R*E*P*E*A*T - Fighting the Power since 1994.

"REPEAT has become something of an indie-tution over the past decade, championing the best local talent while giving a stage to upcoming national acts and a voice to genuine left wing politics through its releases, gigs, fanzines and website". AdHoc magazine

Many years ago in a classroom not far from here, some 8 year old kids had a teacher who wouldn't stop going on about some band called The Manic Street Preachers, a band who often caused him to come in to work himself in a Manic state, simultaneously exhausted and totally wired and inspired.

Wanting to be involved too, they started writing poems and drawing cartoons and pictures of the band, nagging their teacher to get them printed, Thus, amidst a mess of highlighter and pritt stick, was R*E*P*E*A*T born.

Since its humble, childlike beginnings, R*E*P*E*A*T has grown bigger but resisted growing up. From 54 fuzzy photocopies copies of the first issue, it now sells around 500 copies of the printed 'zine with many more people visiting the website - 110,000 different people in 2005 alone. Interviewees to be asked the infamous question 'What's best, chips or cream buns?' have included The Delays, The Kooks, The Subways, The Paddingtons, Towers of London, The Levellers, Goldie Looking Chain, Razorlight, The Buzzcocks, The Libertines, Ash, The Hives, Cornershop (while number one!), Chumbawamba, Stereophonics, The Wildhearts and Garbage - who refused to answer!

As a result of its profile, R*E*P*E*A*T now receives about 50 CDs a week for review; realising that many of these were in fact not nearly as good as the bands they were in touch with, lead to R*E*P*E*A*T putting out its first releases -4 track 7 inch vinyl compilations, with white labels hand stamped with animal pictures to tell one side from the other, given out free with the magazine. This lead onto the birth of R*E*P*A*T Records in 1998. Along with numerous plays on Radio One from the likes of Steve Lamacq and the legendary and much missed John Peel, some mixed NME reviews, a national TV appearance in front of 6 million viewers for a band of eleven year olds called The Hammers, a single of the week from The Independent and a Single of the Year from the Rolling Stone website, the label's 20 releases and 7 CDs on spin off download label Big Badger Recordings have seen it firmly established on the underground indie scene.

To help fund its prestigious but loss making activities, R*E*P*E*A*T organises gigs at a variety of venues across Cambridge, and has hosted such underground notables as We Start Fires, CosyCosy, Chris T-T, The Long Blondes, Attila the Stockbroker, Bomb Factory, The Dawn Parade, The Violets, The Jellys, Four Star Mary, Corporation:Blend, The Resistance, and Ruby Cruiser along with countless new bands nights for the disposed indie kids of the City.

To celebrate these achievements, R*E*P*E*A*T is organising a 10th birthday party on April 25th 2006 at The Junction in Cambridge - like so many of the things the organisation has done, it's running a little late! Bands playing have all a special place in R*E*P*E*A*T's heart; The Saffs' single 'Supercharger' was the label's first proper release, and their heady cocktail of glam kitsch, buzzsaw guitars, cross dressing and adrenaline fuelled live performances earned them a huge following of pissed up and pissed off glitter kids at the start of the century. The Saffs are specially reforming for this gig, if you missed them the first time round now is the time to find what all the fuss was about, and look out for some special guests! Miss Black America's mix of powerful guitars, intelligent lyrics and acerbic attitude made them the perfect R*E*P*E*A*T band, and their singles and album have been the most financially successful releases the label has ever done. The Visions (ex The Dawn Parade) mix of huge expansive melodies and cinematic, heart-tugging lyrics show the immense possibilities of pop music, they are currently the R*E*P*E*A*T related band most likely to ram raid into the big time. Pilots of the Sixth are one take on the future of the label, their recent Big Badger release was their first step on the route to world domination. The Horse and His Boy feature two members of energetic teen punks The Virgin Suicides, a band whose outspoken articulate bile against the ways of the world, and of the local scene, found the perfectly ally in R*E*P*E*A*T, and together they managed to annoy and inspire in equal measures. And national band Johnny Panic, delighted to be asked to play at the party, are the epitome of what R*E*P*E*A*T is meant to be about - loud guitars, socially conscious lyrics and choruses to die for.

The evening will be made complete by compere Matt Abysmal, of The Khe Sanh Approach, with DJ sets by Panic! DJs. Panic! Was the nightly club that R*E*P*E*A*T was heavily involved with and is now much missed in the City. A small exhibition of photos and artwork from the R*E*P*E*A*T scrapbook is also planned.

In its 12 years, R*E*P*E*A*T has sold something like 5000 fanzines, 12,000 releases and 20,000 badges, they have put on more than 700 bands at some 200 gigs to around 10,000 punters raising more than £1000 for anti racist organisations, they've made 120 messy collages using up 29 gallons of glue and taken 100s of quality photographs, they've spent well over £25,000 and recouped hardly any of it and so can boast of being 'the world's worst capitalists', they've annoyed countless scenesters but stood in solidarity with the people that matter, their website has been visited by over a million people and they have eaten 63,000 bags of chips and 4763 cream buns. And to think all this began with a few children's drawings, a pritt stick and a bucket load of inspiration.*

Come and celebrate the past 10/ 12 years, and toast the future…

Rosey, March 2006

R*E*P*E*A*T - Putting the riot Back Into Rock'n'Roll…

www.repeatfanzine.co.uk

* Some of these figures maybe wild estimates or downright lies!

Sucking down vodka, spitting out Perrier...

My reply to a request for a list of my proudest R*E*P*E*A*T moments
Too many to mention, the fact that we're still here after 10+ years is quite a thing to be proud of really.
The lovely blood - republican red Fuck the Jubilee 7" split single featuring Neo and The Virgin Suicides
Seeing Miss Black America's Terminal for sale in HMV.
All the comments from people I've put on the archive pages of our website.
Getting The Hammers on Blue Peter when they were aged 10 -12.
The whole furore around the Virgin Suicides in Cambridge, they (and we) shook everything up.
Seeing R*E*P*E*A*T writers move on to work for Radio One, The Pepsi Chart Show (!), national music websites, local papers, listing magazines and perhaps The Financial Times.
Putting out a single with long time hero Attila the Stockbroker.
People writing to say they want to start a zine, having been inspired by R*E*P*E*A*T.
Ringing Hall or Nothing (Manics press people) and their press officer saying 'Nicky Wire's just over there in the corner giggling at the new issue of R*E*P*E*A*T!"
Think I'd better stop there!
Rosey, September 2005