HISTORY OF PEACE & FREEDOM MAGAZINE

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Peace & Freedom magazine first appeared over thirty years ago, in January, 1985. Originally an underground and indie music fanzine, which was sometimes anarchic and rebellious, it contained articles about bands, interviews, poetry, rant verse, short stories, art, reviews of music and gigs, and social and anti-establishment comment. The original mission of the magazine was also to promote humanitarian, animal rights and environment causes, and to provide an outlet for creative people whose work encompasses these ideals. Sometimes Peace & Freedom came with a free gift, such as a flexi disk, badge, or sticker.

The magazine was created and founded by Paul Rance, with the help of budding poet and musician, Andy Bruce. Rance had previously been involved in the Small Press world, publishing his own booklets of poetry, and a contact, penpal, and general interest magazine called Harmony, through 1981-1984. In many ways, P&F grew out of Harmony, changing the emphasis to music and poetry, and becoming more idealistic.

Causes and ideals frequently championed through the pages of P&F were love, peace, freedom, animal rights, vegetarianism, respect for all life, women's rights, anti-sexism, a green earth, anti-war, nuke disarmament, respect for all life, charities, anti-hard drugs, race equality, apolitical, anti-materialism, anti-ageist, anti-capital and corporal punishment, and encouragement of all 'good' creativity. Peace & Freedom also encouraged a revival of Hippie philosophy, the spirit of punk, and gained strength from the music of the sixties. The hippie culture still persisted in the 1980s and had joined forced with the anarcho punk peace movement. The New Age travellers had rekindled many hippie traditions and beliefs.

The early issues of P&F were typewritten and photocopied, sometimes printed in coloured ink, until the late 1980s, when P&F began to be commercially printed. During the 1990s we began to use computers to help with layout. With a change to an A4 format and the introduction of writing competitions in 1991, P&F shifted its emphasis to that of a more literary magazine, also publishing short stories and essays.

By the early 1990s, the fanzine craze of the 1980s was nearly over. Due to the impact of the Internet and increasing postage costs during the 1990s, Peace & Freedom began to be published less often. The Peace & Freedom Press site was launched in May 1999.

There were also a number of tape magazines that featured poets and musicians who had appeared in Peace & Freedom magazine over the years, including new people as well. Each C90 cassette was hosted by Paul Rance and included poetry, reviews, interviews, news, short stories and underground music. The tape magazines lasted for around two years, running from 1990-1992. The cassette format was brought back later, from 1998-1999, with two issues of Peace & Freedom Radio.

The tapezine featured work from the likes of Don Campau, Alien Planetscapes, Attrition, Brad City, Jad Wio, SST, Sarah, Pauline Williams, Craig Runyon, Gypsy, Man's Hate, The Peace & Freedom Band, Josh Samuels, Michelle Prieto, Emerald Cleve, Andrew & The Cucumbers, Lovely Ivor, Margaret Connaughton, Thelma Rance, Andy Bruce, Andy Savage, Tracey Cook, The Unavailable Pomegranates, Hayley Tagg & Fiona Snelson, Mary Wallace, Janette Clutton, D.F. Lewis, Super Trouper, Das Freie Orchester, Gerald & Christine England, Daphne Richards, Fox Sparrow, Sarah Allison, Black Cab-age, Sara Burlace, Alanna Buckley, Tea For Two, Contact Obsession, APF Brigade, Susan Thomson, Yximalloo, Debra Lyn Negus, Michael Militello, Tony Downing, Hush Puppies, Stepford Husbands, James Ashworth, Laura Rodley, The Third State, Jerry Schroeder, Christine A. Findlay, G. Tomlinson, Gina Bergamino, Loretta A. Remak, Gary M. Nicholson Jr., June Cook, Mike Balding, E. Pryor, and Carol Proud.

The Peace & Freedom Band was formed in late 1986 by Rance and Bruce. Later Band members have also included Andy Xport and Andy Savage. Promoted the same causes and ideals as the magazine, though through music.

Popular Small Press poets, writers and underground/indie musicians and bands who have graced the pages of Peace & Freedom include Henry Normal, Steve Sneyd, Andrew Darlington, Andrew Savage, Chumbawamba, Ian McNabb, Man's Hate, and Nick Berry, when he was in EastEnders.

The Peace & Freedom Archive, which can be found on our underground/indie music page, features music and fanzine reviews that originally appeared in the pages of Peace & Freedom, together with interviews with musicians and bands of the time.

- Andy Bruce/booksmusicfilmstv.com.