Hello, paper punks. Another Subculture’s issue for December is out now. Red and green (should always be seen), an Argos catalogue fed through the halftone shredder and some suggestions for giving 2025 the heave ho.

Yes, I have remembered to send PageMasters all the correct layers, and yes - there is a gap between the 20th and the 27th, that’s deliberate! Go have a rest and plan something decent for Punk Fifty Paul Morley Year of Culture, god knows we’ll need it.

Subscribers have already had their copies sent through the melee that is the Christmas post (and you can of course join them, £3 a month and so it goes), you can download the grid page on the website — and as always, you can find the paper across London in the usual places all this month.

(Got a list of genre-appropriate Xmas fairs on the paper this month too, with my number one recommendation being Bookworkers and Beyond at the Royal George, SE8 on Saturday 13th. Best pub, all the favourites, get down.)

Two actions for you this month, in between reading best of lists and going to see Hard Skin at least twice on their farewell run…

THINK OF THIS AS OUR CHRISTMAS DO: Blue Zero This Thursday

Been quiet on the gig promoting front in 2025, with one relaxing evening at Spanners under my belt under the Repetitive Strain banner, so this is my paper night offering for Christmas: dreamboat post punkers Blue Zero are over from Oakland, supported by my favourite new noises Moist Crevice (EVOL spirited PUNK) and Crude Image (a new project from Lindsay of that SAUNA YOUTH, GRAZIA et al), all at the Ivy House in Nunhead this coming Thursday (4th December).

£12 gets you in, over by 22:30, you know that ballroom is magic. Tickets are here!

Tell me your 2025/26 thoughts, enter the PRIZE DRAW

I’ve wanted to do something resembling a Year Review, in the spirit of The Wire or Maximum Rocknroll’s, and not just have it as a shopping list (although I was glad to see a correct answer top The Quietus’ list, with a bit of Sublux and Traidora thrown in!)

Which means there’s a two question survey for you, the Paper Liker, to fill in. Hopefully positive, hopefully not too open ended, I want to hear about (and make into a graph, perhaps) what the best gig of 2025 was, and an idea of what you are looking forward to in 2026, in the face of ???? !!!! [redacted].

I figured a bribe may be in order: one entry will win a £25 gift voucher to spend at your fave and mine, Hackney’s TOME RECORDS. Closing date is December 20th, so may be late for a gift but still! So many great discs in that place.

There will be an extended, foldable issue of Another Subculture in January that’ll turn whatever data I get into something nice, so thank you in advance for playing along with all this - along with a big cheers to everyone who’s stuck with the zine since I restarted it in September!

Take the survey here!

And there we go… the newsletter for the newsletter. If you’re going to the final Hard Skin or Es gigs and you see someone with too much paper and a digital camera, say hello - and talk to you all next year. HAPPY CHRISTMAS! FREE OLA & FREE PALESTINE! PLEASE LET’S USE META LESS NEXT YEAR? - B P / A S