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Hiroshima Yeah! Issue #100

THE SOUND OF HIROSHIMA YEAH! (CD-r compilation accompanying HY! #100)

Ladies and gentlemen, the team at Radio Free Midwich would like to offer their congratulations to Mark Ritchie and Gary Simmons, the writers of Hiroshima Yeah! zine, on the occasion of its 100th issue.  Vigorous handshakes for regular contributors like the mysterious Mitch Hell and the affable Dan Susnara too.

Should you be unaware of this fine publication, each issue comprises a few A4 pages full of poetry, reviews, short stories and diaries, assembled in a properly punk cut-and-paste manner, photocopied, stapled in the top left hand corner and posted to an unknown number of subscribers.  Hard copy only, no internet presence.  It appears monthly and, even with Gary languishing in prison (I’m not telling that story here), the publication schedule has been unswerving.  A remarkable achievement.

Mark provides the poetry and short stories and writes about music and drinking from his position in the gutter looking up at the stars.  His beat is song writing and he writes about practitioners of the art with an infectious passion.  His slice-of-life accounts of call-centre work, cheap food and boozing his way around Glasgow before ending up at gigs are strangely hypnotic and I look forward to them each month.

Gary’s beat is noise, especially the harsher end of industrial noise and power electronics.  Don’t be fooled by his balls-out gonzo style, this guy’s knowledge of the history and minutiae of these genres is awe-inspiringly encyclopaedic.  His accounts of unlistenable racket interspersed with entertaining misanthropy, vignettes from his chaotic life, and references to science fiction films and novels make for invigorating reading.  That said, the reviews are on hold for the rest of the year as he enjoys some enforced accommodation at Her Majesty’s pleasure.  They have been replaced with a prison diary which is just as essential – it’s a window onto a world unlikely to be encountered first-hand by nice boys like me.

As a celebratory treat, to accompany the 100th issue Mark has put together a CD-r compilation featuring tracks by HY! readers, contributors and favourites.  I was very flattered to be asked to be part of this and can reveal that The Sound of Hiroshima Yeah! features ‘snags’ by midwich – five and a bit minutes of squelching drone throb created during a unique recording session by the duo of me and my friend Rob Retkowski.  I love it, it sounds like Dalek sex music, and it will be completely exclusive to this compilation.  Snap to it all you midwich completists!  Aside from my unparalleled genius, you will also get some terrific garage punk from Ceramic Hobs, grisly power electronics from Bagman, beautiful, melancholy songs from Paul Doucet and Mark’s own Shy Rights Movement, some bewitchingly odd, looped field recordings from Breadwinter (which I think is Dan Susnara), euro-robo-electro pop from Staline Plays Theremin and, as they used to say: much, much more!!  12 tracks in total (plus an unlisted 23 second coda I suspect might be sung by Gary) which reflect the eclectic tastes of Hiroshima Yeah! perfectly.

Long may it continue.

Contact Mark via donbirnam@hotmail.com to enquire about subscribing.