IN THE PAGANS
October 3rd - INTERVIEWS - Interview with SUBHUMANS (UK)
October 3rd - MY BLOG - New Entry
September 30th - TV PARTY - Review of 999
September 29th - TV PARTY - Review of ANTI-NOWHERE LEAGUE
September 28th - TOP SOUNDS - Review of CLOAK/DAGGER
September 28th - TV PARTY - Review of HANOI ROCKS
September 28th - TV PARTY - Review of SLAUGHTER AND THE DOGS
September 27th - TOP SOUNDS - Reviews of PAINT IT BLACK and THE QUEERS
September 26th - TOP SOUNDS - Review of GOOD RIDDANCE

CD REVIEWS
LOS MUERTOS - s/t {1157}; THROW RAG - 2nd Place, THROW RAG - Tee-Tot  {Acetate}; AMEBIX - No Sanctuary, REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY - Destroy All Evidence {Alternative Tentacles}; VARIOUS - Good Vibrations Punk Singles Collection {Anagram}; LAVODRAMA - Zurich, L'ODI SOCIAL - Discographia Completa {B-Core}; ABS - A Wop Bop A Loo Bop, CHILLERTON - Bleak Unison, GERIATRIC UNIT - Life Half Over EP, HARD-ONS - Most People Are Nicer Than Us, HDQ - Sinking, HDQ - Soulfinder, I WALK THE LINE - Black WAve Rising!, JINGO DE LUNCH - Independent Years, JOYCE McKINNEY EXPERIENCE - Love Songs For Kirk, SCOTT REYNOLDS - Livin' The Dream, SCOTT REYNOLDS & THE STEAMING BEAST - Adventure Boy, SKIMMER - I'll Tell You What, SPERMBIRDS - Set An Example, STEAKKNIFE - Parallel Universe Of The Dead, STUPIDS - Violent Nun, STUPIDS - Peruvian Vacation, STUPIDS - Retard Picnic, STUPIDS - Complete BBC Peel Sessions, TV SMITH - In The Arms Of My Enemy, TV SMITH AND THE BORED TEENAGERS - Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts, WALTER ELF - Heut Oder Nie, WALTER ELF - Die Angst Des Tormanns Beim Elfmeter {Boss Tuneage}; RUNAWAYS - And Now... {Cherry Red}; BILL BONDSMEN - Swallowed By The World; MAC BLACKOUT - s/t; JUANITA Y LOS FEOS - s/t; MOTORAMA - Psychotronic Is The Beat! {Dead Beat}; BLACKLISTED - Heavier Than Heaven Lonlier Than God, KILLING THE DREAM - Fractures {Deathwish}; DEATHZONE - When The Punks Of The World Unite {Deathzone}; RIOT/CLONE - Success, VOIDS - Sounds Of Failure {Dr. Strange}; I AM GHOST - Those We Leave Behind {Epitaph}; LAGWAGON - I Think My Older Brother Used To Listen To..., ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES - Have Another Ball, REAL McKENZIES - Off The Leash, STAR FUCKING HIPSTERS - Until We're Dead  {Fat Wreck}; TEMPO 38 - Septic Proof, VARIOUS - Flip Your Lid Vol. I {Hit Your Head}; FORMER CELL MATES - Who's Dead And What's To Pay? {Household Name}; CONFLICT - A History Of Insurgence {Mortarhate}; H20 - Live: The Bowery Collection, SIC FUCKS - Live: The Bowery Collection {MVD}; LEVELLERS - Letters From The Underground {On The FIddle}; ACURSED - Tunneln i Ljusets Slut, AVSKUM - Uppror Underifran, BORN/DEAD - The Final Collapse, CHRIST ON PARADE - Loud And Live, IRON LUNG - Sexless/No Sex {Prank}; PUKES/ MIKE PUKE - A Stab In The Ears For The Foolhardy {Puke}; CARPATHIAN - Isolation {Resist}, BLUE MAN GROUP - How To Be A Megastar Live, REPLACEMENTS - Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash, Stink, Hootenanny, Let It Be {Rhino}; MARCH TO THE GRAVE/ DESTRUCTORS 666 - Geistbahn {Rowdy Farrago}; STUPIDS - Jesus Meets The Stupids, STUPIDS - Van Stupid  + Frankfurter {Visible Noise}; VERMIN - Joe's Shanghai {Wood Shampoo}; RED FLAG 77 - Flag Day 2008, SCREWED UP FLYER - Demo #2, SIX SIX CRUSH - On A Path {DIY}

7"/12" VINYL REVIEWS
MAYFAIR & HUXLEY - Ace Hardware Presents... {Carthage Vs Rome}; DEAD RINGERS - It Sounds Loud And Fast To Me {Gimme Danger}; FOUR LETTER WORD - Staring Down The Barrel {Damaged/ No Idea/ Newest Industry}; SOUTHERN CRADLE/ ARCANE PARADE - split 7" {Summer Solace}; FUCKED UP - Year Of The Pig {What's Your Rupture?}

DVD REVIEWS
HERESY - Live 1987, SPERMBIRDS - Me And My People {Boss Tuneage}; CIRCLE JERKS - Live At The House Of Blues {Kung Fu}; D.I. - The Suburbia Sessions 1983, IGGY AND THE STOOGES - Escaped Maniacs, MEATMEN - The Devil's In The Details Volume 1, Punk's Not Dead {MVD}; CHANNEL 3 - One More For All My True Friends {TKO} 

BOOK REVIEWS
Iggy Pop: Open Up And Bleed;  '77 Sulphate Strip; Arturo Bassick: Fat Bloke Thin Book, No More Heroes, The Secret Life Of A Teenage Punk Rocker: Andy Blade

ZINES
Mysterex #4, Beat Motel #7, Suspect Device #49, Zonked! #10, Profane Existence #57, TNS Fanzine #2, Ploppy Pants #7, In It On It #19, Negative Reaction #19, Riot 77 #12, Artcore #25, Bald Cactis #26, Fear And Loathing #63, Negative Reaction #11, Shrapnel #1

INTERVIEWS
Boss Tuneage Records, Vic Bondi (Articles of Faith/ Report Suspicious Activity), Channel Three, Ritalin, Anthrax, TV Smith

Here's the latest installment of Hey Suburbia - The House Of Scanner Podcast!  You can either stream the whole hour-long show by left-clicking the link below, or if you want to save it to your hard drive to play later or burn as a CD, then right click the link and save it as you wish.  You'll probably need a Broadband connection for a moderately quick download.
Let me know what you think - and if any of you have any requests - let me know!!

HEY SUBURBIA PODCAST, #7
THE QUEERS - Granola Head
RIOT/CLONE - Don't Give Me Your Shit
PROPAGANDHI - Rock For Sustainable Capitalism
SCREWED-UP FLYER - Under The Table (Over The Hedge)
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SOUTHERN CRADLE - Won't Leave A Scratch
PAINT IT BLACK - The Beekeeper
DEATH ZONE - All Through Life
RESIST - United States Of Apathy
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SKIMMER - A Scale Of Five
HDQ - Just When I Thought
STEAKKNIFE - Low Rez Machete
JOYCE MCKINNEY EXPERIENCE - Armchair Critic
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REVENGE OF THE PSYCHOTRONIC MAN - This Is Where The Idiot Lives
BILL BONDSMEN - Dear Debt Collector
CLOAK/DAGGER - Runways
VOIDS - Disconnected
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AMEBIX - Progress
SCAVENGERS - Born To Bullshit
PAGANS - Not Now No Way
REPLACEMENTS - Color Me Impressed

Previous Podcasts can be found by clicking this link here

This website will forever remember those who provided inspiration and continue to inspire.  Let us never forget those that paved the way for where Punk Rock is today and made some of the most refreshing, rebellious and raucous music ever.  R.I.P. guys...

STIV BATORS, JOHNNY THUNDERS, JOEY RAMONE, DEE DEE RAMONE, JOHNNY RAMONE, JOE STRUMMER, DARBY CRASH, BOB STINSON, RANDY 'BISCUIT' TURNER, PIG CHAMPION, MALCOLM OWEN, PAUL FOX, LANCE HAHN, DENNIS DANELL, JEFFREY LEE PIERCE, JERRY NOLAN, ARTHUR KANE, BILLY MURCIA, NICHOLAS 'RAZZLE' DINGLEY, STIG, DIMWIT, RAYBEEZ, KURT COBAIN, WIZ, STEVO, MIA ZAPATA, MIKEY OFFENDER DONALDSON, PAUL RAVEN, NIDGE BLITZ MILLER, FRED 'SONIC' SMITH, ROB TYNER, SID VICIOUS, TIM YOHANNON, GREG SHAW, JOHN PEEL