Post-Punk Publishing, with Attrition and Adventures In Reality

Tales of handmade 'zines and the cassette underground with two key figures: Martin Bowes of the electronic-industrial band Attrition, and Alan Rider of the Adventures In Reality label and fanzine.

We trace their trajectory from the early days, as local Coventry fanzines "Alternative Sounds" and “Adventures In Reality” evolve into bands and cassette labels and build grassroots distribution networks that span the World.

Bowes and Rider reflect on how out-of-hours Art College facilities, post-punk energy, and the rise of affordable recording technology like the Tascam 4-track empowered musicians to bypass the mainstream and do it themselves.

Connecting with our previous episode (EP09 Wild Planet 1983: The World Gets Weirder) with Dave Henderson, writer of the Wild Planet column in Sounds, there’s more about how *The Elephant Table" LP came together. Plus, the usual tales of copying tapes in real-time, mailing music around the globe, and even embedding ZX Spectrum programs onto music cassettes. 

Hosted by Martin Franklin.
Theme music “This Is Concrete” by The Happy Citizen.

VIDEO
You can find video of some of the fanzines and cassette releases we discuss in this episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast

FEATURING

- Martin Bowes (Attrition)
- Alan Rider (Adventures in Reality)
- Dave Henderson (Sounds/Wild Planet )

MUSIC

Attrition “Dead Of Night” Death House - Adventures In Reality Recordings (1981)
Hawkwind “Jam 2” UK Electronica 1983
Attrition “Mariannes Dream” In The Realm Of The Hungry Ghost - Third Mind Recordings (1986)
Attrition/Audio Leter “Talkback” Action And Reaction - CNLF (1983)
Nurse With Wound “Someone Others Garden” Rising From The Red Sand Vol #1- Third Mind (1983)
Muslimgauze “Trans Time” The Last Supper - Adventures In Reality Recordings
Attrition “Monkey In A Bin” John Peel Show - BBC Radio 1 (24 April 1984)
Legendary Pink Dots “Surprise Surprise” The Elephant Table - X Tract (1984)
Attrition “The Black Maria” The Black Maria - Two Gods (2025)

LINKS

Attrition (https://attritionuk.bandcamp.com/music) | (https://attrition.co.uk)
Adventures In Reality (https://adventuresinreality.bigcartel.com/)

"Adventures In Reality, The Complete Collection" book reprints all issues of the fanzine in a 500 page softbound book. Order directly from Alan Rider via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/alan.rider.161)

See the ARR ZX Spectrum program from "The Last Supper" on YouTube:
https://www.journaldulapin.com/2023/01/12/last-supper-spectrum/

THANKS TO:
Steve Cammack for the “The Elephant Table” vinyl.
https://remuhmuration.blogspot.com/

Our old chums at SoundArt Radio 102.5FM for digitising services.
https://soundartradio.org.uk/

AVAILABLE NOW
"Premonitions: Underground Cassette Network 1989 - 90" SoundImage Tapes cassette reissue, Infinite Expanse, 2024
https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com

 

*Cassette Culture* is produced by Martin Franklin for East Coast Studio. (https://eastco