I was going to do a write-up of this, but the new issue of Start fanzine was reviewed and sent over by Bernard Harkins. So I’ll use that.
Before I do, a few important points. This is the latest instalment of Start, which features, this time out, Chez 66, Brian Jones, Soul Deep and The Stone Foundation amongst other things.
It’s a really well put-together thing too. I know what you think when the word ‘fanzine’ is mentioned. Presumably, something photocopied from the 1980s. But this isn’t that. It’s a professional affair with plenty of depth. But I’ll hand over to Bernard’s review for more on that…
I’ve bought a few mod fanzines recently but I was totally surprised, in a good way, when Start magazine came through my letterbox.
The quality and look make it stand out from the crowd, this is indeed more of a magazine than a fanzine.
Start covers all aspects of the mod scene and lives up to the tag-line of ‘Celebrating the People Celebrating the Scene.’ The current edition includes features on London’s Chez 66 and Fast Way of Living, then off up north to Newcastle for Club A’ GoGo and then a trip across the water to Brussel’s Atomium R&B club.
There’s also a step into tomorrow with pieces on Brian Jones, Michael Caine, Mary Quant and the Style Council.
Start is written with wit and humour, the Q&A with Neal Sheasby from Stone Foundation echoes the Shoot Q&A’s with footballers from the ’70s, down to the favourite food and drink question. Though spoiler alert, Neil’s doesn’t go for the steak and chips that always seemed to be the staple diet of football legends.
There are also some great photos in Start, especially in the Après Chez feature, so if you’ve got a spare £7.50 (including p&p) burning a hole in your pocket and you fancy 64 pages of crisply written, good-looking, high quality, mod-related content get yourself a copy of Start!
You can buy a copy of Start via the eBay page. for that £7.50 price.
