Lovers of the olde worlde fanzine have a treat coming up.
Not content with painting the Lower Barclay various shades of yellow and green and doing more than their bit to crank up the Carrow Road atmosphere, the lads at Along Come Norwich have – with a little help from some friends – produced the first bona fide Norwich City fanzine for many a year.
And it’s bloody good.
It will hopefully go on general sale next week but the lads are already taking pre-orders if you’re interested – a snip at £7.50 (including postage).
I caught up with ACN joint-founder and once of this parish, Jon Punt to find out a bit more.
So, a fanzine … with paper… and ink! Talk to me JP. Tell me the story.
JP: Regular ACN readers will know we like football the way it was. Standing on the terraces, affordable for the working man, no Sky money ruining the game – you get the idea.
Back in those halcyon days, the football fanzine was a huge part of the matchday experience. The club’s programme was paper thin with very little to actually say (in stark contrast to today’s in fairness), so the fanzine gave an outlet for fans to share their experiences.
Clearly most of that has moved over to the digital world now, but there’s something intrinsically lovely about holding a document in your hands and reading it.
So we decided to do something about it, to try and make a print edition of ACN part of the NCFC furniture. Given last season’s success, if really felt like this was the optimum time to offer it out.
This is something you guys are looking to continue? Something that’ll become a regular part of the ACN catalogue of stuff?
We’d certainly like to think so. If enough people buy it, we’ll keep on making it. That’s the issue though, we have no real idea as to whether the demand is there, given most people are busy on their phones consuming podcasts, audiobooks, Spotify and ridiculous videos about cats.
We hope there’s enough lovely Nodgers out there who still prefer a traditional document you can read. We’ve tried to make the fanzine to a high-end finish (think matchday programme without as much colour, more swearing, quite a lot of silliness and no adverts) so that, eventually, they might even become collectable.
Clearly that’s stupidly aspirational, but you’ve gotta have a dream.
How’d you go about choosing the writers? Some proper Herberts in there. Anyone who can string two words together?
Ha, there’s a former editor of mine in there somewhere who’s a rumm’un boy. Aside from that, we’ve just asked writers who we enjoy reading. So there’s plenty of ACN regulars, the odd national journalist (The Guardian’s Paul MacInnes and our friend Andrew Woods) plus a selection from the now sadly deceased Little Yellow Bird and MFW.
The great thing is we also have many others who are keen to contribute, but the timing didn’t work out this time around, so hopefully lots of #engaging #content might be ready for Issue 2, if we make it that far.
Without giving any secrets away, other than the zine, what do you ACN and BEN boys and girls have planned for this season? Hard to see how you could trump what you did in the Lower Barclay last season – was brilliant and we’ll always look back fondly on the role you lads played in the 2018/19 title-winning season.
Thanks – we certainly want to get bigger and better, but with that comes logistical challenges, plus the odd safety pushback from the club.
We did have big plans for the first home game of the season, but these are going to have to be revised. Worst case scenario it’ll be more of the same with the flags and banners, with hopefully a few surprises away from Carrow Road too.
While you’re here, what do you reckon to season 2019/20? We going to have enough? You have to love the way Webber has gone about it, right?
This club couldn’t be in better hands as far as I’m concerned.
My only worry is that the management team need to ensure the players realise they’ve haven’t made it quite yet. The fact City were a tight band of brothers last term was as much a part of our success as Teemu Pukki’s goalscoring exploits, and we have to reinvent that mentality this time around.
Personally, I think we’ll be ok – 15th-ish if you’re after a prediction. We’ve learnt from Fulham’s expensive mistakes and will retain the core of a group of players we all fell in love with.
So even if things go sour, that will at least buy them some time while they try and regroup.
Finally… other than the link at the top of this page, how can folk buy the fanzine?
Well, we’re hoping we will secure a couple of locations in the city where people can pick up a copy, and at the same time avoid the extra we’ve had to charge for postage and packaging. [And there’s the link at the top of this page, people – Ed].
More news on that to follow when the fanzines actually arrive, which in an ideal world should be late next week.
Nice work, Jon. It’s going to be great.
Ha!
This is dear to my heart as well.
Back in the day my fave was Never Mind the Danger, complete with a crudely drawn but amusing cartoon strip featuring one Andy the Aardvark, who always sported a City shirt with “Asicks” emblazoned on it.
I used to buy it either inside or outside the Kingsway – can’t remember which. It was almost styled on the old Punk fanzine Sniffin’ Glue, created by Mark P around 1976.
Print quality? No. Content? Oh Yes. I loved it and so did many of my mates, although they always robbed mine rather than buying their own.
I can also recall Ferry Across the Wensum, but not in detail.
If there is an issue two I’d be more than happy to join in, although MFW ed Gary might justifiably warn you off.
Good luck to ACN and I’m sure we’d all agree that yourselves and Barclay End Project thoroughly enhanced last season. One match we even got flags in the UB, which all of us replaced afterwards to a man, woman and child, even if some of the latter category were a little reluctant to give them up.
I’ll be buying a copy for sure. Well done.
MFW Ed Gary is hardly in a position to warn them off when he contributed to Issue 1! 🙂
Big ha!
Despite the presence of your contribution I’ll still be buying one:-)
Seriously though I think it’s a fantastic initiative and as a big fan of traditional media I genuinely can’t wait to read it.
Sniffin’ Glue (and Other Rock’nroll habits) was superb. I have a flexi disc of Action, Time and Vision by Mark P’s band ATV which was given away with a copy I have from 1977.
I love football fanzines. Their entry into football came about the same time that rival fans started having a drink together rather than trying to beat each other up before and after games. Much more enjoyable and less stressful.
The link at top doesn’t seem to work?
Works okay for me Alex… straight through to their merchandise page.
Try this one https://www.alongcomenorwich.com/product/along-come-norwich-fanzine-issue-1/
They should have named it Liverpool are on the tele again. Could have sold thousands of em at the first game of the season!!
Hope it goes well for them
Andrew
As one of the men behind Y’Army, I commend you on producing a bonafide fanzine. I know what an incredible ballache it can be to put together an actual paper document that’s good enough for distribution! Whilst I’m sure you guys had a slightly easier time when it comes to the plethora of document design applications available compared to what Dave, Jon and I had, I can only guess as to the dizzying heights of print costs so many years down the line!
The very best of luck to you and I look forward to picking up a copy. Long live the fanzine!
Hi Andy
About 10 years ago when I was living in Coltishall there was a guy with a black Range Rover who often drove through the village past the triangle on his way to and from (I presume) work.
Us scallies walking to the Red Lion around teatime (sometimes in colours) would always give him the thumbs-up and got a hoot, smile and wave back.
His private number plate was (Y4RMY). True. I hope he’s still got it!
Puts my precocious N17 MJP in the shade:-)
Long live the fanzine indeed.
Brilliant! Wish the venture much success and enormous sales. Remember writing for the Capital Canaries mag yonks back, loved getting my copy and reading through it.
Another step to taking a bit of “our” football back. You’re on a roll. Don’t stop.