Issue 5 is coming!

Right! So Issue 5 is slightly behind schedule, but that's only because we're having a hard time packing so much awesome into forty advert-free pages. There's a lot to catch up on, so I'm just going to go for it.



We've got a review of Joey Cape, Tony Sly, and Jon Snodgrass' gig at the Croft in Bristol (which I'll spoil for you right now by telling you it was totally bitchin')...



an interview with No Use For a Name's Tony Sly who has just released the terribly exciting solo album 12 Song Program on Fat Wreck...



an interview with the amazingly talented "piano guy" Brian Wahlstrom who's Claremont has the Headquarters feeling all jittery...



the very first column by Antagonist favourite Niki Lee, all the way from Cali-frickin'-fornia...



a literature section that will knock your socks off with abundant sex, violence, and writer's block from Gillian Brightmore, Rhys Owain Williams, and Yours Truly, AND tons of pictures of Emily V., who I'm sure you'll agree, is really, really incredibly hot.

How does all that sound? I am overwhelmed by all of the excitement!

In other news, the t-shirts have sold out except for one lonely size L in a bag in my closet (any takers?) and all of the special edition copies of Issues 2 and 3 are gone. Issues 4 and 5 to follow! We have a printer now and he's so good, we're completely overwhelming him with our enthusiasm. The Headquarters has a new staff member, Vince, the Long Arm Stapler, and he's been very busy. Joy abounds!

Speaking of joy, I am thrilled silly to report that Jace Everett is playing The Chattery in Swansea (random much?) next month and we're all going. Like, all of us. If you want to go, contact The Chattery directly and book yourself some tickets!

Don't forget, The Antagonist is participating in the 24-Hour Poetry marathon on April 23rd at the Elysium Gallery in Swansea. Sponsor us, come down and support our writers, and read something, bitches! It's going to be a great night!

Donate to Kitty and Save a Cat!

You knew she was hot, but soon she'll be literally aflame! Big-hearted Babe #1 Kitty Moran is participating in a firewalk for Cats Protection and you can sponsor her through justgiving.com. Donate to Kitty and save a cat!



In other news, the new T-Shirts are here and they're fabulous! There are still a few left, so if you want one, you can order one through the website. They're £10, which is more than we were hoping, but still pretty good given the fact that each one has an awesome SQUID in a TOP HAT on it! Big thanks for Neil Austin for the amazing artwork!

T-Shirts, Ahoy!

Okay! Quick entry just to let y'all know that the HM Revenue & Customs fairy has visited the Headquarters and lo, we're getting t-shirts. They should be ready in about a week and if you want one, they're going to be £7ish. Will be able to give you a more exact price when we hear back from the nice screen printer people. They're going to be black (and possibly other colours) and they're going to have our new logo on them. They're going to be awesome.

If you want one, let us know. Email your size and details of what you're currently wearing to primaryantagonist@gmail.com.

Best Day Ever

February 17th was the greatest and best day for The Antagonist in recent memory.

First of all, Issue 4 is out now and it's a free download (get yours here). It's shorter, yes, but that's because all of my writers went on vacation and because it's hard to put together a magazine with minor content gaps when you've been working as much as I have (I'm doing office work for a charity now, but that's beside the point). Nevertheless, Issue 4 turned out awesome thanks in large part to a few great pieces (you know who you are), a trip to Bristol, a hot girl in red fishnets, and a fantastic interview with Niki Lee.

This leads me to Part 2 of why this day was so magical. Niki loved her article, and we love Niki, so Niki is going to write for us. For real. She's going to be writing a column all the way from West Hollywood and we could not be happier.



Disregarding what I just said, Part 3 actually makes us even happier still. Neil Austin sent us our new mascot at random (see above). He's perfection. We adore him, and we are hell-bent on getting some t-shirts ordered as soon as humanly possible. Who wants one?

Part 4 is that we're looking into collaborating with Grievous Jones for some form of future project. We don't have to tell you how cool Grievous Jones is, and we're also holding high hopes for a regular column from Grievous himself. Very exciting.

Part 5 (these just keep going) is that The Antagonist has applied to exhibit at the London Zine Symposium this May. Won't hear back until next month, but the fact that such a thing exists is a big Win and we'd love to be a part of it.

Part 6 is that the printing company got in touch with us with some excellent rates for our limited edition issues, and

Part 7 is that two new Babes with Brains (Theresa and Kylie) have been scheduled for photoshoots in the near future.

All things considered, best day ever.

Marvellous.

Also, I'm giving away free downloads of Issues 1 - 3 for the rest of the weekend on the website. If you missed one, this is your chance. Go now!

Not Dead. Librarian.

The Antagonist is taking a brief (1 month) hiatus because Your Editor is being paid to pretend to be a librarian of sorts in an obscure attic in Cardiff. Suspect I am also a Watcher, but time will tell. Issue 4 will be out shortly with Dillinger Four, Joey Cape, Alex de Campi's Valentine, and lots more! Oh, and it's going to be free again, because we want you to send it to all of your friends and enemies and lovers and minions and mistresses all over the world so they, too, can glory in the wonder that is The Antagonist.

In the mean time, each and every one of you should check out Alex de Campi's new online graphic novel Valentine, a gorgeously illustrated supernatural story set during the Napoleonic Wars. You buy it in issues online, and as odd as the e-reader format might initially seem, it really suits the medium and the story takes on a fantastic cinematic quality. I loved it. You can get the first issue for 99 cents (like 60p)through amazon here and visit Alex de Campi's website for multi-media wonderment here.

Check back, join the facebook fan page (The Antagonist and The Antagonist is the Greatest Cult Zine in the WORLD!!!), or add yourself to the mailing list by emailing primaryantagonist@gmail.com.

Now write me something!

Dillinger Four @ The Fleece

Had an amazing time at the Dillinger Show gig in spite of a day of epic fails ranging from the car breaking down to a severe tape recorder malfunction. Interview went well, I can testify that the band is cool, the show was great, and Lane read The Antagonist and said it was good. Hurrah!

The manager of the Fleece also liked it. He kept giving me whisky. Just as well. The bus station was freezing.

I'm off to bed finally, but I'll leave you with another photo:

That's awesome.

Heaven's Basement @ Barfly

Have just returned from seeing Heaven's Basement at Barfly with Kitty Moran and McTizz. I don't know what I was expecting, but they certainly surpassed it. Their website says they'll make people fall back in love with rock and roll, and I believe they will. I can't believe they're still unsigned, but I can tell you that they won't be for long. They already have quite the following, and several of that number turned out tonight in skinny jeans vying for autographs and high-fives.

I was standing right smack in the middle of the second-ish row taking photos, like everyone else. I have never seen so many cameras and phones out for so long. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the future. At one point the lead guitarist Sid got ahold of someone's phone, filmed the lead singer Richie and the crowd, then handed it back to its owner.

This is the lead guitarist that, for a period of time, played his guitar behind his head. Well.



He was one of the best guitarists I've seen up close. He was also giving some of the girls in the crowd "that look -- the one that works" at the same time. Multi-tasking. Effective.

As for Richie, he proclaimed he was glad to be back home in "an accent that could melt better" (I believe, was what Kitty said) and Cardiff was glad to have him. There was a significant degree of reverence from such a small crowd in such a small bar, and Heaven's Basement did not disappoint. They were wildly talented and indulgent headliners, and I can only see them getting bigger from here. From a completely cynical perspective, you can't go wrong with a group of hard rockers who are that pretty.


Still, when you see them, the prettiness really isn't the first thing that strikes you. In fairness, the first thing that struck me was that Jonny Rocker's extra long cardigan and skinny black jeans combo was both trendier and girlier than anything I own, but that was just me. Much more apparent in person is the intensity with which they play and the raw quality of the music. It was thoroughly enjoyable and over too quickly.

Kudos to new bass player Rob for fitting in so well -- I had no idea he hadn't been playing with them since the beginning.



On a side note, met drummer Chris afterwards to say thank you for the interivew, etc, and he was absolutely lovely. Let the record show that Heaven's Basement are very nice and they support their indie magazines. Hooray!

PS - Support band Dear Superstar were a lot of fun, particularly their thrash-punk cover of the Kinks' Lola. The bands showed their influences on their t-shirts - The Misfits & Ramones - and that made me smile. Hope to hear more from them in the future.

For more on Heaven's Basement, check out Issue 3 (which is out now, and beautiful) via the website. You can also check out the best of the best photos from the show here.