Kindred Spirit - The Story of a 1980's Hull Fanzine

17th February 2025 was a very sad day for fans of The Jam. It was the day drumming legend Rick Buckler passed away after a short illness, aged just 69. The outpouring of love that followed on social media spoke volumes about how much he meant to us. I hope his family and close friends drew comfort from knowing how much of an impact Rick had on so many people's lives. My thoughts go out to them. To try and help others come to terms with losing one third of "our band", and for therapeutic purposes, I put the feelers out on X and Instagram asking people to share their memories of Rick with a view to putting together some kind of tribute here on my blog. This is the end result. I hope you will find it as heart warming as I do when you read what others have shared. I feel privileged to be able to start the ball rolling with a photo taken by Kate Foxton in August 2024. Bruce was at home recovering from knee surgery when he had a surprise visitor.  Russell Hastings of From The J...

For the benefit of those who have not previously read this blog, inspired by Paul Weller and The Jam, throughout 1983 and 1984 I wrote and edited a music and poetry fanzine in Hull called 'Kindred Spirit'. Four issues were produced. They featured a mix of local bands and well known names such as The Smiths, The Clash, Red Guitars, Killing Joke, Chris & Cosey, The Police, The Cult, The Exploited and Sex Gang Children. The music related content was interspersed with poetry, artwork and topical views. The key interviews and reviews featured have already been transferred to the blog, along with several posts dedicated to The Jam. I invite you to take some time exploring the contents when you have a moment or two to spare. Fanzines were an important strand of a rich tapestry that was collectively referred to as "DIY culture". I was lucky enough to be in possession of a portable typewriter, but many fanzines were handwritten. There was none of the cryptic language used ...