CITY FUN: Volume 2, Number 11

Salford: City Fun Publications, 1981. First edition. Very good plus/. Early issue (March 6, 1981) of this hugely influential Manchester-centric post-punk zine, under the editorial tenure of Carroll and Naylor. John Peel called CITY FUN the most important zine of the period. It is an indispensable reference for the Manchester scene and the bands and labels that grew around it: Joy Division and New Order, The Smiths and The Fall, Factory Records and the Hacienda nightclub, etc. Founded by Andy Zero and Martin X in 1978, CITY FUN increasingly expanded its reach beyond the local music scene alone after its takeover by "classic feminist children of punk" (Fletcher) Naylor and Carroll, to cover a wider cultural landscape. Contributors to this issue include Dave Ward, Ray Lowry, Brian Mills, Ian Todd, Steven Wilkinson and Catherine S. Miles; contents include a fair review of The Frantic Elevators, an unfair review of Bow Wow Wow, and "Arthur Bigot's Handy Guide to Science Fiction," full of wise advice ("Several authors are best avoided for a variety of reasons."). 12'' x 8.5''. Original pictorial self-wrappers. Offset in black-and-white throughout. 15, [1] pages. Soil to pages 10-11. Mild edgewear.