1984-1992
When I started thinking about doing this blog I was trying to imagine an 80's DIY fanzine style produced digitally. I remember how I used to produce my fanzine, distribution lists, flyers and the first few album covers on the label by cut and paste techniques. I later asked John Yates to do Manic Ears cover and label art design. He came up with the very appealing Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' painting as a label logo. After John Yates left for San Francisco I asked Bear And Beano of Skate Muties From The 5th Dimension to do this being the kings of DIY art, cut and paste methods.
I hope this is a representation in design but still reflects the spirit of the hardcore scene during the mid and late 1980's in the UK. I would like to this call a 'digital fanzine'. The initial idea was to produce a digital representation of running Manic Ears Records at that time. The resources available today are astonishing as I have managed to find a lot of photos, flyers, adverts, and even tapes digitized already on the web through band and personal websites, blogs, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Facebook, Instagram and even Twitter. It appears the hardcore underground is still alive and kicking and has moved online.
These days I regard this as a form of cyberpunk. Hardcore and punk bands thrive these days through online networks in 'cyberspace' and still producing quality hardcore music. Physical record sales are exceptionally small these days but still bedroom DIY enthusiasts communicate and distribute ideas, beliefs and music by vinyl, CD, print, online radio shows, email, downloads, gigs and shows exposing new hardcore bands from around the world in a networked underground environment.
In the 80's and early 90's we did this from our bedrooms surrounded by letters, paper, records, tapes and fanzines manically writing to everyone we spotted in a fanzine, on a flyer or record and cassette label to contact about new bands, interviews, music and distributing this stuff all by mail. Soaping the stamps was a standard practice at the time but as I moved into the record side the sheer volume of mail become quite phenomenal. This was all enthused by a worldwide DIY underground hardcore scene. With the benefit of hindsight in 2016 it is very remarkable that hardcore thrived this way at the time.
This blog represents my involvement in hardcore in the UK running Manic Ears Records coming from the fanzine and tape label underground hardcore scene. If you are reading this then I hope you find it interesting, informative and a relevant account of my time involved with hardcore during the early and late 1980s.
I hope to improve it over time as my idea is to let it evolve with possibly more material in future. I have not done any web design work for at least 15 years and my skills are somewhat out of date. My memory of studying that in college is rather vague. I am currently studying for MPHIL/PhD in Music at Goldsmiths College. I cannot commit to regular updates and emails may not get a reply for quite a while. I hope I have managed to achieve a digital fanzine in the style of a blog. Enjoy reading it.
Shane
I would like to thank everybody for contributing to the blog in any form whether it is interviews, articles photos, flyers and music.
This C4 documentary pretty much sums up the time: Soap the Stamps
BBC John Peel Television programme Suffolk Comforts
The Manic Ears June 1989 Extreme Noise Terror Jettisoundz/MTV Video 'From One Extreme To Another - Live Fulham Greyhound Show'
The Manic Ears June 1989 Dr & The Crippens Jettisoundz/MTV Video 'Live Fulham Greyhound 1989'
Extreme Noise Terror/Napalm Death Snub TV 1989
BBC John Peel Television programme Suffolk Comforts
The Manic Ears June 1989 Extreme Noise Terror Jettisoundz/MTV Video 'From One Extreme To Another - Live Fulham Greyhound Show'
The Manic Ears June 1989 Dr & The Crippens Jettisoundz/MTV Video 'Live Fulham Greyhound 1989'
Extreme Noise Terror/Napalm Death Snub TV 1989
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UPDATE: 29th Oct, 2020
Just quick post as I havent posted here since 2017. I have not updated the blog or fixed any writing errors simply because if I start doing that I will end up rewiting the blog. I dont have the time for that right now. There are few videos which I listed in the 2017 post above uploaded to You Tube that I set up somtime last year for that purpose. If you want to see photos, press clips, albums on Manic Ears Records and COR Records check out Instagram. I am hightlighting a lot of COR Records because Tim and I were old friends and came from the same place in music. The details are here:
You Tube: Manic Ears Records
Instagram: @manic_ears_retro
Web: Manic Ears Records
email: manicearsblog@gmail.com
I have just started a Full Time MPHIL/PHD Music in Goldsmiths researching the digital audio workstation in techno and electronic music. So, I am very busy for the next 3-4 years and I do take some time to respond to emails but I will reply eventually.
ps. If you want to copy or use any this blog please just drop me an email and let me know what you are doing with it. I would like to consider this as a form of Open Access.
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