Dublin’s first (hopefully annual) Independent’s Day event took place in The Dublin Food Co-Op, D8 on Sunday, December 7. With stalls from labels (Richter Collective and Hideaway to name but two) and ‘zines making up the bulk of it, its purpose was to promote awareness of the DIY scene in this country. Realising that a lot of things develop with the music, it also featured stalls from other non-mainstream groups such as community gardening, RAG (Revolutionary Anarcha-Feminist Group) and promoting cycling as an alternative means of transportation. Without a political agenda or a tag such as “anarchism” in the name, coupled with friendly, engaging people running the stalls who were happy to answer questions or provide information about why they were there, it drew a strong, diverse crowd.
Co-organisers Barry Lennon (who also runs The Richter Collective label) and Anto Dillon, who has been writing and distributing the ‘zine/freesheet Loserdom with his brother Eugene since 1996, graciously stepped outside into the cold to talk to Blistering.com about record labels, ‘zines and why it’s so important to remain independent in this day and age.
Blistering.com: What’s the current attitude to DIY labels, gigs, etc?
Barry Lennon: I think there’s a lot of people doing stuff, doing things across the country. People doing different styles of music and mixing things up as well. In Dublin for instance there’s Kaboogie who do the more breakcore, electronic side of things, with a very independent DIY ethos and they bring over some amazing big bands, like The Bug and Warrior Queen.
Before Richter Collective Barry was involved in other groups, one of which used to put on gigs and clubs, where again the purpose was not to be exclusive, but inclusive.
Barry: The whole idea was that we didn’t put the same band on twice, which became a bit of a nightmare. We brought over everything from hip-hop acts to bands like An Albatross, just like a mish-mash. The idea was to keep the mix of genres, where you’d see a punk band, a hip-hop band, a reggae band. Just try to bring all the scenes together. There’s a lot of stuff and it’s evident even there today (indicates inside the building), all the different labels Hide Away and Stitchy Press and ourselves. I think ‘zine culture, in my eyes, has died down a little over the years, with more internet blogs and stuff like that, but I think Loserdom is an example of a ‘zine that’s kept going throughout the years.
Blistering.com: Has the ‘zine culture died down?
Anto Dillon: There was a kind of dark period alright during the boom of the internet. I think that’s died down a bit, people have gone back to print. The people who’ve been making ‘zines over the years and worked away at it, they kind of kept at it and I think it’s kind of [picked back up again]. A few years ago there used to be a good shop called Red Ink that used to sell all the 'zines and books. After that went there was a period where it was kind of grim, but we persevered. Some of the independent record shops stopped taking ‘zines…that was a kick in the teeth. They thought it was taking up space and there wasn’t really any money in it. It was hassle. Certain record shops though, Freebird has been very supportive and City Discs has been very supportive and some of the more lefty type bookshops are supportive of ‘zines.
Blistering.com: What about the idea for Independent’s Day of not linking it with any political grouping or movement?
Barry: There’s a mix here today. There has been book fairs in Dublin, but they have been specific. Like there’s the Anarchist book fair that’s happened the last three years. But it’s very specifically anarchist, left-wing stuff, whereas what I felt about today, what was cool, was having that, but ‘zines and records and bringing them together with the Community Gardening and the bike people and Seomra Spraoi. Even if it’s just more of a meet and greet today everyone’s on the same buzz and bringing that together in a way where you can build on it and create more stuff out of that after.
Anto: I like the Anarchist book fair, but one thing I find about it, I did a little ‘zine stall at it the last two years and I kind of feel people weren’t coming for the ‘zines, it was more the political books. Today it’s more varied and you’ve got more arty comics. The less stuff that’s straight ahead political, I think, can have more of an effect, because political stuff can turn people off.
Barry: I think even the element of [independent] stuff around Dublin over the last while. There’s a collective practice space up in Phibsboro [on the city’s North side] that’s run by different people, who birthed itself out of the punk community. The idea of different people organising in that way for their own space and creating a space that’s not necessarily for one specific group or one specific genre. People organise a practise space out of need of not paying fucking loads of money to go and practice. And now there’s a working practice space there and there’s Seomra Spraoi, a social centre, things that all have the same ethos if you will, but are doing it for a different reason, but creating that sense of space and a place to go and gather outside of commercial entity.
Blistering.com: Do you think a lot of people get into alternative ideas through music?
Anto: The reason I would have gotten into alternative ‘zines, whatever and all of the rest of it would have been through listening to music and bands. So music is a big influence on me. That’s why separating music from politics doesn’t really work for me.
Barry: I’d have friends in groups like the WSM (Workers’ Solidarity Movement), who are an anarchist group, which would be a lot of people who came from the student politics end of things. So like I got into the whole ideology of it from picking up a Crass record, or picking up a Rudimentary Peni record and ‘pay no more than’ and Fugazi. Like, “What’s pay no more than? What does it mean?’ It sort of challenged you. You pick up a band like Fugazi and it’s not a fucking horrible crust record. A lot of people could listen to that and think they’re amazing musicians and an amazing band, they went and they had specific rules that it was pay no more than, they organised the whole thing. People can get into something like that specifically for the music and get interested in why they’re doing pay no more than, keeping the means of production and working on your own terms as oppose to dealing with a middle-man.
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