Last Updated on February 18, 2023
Here’s what other folk think of Beat Motel. I’m not sure we’re that bothered, but it’s nice when people say something nice, and dead funny when they see us for what we really are! To find out who the image reviews are by right click on them and view the properties, the answer is right there in the file name.
Issue #9 Reviews…
£1/40pp/PO Box 773, Ipswich, IP1 9FT, UK/ www.beatmotel.co.uk
I really wanted to like this issue of Beat Motel – it’s got plenty of content, looks good and its title is in college font. But I found its procreation theme pretty underwhelming, mostly because as far as I can tell, every columnist is male and has written the same thing. It’s a subject that could be really broad and interesting, but with the exception of a couple of interesting articles, it just turned into a blokey sea of ‘kids change your life, best thing that ever happened to me’. Reading it felt a bit like sitting at the pub with a load of 30-something men all agreeing with each other. But the zine/labels contacts page is good and I know I’ll like #10 more. Incidentally, how do you get Penguin to advertise a book on your zine’s back cover?
from – https://www.lasthours.org.uk/reviews/the-april-zine-scene/
Issue #8 Reviews…
https://syndicatedzinereviews.blogspot.com
I have almost all the issues of this zine. This should be enough to tell you how much I like it. This is your typical punk zine, with lots of columns, zine and music reviews, and assorted articles, but as usual, the writing makes the difference, and the gang behind Beat Motel can write as well as anybody, beginning with boss Andrew Culture and his scatologically fantastic sense of humor. Or maybe I should say humour: I’m a sucker for British English – even though I’ve recently got so used to the American version that I often have to check my dictionary, or directly mail Andrew for directions. The latest issue #8 is an 80-page, 69,400-word monster featuring 18 columnists discussing the idea of ‘country’ and ‘nationalism,’, 67 zine reviews, 142 CD reviews, 10 live reviews, and a truckload of foul words.
The indefatigable Mr. Culture is also at the helm of Corndog Distro. Check out his web site and you will find more British zine delight.
2 pounds or $3 or 3 euros postpaid/Digest/52-80 pgs
https://syndicatedzinereviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/beat-motel-8.html
Shaded Out Press
Beat Motel #8
SGD$5.00
Beat Motel #8 is a zine that containes tonned of zine reviews, cd reviews, live reviews, columns and much more. This issue of Beat Motel may looked crammed full but rest assured, every single page of this issue of Beat Motel is well thought and are more detailed than ever before. Every column is no nonsense but written with something to say. They have cut off stuffs that we probably won’t like and there are now far more of the stuff they really love, and they know we will really like.
So that’s more tales of drunkenness, more anger directed at racist fools, reviews written by people that appear to actually give a fuck and interviews with bands that they’re totally enamored with. Guess what? There is also a band review section dedicated indonesian punks which includes bands like SWEET AS REVENGE, FRAGRANT, TENGKORAK, NO LABEL, DAGGER STAB, KONFLIK and STEPFORWARD!
Beat Motel issue #8 is 80 pages and contains 67 zine reviews, 142 cd reviews, 10 live reviews, 18 columnists and 69,400 words! Fuck!! Worth every cents!!
To the source! – https://shadedoutpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=25
Razorcake
BEAT MOTEL
#8, $3 US, 8 ½” x 5 ½”, copied, 80 pgs.
By Guest Contributor
Wednesday, November 19 @ 00:00:00 CST
This jam-packed fanzine from the U.K. starts off with about a dozen different contributors ranting against British nationalism in their columns. The rest of the zine then follows the standard punk zine format by including more columns, then articles, interviews, and reviews. I didn’t care for the article about “What Filth Teaches Us,” which pointed out some porn movie clichés. The “International Rules of Manhood” piece (example: “Women who claim they ‘love to watch sports’ must be treated as spies…”) was equally annoying. If I were a guy, I would be pissed off by all the macho garbage—perpetuated by beer commercials and punk editorials alike—that makes men look like a bunch of moronic meatheads. The interview section is short, but the review section is monstrous, with like, twenty full pages of zine, record, book, and show reviews toward the end. The editor even included full-page lists of materials that they didn’t have enough time to review. All in all, I think that like any multi-contributor music zine, Beat Motel was very hit or miss. If they were trying to pull off a kind of U.K. version of Maximum RocknRoll, then they definitely succeeded. But, you know, they could have set their sights higher. –Lauren Trout (PO Box 773, Ipswich, IP1 9FT, UK, andrew@corndog.co.uk)
From the horses mouth – https://www.razorcake.org/site/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=15862
REPLY, I don’t normally write replies to reviews, but I wanted to point out that I didn’t see my first copy of MMR until Beat Motel three I think, and as far as how high we aim, well it’s clearly at the gutter!
Razorcake (again!)
BEAT MOTEL
#8, $3, 8 ½” x 5 ½”, copied, 80 pgs
By Guest Contributor
Wednesday, January 14 @ 00:00:00 CST
I have never read an issue of Beat Motel before, but I am proud to report back that this makes for the best bathroom reading ever. It turns each trip to the porcelain bowl an adventure where one day I am reading about punk bohemian lifestyles at the puke plates and the next an interview with Crime in Stereo (who, coincidentally, live three towns over from me). However, when picking my favorite part of this zine, I am going to have to say it would be the hundreds of zine and record reviews contained inside. As a reviewer, I always enjoy reading a good review. So, in short, get this zine, put it your bathroom, let it rip, and enjoy. –Noah W. K. (PO Box 773, Ipswich, IPI 9FT, UK, Poo@Beatmotel.co.uk)
https://www.razorcake.org/site/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=16223
You Can’t Say No To Hope (from blog)
Beat Motel has become pretty much a must read for me since i first got hold of a copy and it’s cool to see it keep growing in size, up to a whooping 80 A5 pages this time! As ever it’s the usual mix of music and madness with the odd touch of seriousness to show Andrew’s politics are sound. This time we get interviews with Billy Riot, Crime In Stereo, Inner Terrestrials, Pama International, and Innocent Civillian, an Indonesian scene report, literally tons of ‘zine reviews, and the biggest music reviews section that i’ve seen in a UK ‘zine ever. And lots of the classic nonsense that we’ve come to know and love! This is a whooper, with loads to read for your cash, great stuff!
Issue #7 Reviews…
Big Cheese December 2007
Three and a half stars
The musings of one man makes Beat Motel entertaining to read, although a bit scatterbrained. This zine makes quite a few intelligent points, and has some interesting coverage on the international music scene. Yet the rest of the ‘zine covers everything from the fact that if you place a tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion it will instandtly go mad and sting itself to death, to the controversy over Nestlé baby formula. There is minimal music coverage as the majority is rants and raves, so if you are looking for reviews it’s not the best read. However, this has way more of a sense of humour than most ‘zines and will have you chuckling, while several features will get you thinking. Engaging stuff.
and then the fine folk at Big Cheese liked issue 7 so miuch they reviewed it again the following month!
VEGLAM
posted 2007-09-11
Nice to see that BEAT MOTEL is still going strong with more and more to read inside! Lots of various columns, interviews with bands such as F451, PICKLED DICK, COPPERPILOT, CLOUDS and ATTACK!VIPERS!, a scene report about the Indonesian punk scene, an article about Britain’s favourite sport (football? Hm… nope, drinking!), a tour diary with the band POWER, many fanzine reviews (seems like there’s a slight paper zine revival these days!), DVD reviews, book reviews and a ton of record reviews (mostly punk rock, hardcore and indie bands) and much more!… This fanzine is packed with information of all kind and I can tell you that you’ll come back to it a few times before managing to read it all…and you can’t even complain about the font size since you’ll get a free magnifying glass with it, how cool is that? The tone used in BEAT MOTEL is still well balanced between funny and serious so that makes its reading never monotonous, you want to have a laugh and read about email conversations with a “Russian bride”? You get it in here… Want information about the Nestlé boycott and hunt saboteurs? You get that too. Everybody can find something worth reading in BEAT MOTEL, yes even you!/Laurent.
Get it from the horses mouth – https://www.veglam.com/veglam/lire_kronik.php?lire_kronik=117
The Ragged Edge
Found 10th January 2007
Discovered there’s a Beat zine produced here in the old home burg, found it on the internet. Went along to Know Your Product in Eagle Street, Ipswich and bought a copy of Beat Motel #7, plus another two zines, Gash #3 from April ’07 and Mashroobus Applecore #11. What I want to talk about here though is Beat Motel, a well produced, wittily written bundle of 80 stapled pages. The price? A couple of quid, though the guy let me have the 3 zines for £2.
The editor, who writes most of the zine though he is aided by reviewers and guest writers, is Andrew Culture. He’s like a Paul O’Grady of zine life. The –er, ethos or whatever you want to call it of the mag is Punk, but not in an exclusive sense. For instance, guest writer Mainy Diablo gives us his view on his school days, having been assigned the topic by the editor. The piece is something we can all identify with, particularly those of us who had two trips a day on the school bus–a right wheeze in more ways than one.
There are music reviews, mainly of Punk and hardcore it seems, though I don’t know the bands the paragraphs are still quite interesting to look through. Also there are zine reviews, with addresses and URLs where appropriate. It’s there I found out about the magazine made up of post cards and looked it up on the net.
Beat Motel is definitely worth a look–I’m now keen on getting my hands on more zines. Seems with zines the writers are quite happy churning out their work either to give away or swap for peanuts or other zines. It’s a great attitude and yields some wonderfully liberated writing. As we say in Ipswich, fuggit all, mate, gizzit ‘ere! Bow-lacks!
Get it from the horses mouth here – https://www.raggededge.btinternet.co.uk/nonblog.htm
Issue #6 Reviews…
From -https://www.veglam.com/veglam/lire_kronik.php?lire_kronik=117
Beat Motel
‘issue 7’
posted 2007-09-11
Nice to see that BEAT MOTEL is still going strong with more and more to read inside! Lots of various columns, interviews with bands such as F451, PICKLED DICK, COPPERPILOT, CLOUDS and ATTACK!VIPERS!, a scene report about the Indonesian punk scene, an article about Britain’s favourite sport (football? Hm… nope, drinking!), a tour diary with the band POWER, many fanzine reviews (seems like there’s a slight paper zine revival these days!), DVD reviews, book reviews and a ton of record reviews (mostly punk rock, hardcore and indie bands) and much more!… This fanzine is packed with information of all kind and I can tell you that you’ll come back to it a few times before managing to read it all…and you can’t even complain about the font size since you’ll get a free magnifying glass with it, how cool is that? The tone used in BEAT MOTEL is still well balanced between funny and serious so that makes its reading never monotonous, you want to have a laugh and read about email conversations with a “Russian bride”? You get it in here… Want information about the Nestlé boycott and hunt saboteurs? You get that too. Everybody can find something worth reading in BEAT MOTEL, yes even you!/Laurent.
From https://oscarsdistro.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html
The best Beat Motel yet! Much more consistent in the columns department, interviews with Aflighttoremember, Invasion & Relapse plus tons of music & zine reviews, all injected with their own brand of childish humour. Excellent! Mail order this and get a free sticker.
From https://www.lawrence.com/blogs/johnny_america/2007/may/28/analogmonologue001/
Beat Motel has a web presence too, of course, as does everyone and everything. As I type these words I look across the room at my neighbor’s fat orange cat who wanders into my house from time to time. This cat is adroitly pressing his paws onto the human-sized keys of his anodized aluminum laptop. He is blogging about the cricket he just killed. I shot video of the battle on my cell phone, which he’s asked permission to post on his blog. We transferred the footage to his computer wirelessly using Bluetooth technology, and he then added some rad ironic sparkle effects using iMovie. In his blog post he’s going to casually mention how cute he is, I’m pretty sure — he always does. Looking at him knead-typing his next post, I notice a tiny scrap of leaf stuck on his furry his cat-paunch. He is awfully adorable, I admit. I think he’s updating his Myspace profile in another browser tab as he blogs about the cricket, either that or Facebook — his screen’s at an too acute angle so I can’t be sure. Maybe he’s adding something to his Amazon dot com wish list, which is displayed in the left sidebar of his blog. Beat Motel’s web presence is approximately as advanced than my neighbor’s cat’s — that is, pretty high-tech: it’s got a forum that lists the latest goings-on in the Ipswich punk scene. But the thing is, the web site is not the thing. The zine is the thing. And it’s a Very Good Thing. It was a year ago that publisher Andrew Culture sent a copy of Beat Motel to the Johnny America Post Office Box with a barely legible note asking if we’d trade accept his publication in trade for an issue of ours. Of course, Andrew, of course, and we’re so glad we did.
From https://www.ox-fanzine.de/fanzines/fanzine-reviewsox70.13622.html
BEAT MOTEL #6
A5, 64 S., 2,50 Euro, www.beatmotel.co.uk
Alleine schon wegen der immer wieder im Heft auftauchenden Katzenfotos ist mir das englische Beat Motel sympathisch. Bei der neuen, sechsten, Ausgabe hat es eine Katze sogar aufs Titelbild geschafft. Inhaltlich ist alles wie gehabt: Artikel über Bands, die kaum einer kennt (AFLIGHTTOREMEMBER, PROLAPSE und INVASION), Reviews, Konzertberichte, viel, sehr viel dummes, aber größtenteils unterhaltsames Zeug und massenweise Kolumnen und andere persönliche Gedanken. Beat Motel-Boss Andrew Culture will allerdings ab der nächsten Ausgabe die ihm etwas zu beliebig gewordenen Fremdbeiträge reduzieren und noch häufiger selbst aktiv werden, um dem Heft mehr Charakter zu verschaffen. Keine schlechte Entscheidung, ab und an ist eine Ausdünnung und ein auf Linie Bringen durchaus sinnvoll und der Qualität eines Heftes zuträglich. Außerdem hat der Mann einen sehr schönen sarkastischen Schreibstil, insofern freue ich mich schon auf Ausgabe sieben.
André Bohnensack
Which google translation says comes through as this;
BEAT MOTEL #6 A5, 64 S., 2.50 euro, www.beatmotel.co.uk Because of again and again the cat photos emerging in the booklet the English Beat motel is pleasant to me alone already. With the new, it created sixth, expenditure a cat even on the frontispiece. Everything is contentwise as had: Article over volume, which knows hardly one (AFLIGHTTOREMEMBER, PROLAPSE and INVASION), Reviews, concert reports, much, very much stupid, but to a large extent unterhaltsames things and massive columns and other personal thoughts. Beat motel Boss Andrew Culture wants to reduce however starting from the next expenditure it somewhat too arbitrary the foreign contributions become and become still more frequently even active, in order to provide for the booklet more character. No bad decision, now and then is quite meaningful and the quality of a booklet beneficial a thinning out and on line bringing. In addition the man has a very beautiful sarkastischen write style, to that extent is pleased I on expenditure already sieves himself. André bean bag
From https://www.robotsandelectronicbrains.co.uk/reviews/archive/0701.html
Beat Motel #6
A rather hefty A5 ‘zine with staples. Sixty plus pages of highly variable content including four pages of ‘zine reviews, eight pages of live reviews, and a dozen pages of record reviews. It concerns itself with a range of sounds and has a bit of humour running throughout it. Items such as the little piece about why being British isn’t so great, or the article by Richard Hell about CBGB’s lifted from the New York Times caught your reviewer’s attention. Editor Andrew Culture isn’t shy about taking centre stage on occasion, but then it is his ‘zine. The humour’s a bit hit or miss and a lot of the reviews are very negative, which makes you wonder what the point is in taking the time and effort to review something that is only ever going to be trashed. This aside, a lot of effort has obviously been invested in this ‘zine and has something of interest for just about everybody. (Laurence) www.beatmotel.co.uk
Issue #5 Reviews…
From R*E*P*E*A*T
Beat Motel #5 (£1.50 and A5 sae from 71 Rectory Rd, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 8EQ; www.beatmotel.co.uk) Beat Motel is fast becoming one of the best fanzines in these (and indeed any) parts. Not only is it packed with lots of interviews (Lagwagon, Rise Against, Kneedeep, Cougars, Things Found in Sharks and Against Me!) and reviews, it’s also got lots of very amusing articles – “columns, jokes, articles and dumb stuff”. These are so diverting, original in concept and well written that I’ve spent the morning reading them while I should have been writing these reviews. Wanna know what I’m on about? Buy your own copy!
Rosey Repeat
From El Diablo zine
Beat Motel # 5
If Maximum rock and roll is the elder statesman at the dinner table. Then
Beat Motel is the retarded younger sibling. You know the one. The
embarrassing kid that’s trying to impress by shoving carrots up his butt,
while attempting to set the record for the amount of peas he can push under
his foreskin. Irrelevant, hilarious and bloody essential. Plenty of reviews,
articles and nonsense that give the impression that the people contributing
are all hyperactive lunatics. The ones whose parents haven’t heard of the
wonders of Ritalin. (get in touch through www.beatmotel.co.uk for details on
how to get a copy)
From https://www.northwestzineworks.com/
A very cool newsprint British zine, Beat Motel has a little bit of everything for everyone on it. This issue spreads the gamut from classic punk goodliness to an inserted Dilbert cartoon. Layout is both chaotic and easy to read, giving the eye lots to pick and choose from. I particularly favored Steve DIY’s column, “Giving it to you straight” which is subtitled, “The Horrors of Guantanamo” a fact based treatise on the horrors of the American military system from the British perspective. “A Celebration of Blokeyness” and “HelpDesk” are incredibly funny, as is “Conversation with my friends’ belligerent cat”. Zine reviews, distro lists, lots and lots of band interviews and a huge heap of cd reviews. This is one of the most solid punk zines that I’ve seen, it’s fat and thick for a mere three bucks. Tastes like: Fish & Chips. Three bucks plus postage, and a damn good deal.
BEAT MOTEL ISSUE 5:
I really love this fanzine compiled by Andrew ´Country Bumpkin´ Culture. It´s everything a ´zine should be about – Plenty of interesting things to read including articles some of which are serious and some are hilarious. There´s also a fair few band interviews including ´Against Me!´, ´Kneedeep´, ´Rise Against´ and ´Lagwagon´. Not only that but there´s plenty of reviews, ads and other information which will be of use to you. There´s 80 pages which will keep you busy for a fair while and as I´ve said previously this comes highly recommended. To check out more about this zine and/or purchase a copy please click here. Finally congrats to Andrew and Emma for tying the knot and let´s hope that married life don´t get in the way of this zine, hehe!
See the original here – https://www.fullfrontalrecordings.co.uk/reviewlink.php?reviewid=796
Issue #4 Reviews…
FROM https://www.rippingthrash.com/RT23reviews.htm
Wow! This is a fuckin thick zine. 80 A5 pages, done pretty much by one bloke, and not that many months it seems since #3. Dunno how he manages it. We don’t really share the same outlook in bands etc, but you can’t criticise the effort that’s gone into this. Tons of bands interviews, reviews, articles, opinions,humour, guest columns, its all here. Reminds me very much of Real Overdose from a few years ago. Bands featured are THE DUEL, CHARLIE BROWN, PELICAN, and THE REAL MCKENZIES. There’s also a very useful 2 pages of listings of current labels / zines / distros! BEAT MOTEL / 71 RECTORY ROAD / IPSWICH / SUFFOLK / IP2 8EQ
FROM https://www.punkoiuk.co.uk/reviews/reviewmonth.asp?lstMonth=September+06
This zine seems to be bursting at the seams! But don’t worry to help finder your rway round this encyclopaedia of punk rock you get a dinky little table of contents. This is a mash of highbrow, lowbrow and pieced brow, with well constructed articles on straightedge, throwaway itmes like a horrorscope and interviews with Real McKenzies, Charlie Brown and Pelican. This zine is for those with an hour or two to spare.
FROM https://www.theneussubjex.com/issue69.htm#BEAT%20MOTEL
Andrew climbs tall trees, swims in toilets, and removes car batteries with the aid of a clothes dryer. Johnny’s a “till monkey” who counts change, cleans up puke, and ogles women. Michelle has a love/hate relationship with men, but relies on tips from gay ones for her bad hair days. 101 rules of hardcore, how to give pills to a cat, and actual announcements from London Tube train drivers are among the tidbits in this half-sized rag. -Gunther 8544
FROM – https://www.variant.randomstate.org/26texts/ComicZine26.html
At some point during the Symposium someone thrust into my hands a copy of Beat Motel, an energetic upbeat punk zine straight outta Ipswich, crammed full of zine/gig/festival/record reviews, interviews, personal columns and a few barely forgivable reprints of internet gags. Columns include ‘Tour Diaries’, ‘Confessions of a Till Monkey’, instructions on ‘How to give a cat a pill’, and a continuing discussion of the clean-living straight edge punk lifestyle. Beat Motel combines coverage of the local Ipswich band scene with plenty of active input from contributors, giving it a bit of a Maximum Rocknroll feel, and at £1.50 for 80 pages it’s a bargain as well.
BEAT MOTEL FANZINE – Issue 4:
There´s 80 pages of madness in this fanzine and one of the best ones doing the rounds. In this issue there´s like millions of columns from the very serious to the very wacky to band interviews from the likes of the ´Real McKenzies´ to articles about Reading and one about the ´Duel´ I wrote last year! It´s well put together and it´s always cool to get a proper zine through the post where most of the bands featured I actually have heard of! I love the little dig at ´NTL´ with a superb but sarcastic reply to one of their stupid letters. Not forgetting the piss take out of Macdonalds in the advice column! Oh and the HC rules had me laughing too! Andrew Culture does a wicked job with this baby – It´s just a shame he drives a tractor!
See the original here -https://www.fullfrontalrecordings.co.uk/reviewlink.php?reviewid=620
R*E*P*E*A*T Online
Eighty A5 pages with very little blank space on ’em; an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Ipswich scene; enough fanzine reviews to guide the most voracious zineophile through six months of reading material; some affectionately pointed digs at the absurdities of the scene; a healthy dash of toilet humour; a bit of politics; reviews and reviews and reviews and, to top it all off, a load of opinionated ranting on music, life, bad gigs and drunken farce. Beat Motel is an absolute corker of a ‘zine, with all the right priorities, attitudes and passion hitched to a lighthearted refusal to take themselves too seriously. And there’s so much in here: it’s absolutely jammed with articles most of which are an enjoyable read rather than simply of specialist-interest value. Highlights include nine (count ’em: nine!) pages of ‘zine reviews, Aunty Em’s guide to inventive skiving, Is Your Child A Goth (clue 12: stays up late at night and/or drinks blood), a massive list of useful contacts for bands and, oh, too many fantastic things to mention. Well worth sending £1.50 of your hard-earned cash to 71 Rectory Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP2 8EQ – please include generously stamped A5 SAE.
See the original here – https://www.repeatfanzine.co.uk/Reviews/zine%20and%20heard.htm
From – https://www.eroding.org.uk/inbox.htm
BEAT HOTEL- Issue #4 is an unwieldy 80 page beast, featuring; Tons of Columns, Aunty Em’s Agony Page, Tube Tales, The Duel, Hardcore 101, Real Mckenzies, Becky Owen Tour Diary, Star Wars, Charlie Brown, Crap Advice, 58 Zine, Reviews, Goth Spotting, Pelican, Hunt Scum, Reading Festival 2005 Horror Stories, The Zero Point, 78 cd reviews, Live Reviews, Zine and Label Contacts, Ippo News & MORE https://beatmotel.co.uk STICK £2/ $3/ ¤3 (post paid) to a bit of card and lob it in the post to the address below. Beat Motel 71 Rectory Road Ipswich Suffolk IP2 8EQ ENGLAND
Issue #3 Reviews…
FROM – https://sherazqureshi.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!B4DB7C6EFF6EA02C!772.entry
Beat Motel: The Zine full of Punks, Bands, Writers and Idiocy.Of all the fanzines that have been sent in, this is easily the best. Its got pretty much everything you would expect, reviews of bands, books and films and things… plus, and this is key, it realises that in order to be worth caring about writers should be encouraged to rant about things other then music ! So you can find rants about new labour, tescos, the internet, and even Indonesia… What most encouraging is just how many contributors the zine seems to have… steve lamaque even gave it a positive mention on his radio show, check it out, you wont regret it.
BEAT MOTEL, #3
(A5, 40 pages, £1+SASE)
Three issues in, a lower page count than before but proof positive that quantity does not always represent quality. There’s the usual heap of columns and contributions – with a visible improvement in quality – placed against the music content, which includes a short ANTI-FLAG interview, GINGER SLING, PHIL COLLINS 3, a piece on the Groez Rock festival, a heap of live reviews, some music and zine reviews and a piece on Queens Of The Stone Age. There’s plenty of humour also, most of which works. Pretty good print job too, the text is really clear and easy to read with smart DTP layouts. Gotta say, some of the music stuff doesn’t really appeal and it could be a little spikier in its delivery, but generally this is shaping up to be a neat little publication that seems to improve with each issue. 71 Rectory Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 8EQ, UK crap@beatmotel.co.uk
See the original here – https://www.scannerzine.com/zines.htm
BEAT MOTEL – Issue 3:
Ok so Andrew forgot to send me me and I didn´t get this until a week or so after issue 4 so blame him ok! Ha! Now I´ve got that over with what can I say about this zine? Well it´s as crazy as the other 3 issues with plenty of reviews, articles and interviews. There´s some stories about ´Poo´ too! Because there´s so many people involved with contributing to this ´zine keeps it fresh and readable. I tell you what I´d miss this baby if it wasn´t about. Fanzines are cool but Beat Motel is up there with the best!
See the original here – https://www.fullfrontalrecordings.co.uk/reviewlink.php?reviewid=660
Ox fanzine
“HEy, that was fast. I just archived number 2 then suddenly the number 3 of this funny Fanzine from Ipswich that doesn’t take itself too seriously. That doesn’t meand there’s only stupid things inside, but the Team around Andrew Culture prefers a humoristiv apporach. Beside mellow columns -around them the second part about straight edge. Show reviels and the usual CD reviews, there are interviews, this time with Finger sling, AF, the maker of stateofemergeny, Phil.C.T. and the second part of the Q o.t.StA history and additionally a big bunch of “bullshit”
(it’s a positive word for bullschit, but I don’t know an english expression for it) which might cause you some emberrassement in public by starting to lough loudly. But this time there are quite not eneough Cat pictures.
Issue #2 Reviews…
Full Frontal Recordings
Review found 25/07/05
BEAT MOTEL FANZINE – Issue 2:
I love getting fanzines through the post especially ones you write for! Yeah I´ve got an article in there called ´Never Mind The Ballots´and it´s pretty good if I say so myself! Anyway there´s plenty of great articles in here like the one on teenagers written by Michelle. Shark does another great one about how crap classifying bands to genres is. Spot on it is too! There´s another column on ´Poo´ and some great shit stories, hehe! Brilliant article on Tesco´s the supermarket chain – I knew they were bastards but this has to be read to be believed. Some great interviews with The Ballistics and The Big plus the many reviews. Great fanzine – Plenty to read and it´s printed on recycled paper too!
See the original here – https://www.fullfrontalrecordings.co.uk/reviews.php
Veglam
Review found 12/08/05
This is already the second issue of Beat Motel! This one includes articles about Indonesia, straight-edge as well as a tour report by JUNK CULTURE (the editor’s band), KYUSS history, interviews with The BALLISTICS, The BIG, gig reports, fanzine reviews (always a good thing) and lots of record ones. The columns are still cool to read since the subjects are quite various (from MySpace to downloading music) and there’s still a lot of fun, comics and pics in this punk zine. Oh, and there’s even a photo of the almighty JESUS & MARY CHAIN! You know you need a paper zine to read on the beach during your summer holidays so this is the right time to get Beat Motel.
/Laurent
See the original here – https://www.veglam.com/BeatMotelrev.htm
R*E*P*E*A*T
Review found 14/08/05
This really is a very good fanzine. Not just for its musical content – interviews with The Ballistics, Kyuss, Junk Culture, and The Big, a fair smattering of reviews and the best and most horizon-widening fanzine reviews I’ve read in a long time, but also for what other zines might just see as the extras, which in fact make up the bulk of this publication.
What editor Andrew Culture has managed to do very successfully is to persuade a host of contributors, some from other zines, websites, bands and labels, to submit thoughtful, intelligent, well written, amusing, thought provoking and sometimes controversial articles on an incredibly wide range of subjects. These include Straight Edge, Tescos, the pigeon holing of bands and scenes, parliamentary democracy, the need to play music LOUD, Myspace, recording techniques, recycling, Indonesia and ‘Of Burberry and Puberty’. There’s even a reply from someone who seems to be a Tory free marketer responding to a piece of mine about Fighting the Power in the last issue. All these writers make you want to read on, they engage you and you become genuinely interested in their point of view. Top stuff.
If this wasn’t enough, there’s also a whole lot of other ‘random crap’ including The Best Agony Aunt, some stories, and a whole page of silly, but sadly, apparently true, anecdotes about Poo.
As I was saying, Beat Motel is really a very good fanzine.
See the original here – https://www.repeatfanzine.co.uk/Reviews/beat%20motel.htm
I’m getting a little overwhelmed with the amount of reviews I’m getting, so I’ve decided that instead of spending hours copying them out for the site I’m going to go and have a nice cup of tea Issue #1 Reviews
Full Frontal Recordings
Review found 10/04/05
BEAT MOTEL FANZINE – Issue 1:
This is a cracking debut issue with plenty to read and keep you happy for a good couple of hours. The layout is cool, it´s slightly crammed, it´s very readable and what´s more it´s Punk Rock! What makes it so good is there´s so many contributors which keeps it from getting stale. There´s even an article from me too! Stuff inside includes interviews by from the likes of Sick 56, stories, articles, reviews and even tales of Poo!
See the original here – https://www.fullfrontalrecordings.co.uk/reviews.php?review_id=260
Big Cheese Magazine
Review Found 03/06/05
BEAT MOTEL
£1.50
****
This is the first issue of this Ipswich centred zine. First thing to say is that they have put a lot of effort into this – its 63 pages of dense text. Its focus is definitely the Ipswich local scene. It’s also has a refreshing mix of wacky articles (I particularly liked the favourite replacements lyrcis – genius). This is written by a group of people who seem to be a bit older and this is reflected by a maturity of writing absent in a lot of zines. When they sort out their contacts for reviews its gonna be really good. Especially if you live in Ipswich. Get a copy from: 71 Rectory Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 8EQ
Veglam
Review Found 09/06/05
This fanzine reminds me of the DIY punk zines I used to read a lot… when people actually used to make them!… Some called them “emo zines” when it wasn’t only about music but emotions and politics, but that was before the word emo started to get used to describe everything and anything, and especially lame commercial hardcore bands with nice haitrcuts and stupid lyrics. Anyway, this first issue of BEAT MOTEL is quite interesting because it’s rather various, from columns, little stories to punk rock record reviews, show reports and all kinds of info, from fun to more serious stuff… That’s what I’m waiting from such a zine even though its musical content doesn’t always reflect my personal tastes, but well, they mostly talk about punk pop so that’s ok to me. REPLACEMENTS fans will even find two pages about the band and their lyrics. I’m sure that most of you are getting bored with reading webzines so this is the perfect occasion to start flipping through paper pages again.
/Laurent.
Scanner
Review Found 20/06/05
BEAT MOTEL, #1 (A5, 64 pages, £1.50+SASE)
Impressive debut issue of a new UK zine with already a big page count. Musically, it has roots in Punk, although it does diversify to feature all sorts of independent music. There’s only one band interview here – SICK 56. There are a few reviews of records and shows and a whole heap of contributors. And it is here, with the contributors, that a little bit of editing needs to be implemented. Y’see, a good 40% of those who have columns in this zine say fuck all. Can too many contributors be a bad thing? Have Status Quo made too many records? Point proven. What IS a benefit of all the contributors is the fact that it is easy to pick up and read in 5 minutes bursts or in longer sittings. The negative is a loss of continuity and interest. What the zine does clearly have already – and at this ridiculously stage – is an identity. Sure, it has hints in attitude and style to REAL OVERDOSE and R*E*P*E*A*T and a light-hearted outlook similar to GADGIE, but there’s enough originality from the pen of editor Andrew to prevent boredom or the suggestion of plagiarism creeping in.
OX Fanzine
Review Found 21/06/05
Kindly translated by superstar Nisha Lathigra
A new fanzine from England, Ipswich that gets everything right first time and their wit is something we understand imeadiately and is summed up in the contents of the title “Stories, reviews, articles, random crap and more columns than you can shake a pooey stick at.” and it’s exactly this that you then find in the simple writing syles. The opinion and ??????? is quite clear upfront, the interviews with sick56 and a renowned Mr.T are ???? . Mr.T then also emerges as being a writer for Beat Motel. Most of the bigger part of the pages is taken up by columns otherwise there are funny writings or funny text lines or replacements lyrics, and hangover rating system. Film discussion/ debate in the form of a photo essay. Also a very sarchastic list of things that every fanzine must follow unconditionally, a short report on the mistakes of trouser shitting and yet more quantities of nonsense. The sheer of class is the idea of the boss Andrew Culture to have themed columns, threee people give thier thoughts on the internet (cool or crap), the themed columns are altogether a very enviable idea. Altogether a very ingenious debut, hopefully there will be more of it to come soon.
Postive Creed
Review Found 18/07/05
Well, it’s been quite a tiem with regards to fanzines. Here comes the next one. This one is truely amazing, and it is the debut issue. If this one is good what the hell will the next one be like! This is not your average punk fanzine, though there is punk in it. I liked the eclectic mix of things. It is jammed with stuff, the usual gig/ album reviews, interviews (Sick 56 – who seem to be everywhere a the moment) But I liked it most of all in that I saw something of myself in there. This zine scrapes away at the myths of modern society and reduces it to a pile of pulp. What more do you want? I can’t think of anything better on which to spend £1.50
(SS)
Runnin’ Feart
Review Found 17/08/05
I enjoyed this zine, it’s got loads of stories, articles, columns and loads of reviews. I think Wolfie from Real Overdose has helped out a lot in this issue, so if you like RO you’ll like this one.
Satans Fishtank
Review Found 17/08/05
Ohhhh, a new one! Beat Motel bills itself as the ‘zine full of punks, bands, writers and idiocy’ and weighs in at an impressive 64 A5 pages. There are literally tons of columns and features – including one about poo! The best bit is the “things zines have taught me” section stating that “zines titles should consist of 1 to 4 random words that just sound cool and must feature reviews of other zines”. Fucking Hillarious!
Killer Question Instant Classic
Review Found 11/10/05
Currently my favourite zine – I think they would agree that it’s best read ‘on the crapper’. Tales of poo, politics, Ipswich rock and bizzare problem pages await the prudent reader who purchases this weighty item.
By Penny Broadhurst
Beat Motel #1: A sloppy upstart from the UK, complete with unedited MRR-style opinion columns (generally dumb but rather fun anyroad), internet reprints (including a piece by deceased Infiltration publisher Ninj that mocks internet reprints), doo-doo humor, music coverage, scenester satire, and other hey-hey. I enjoyed the urban exploration story and kinda slogged through the rest, but Beat Motel’s got heart, and I’m rooting for it. Andrew Culture, 71 Rectory Road, Ipswich Suffolk, IP2 8EQ England, crap@beatmotel.co.uk, beatmotel.co.uk [$3 US to all addresses, £1.50 or 2.5 euro in UK, or trade 64S :26]—Emerson
from https://www.undergroundpress.org/
There were loads more reviews, so many in fact that I fell off my chair
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