Zerox Machine: Punk, Post-Punk and Fanzines in Britain, 1976–1988

by Matthew Worley

Zerox Machine is an immersive journey through the vibrant history of British punk and its associated fanzines from 1976 to 1988. Drawing on an extensive range of previously unpublished materials sourced from private collections across the UK, Matthew Worley describes and analyses this transformative era, providing an intimate glimpse into the hopes and anxieties that shaped a generation.

Far more than a showcase of covers, this book examines the fanzines themselves, offering a rich tapestry of first-hand accounts, personal stories and sub-cultural reflections. Through meticulous research and insightful analysis, Matthew Worley captures the spirit and essence of British youth culture, not only shedding new light on a pivotal movement in music history but crafting a unique alternative history of Britain in the 1970s and ’80s.

Genres: Punk, Music

352 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2024

Reviews

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

All reservations aside, Matthew Worley's achievement with this book is immense. Here we have a work of scholastic fanaticism, bursting at the seams with smashed pulp, and a delirious yet methodical plunge into the rag and bone shop of culture. This is also an excellent production by Reaktion Books: zines were evidently a visual culture at least as much as a delivery system for information and attitude, and the 113 illustrations contained between these two covers deserve close attention. An indispensable portrait of a lost counterculture.

Here's a link to my full review: http://review31.co.uk/article/view/91...

[Bryce Galloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustively researched book about zines that puts them in context with the music and politics of the time in quite an academic way. Hundreds of provincial titles are listed. Connections are described, aesthetics are examined, subgenres are made sense of. Quite a different book on zines in that it contains a lot more words on the subject than pictures. Definitely a five star book, my only gripe being that in searching for zines of significance to zero in on Worley sometimes focuses on the most 'successful' zines with the greatest print run, essentially, those zines that stopped being zines and became magazines.

[Richard Klinko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant spin through amateur music journalism and cut and and paste artwork