Sheep Worrying Magazine started life as the fanzine for the Dangerous Brothers full of ‘in’ jokes about the band and the local music scene in 1977 at the height of punk rock. In 1980 it expanded to become the voice of the Somerset music scene and spread around the county. By the mid 80’s it had become a listings magazine for the whole of the area it self-defined as Wessex. Then it ran into financial trouble as it was put together by rank amateurs and got too big for itself. It was bailed out in 1986 by the editors forming the band The Sedgemorons and giving all their gigging profit to it. The last ever issue was in 1991.
But…in the beginning, even before Sheep Worrying, there was a thing called ‘Cobblestone’ which the generation before the Sheep Worriers had tried to launch as a community newspaper. Produced by the people we regarded as ‘the hippies’ (Colin Richardson, Jeff Reed, Tonto and a few others) it looked like a cross between a future Sheep Worrying, a college Rag Mag and a comic. Kim Newman contributed a review of JC Miles book of poetry, DB’s bass player Will Hatchet wrote a story ‘The Runaway Robot’ -both went on to become writers by profession. The mag also included local listings, had a couple of adverts to fund it and had an editorial praising the East German Governments policy on supporting rock music (totally fictitious given what we know know about the repressive way the Communist Czech government was clamping down on the ‘Plastic People of the Universe’ at exactly this time). Cobblestone came out a couple of times in early 1977. At a BYT review that year the sheep worriers satirised it on stage with a sketch called ‘Colinstoned’, set in the Bridge cafe, the coffee house at the end of the Universe..
A Sheep Worrying Fanzine Diary
1977
Sep 5th-the idea for a DBs mag called sheep worrying was first discussed in the Bridge Cafe, the common room of revolutionary consciousness in 1970’s Bridgwater
Punk graphic artist Dave Newton remembers “It was a natural extension of what we were doing to do a photocopied jokey ‘in-humour’ thing. We would have been aware of London based fanzines and surprised. So Sheep Worrying came out as a localresponse to big city fanzines”
Wed 5 Oct-The DBs gig at the Art Centre with covers band Racoon was the occaision for the 1st issue of Sheep Worrying Fanzine.
SWIssue 1. 7.9.77. Punk cover by Buzz Gosmore. Clearly labelled dangerous brothers fanzine. Largely a very ‘in’ take on the band , fans and local characters, mainly written by Kim and including cartoons of the band members done by Rod.
Mon Oct 24-Willie Rushton signed Sheep Worrying.1 in Rhyme and Reason the local bookshop. “You don;t look like punks” he said “You look like sophisticated Somerset punks!” (whatever that meant)
SW Issue 2 ‘Avant garde naked spectacular’ cover done by Dave Newton. Now features regular ‘alien’cartoon strip by Rod’s brother Greg. Heavy comic references to the NF and joke racism/includes mercury quotes/attack on DIM band as student guild members/kim ‘author of the banned ‘Rabid Hood’ play interview
Dave Newton recalls “We wrote stuff taking piss out of punk. I was basically cutting out of the NME and glueing it together to send up fanzines. Well, it was something to do if there was nothing on telly.”
SW Issue 3 ,,22.dec.77 ‘Dangerous Xmas edition’ (Banned) cover by Dave Newton. More jokey racism, features lyrics to ‘Bonehead’ (Smedlo) Produced for xmas gig –Bob Ormrod band, Skillet Lickers, DIM band and DBs
Dave Newton remembers “Basically I was a frustrated art student. I felt I had a creative streak but because I couldn’t draw i had the idea of cutouts, collage and stencilling. This was a very natural medium- photocopiers were a new thing – before then it was Roneo print. This was the same reason punk fanzines took off-easy access to photocopier technology. So it was a creative and indulgent, an ego boost and at the same time a bit like a school mag”
1978
SWIssue 4 “For people with no regard for their brain cells” –April/May 78.. Lyrics included “Grab yourself a sheep” (smedlo) and “Wish I was George Formby” (Smedlo/Rude) also “Under 16’ (Rude/Smedlo) “Ello Ello”(Rude/Smedlo), also features the SCAT racism row-a response by kim to alaistair crellin accusing the DBs of being racist + more Greg cartoons
SW Issue 5 (probably 12th May 1978) Dave Newton cover. Birthday edition for Lokjaw(Dave Butland) mentions the Rock against racism gig on a May Sunday. Contains lyrics to “Internal organs” (Rude) more Greg cartoons
Sat 15 July-DBs + Learjets play at BAC “Pretentious night out’”(80p entry)–sold out of badges and SWs/ DBs got 5 encores, the crowd was screaming for more Dave from Cobblers did the PA/Costume by Sue Hickling-Bouncers Herman/Steve/Phil
SWIssue 6 came out at this gig features ‘Cuban Holiday (smedlo)/ Coalman (smedlo) more Greg cartoons, includes photos of DBs larking about outside Rodney’s house in Hamp. This one also features a page from the NME which give the DBs their first mention (for this gig)
SWIssue 7 23 sept 78 ‘Grrrrr says a train.” This is the final edition as it was the one for the farewell gig whereafter the DBs moved to Leeds. Features lyrics to ‘Nasty nasty nasty’ (Rude/Smedlo
Thur 21 Dec -gig + the Westsiders/Maiden voyage/Cobblers/Club whooppee…..
SW Issue A ‘making joints’ (mainly greg art) ‘the great big hulk (Smedlo/Jones).
1979
Fri 5 Jan-gig –Club whoopee + jive joint wierdies /joy Mulholland/pete & chris being Derek and clive/
Issue B ‘Alien-in space no one can hear you fart’ – ‘traffic warden’ (smedlo)
Tues April 17-revenge of the DBs gig at bac + joy Mulholland/the dim sisters. Dave the Maniac turns up and throws bottles at the stage “-(70p entry) + Splodge as DJ . Mercury reporter (Robin Stacey) writes“The DBs are the sort of group you’d like even if you didn’t like the music” + “I felt as if I wanted you to come and hit me in the face”.
SW Issue 8 ‘revenge of the dangerous bro’ + a review of the Manchester gig in Dec 78
Sat 28 July-beach party gig (75p) A massive turnout generated £55 profit – a small fortune. The show also featured sketches/pete willow /chalice folk group ….tapes,badges, SW..Visiting Sussex University student David Cross recalled thinking ” ‘talk about eclectic”
SWIssue 9 special beach party edition. Contains the lyrics to ‘county councillor’ (smedlo)
1980
Jan 4th -“The Jelly party”- as a result the DBs were banned from bac . However, an organised threat of a mass boycott-saw the ban lifted by Jan 11. The gig raised £104/ Support band was “the stumps”(who had changed their name from Douglas Baders Stumps’ for reasons of good taste)/skillet lickers/false pretences/club whoopee/
Andrew Napthine was in the audience for his first gig and recalls that he thought the dbs were like XTC,”I Had been to bac before to see joan atkins singers and to take my piano exams but the bac meant nothing much to me until the DBs and Sheep Worrying magazine”
Dave Newton had been replaced in the band by this stage as he’d moved to Leeds. He recalls “I wasn’t resentful cos band was better without me musically..It was a really good student uni gig type band and audiences who’d never heard us enjoyed it”
Dave’s replacement Simon ‘Supermeat’ Gibbs didn’t get off so lightly as his former girlfriend Sue Hickling recalls “I was constantly throwing jelly at Simon as he’d dumped me for Lottie. Revenge,like Jelly, is sweet”
SW Issue ‘roach war’-hello and welcome the 1980s. special Jelly Party edition.
By the summer, the DB’s had brought out their first single and were planning a major tour. To promote this they brought out a large circulation Sheep Worrying which was also a listings magazine promoting a Somerset wide music scene, in an attempt to recreate a West Country ‘MerseyBeat; n
SW Issue 14 (August 1980) – ‘DBs tour west to promote single’. Round up of bands and venues around the region/ kim did club whoopee page
SWIssue 15 (autumn 80) arabic writing on the cover. Tagline introduced ‘Somerset’s leading rock monthly/Somerset’s only rock monthly’). Lists 14 ‘sheep worrying bands’ and gig guide for October 80, plus a review of ‘Another England’ . Also review of Barbed wire at Cranleigh gardens + list of venues around the west country with phone numbers
There were now 3 things in place .—Magazine/rock gigs/theatre group…John Ridley , as temporary manger of the art centre following the sudden departure of Bob Ormrod, “...understood what we were doing and ‘got it’” recalls Eugene Byrne..”I liked him.He listened in to what we were doing and recognised we’d workshopped the whole show.Ridley was a good guy. He lent us his hip flask from North Africa and Italy. He was never appreciated.He was a fan and a supporter and in fact had a walk on role as the hangman in Another England”
1981
In February 1981 Sheep Worrying massively increased their circulation by teaming up with alternative magazine ‘Smoke and Whispers’ and produced a back to back edition which printed 1,500 copies.
Sw 16 – ‘joint issue back to back in conjunction with smoke and whsipers (distribution extended to include Bath Place,Taunton-avenue Bridgwater-Music box Burnham/Forever people Bristol/Health foods Taunton/Weston wholefoods/rhyme and reason bw/ bridgwater music/bw health foods + at gigs + via bands
SW issues 17/18/19/20/21 -seem to have vanished from all records
SWIssue 22-sept 81. Debbie Kane designed cover. Review of ‘Golddiggers of 81’ + lots of other gigs + a review of ‘Tubular sheep’. A crossword and part 3 of DUCK by Kim Newman
SW Issue 24-xmas 81 Christmas 1981 dalek cover / film reviews by Kim Newman/ Kims short story ‘Duck’/end of old pier gigs in Weston/new offices at 18 queen street’ interview with Alexis Korner
1982
1982SW Issue 25-feb 1982.. yellow/blue cover..included a west country fanzines review as we tried to build a network
SW Issue 26 ..march 82..orange cover..first introduction of ‘Tape Heading’ where several guest reviewers sat around someones house listening to tapes sent in / ‘the terminus’ short story by kim/ crossword by alex dunn/ letter from seething wells
In May Sheep Worrying got £250 grant from Sedgemoor District Council, as we were seen at the time as a major youth provider
SWIssue 27 –spring 82..Britain suddenly going to war with Argentina took everyone by surprise and so we brought out a tongue in cheek “special war edition” The Falklands War turned out to be deadly serious….
On May 12th Smedley declared himself ‘Good King Brian of Wessex’ from the top of Burrow Mump as a publicity stunt to widen the geographical reach of the magazine to all western Counties (except Cornwall, which had ‘Potatoland’)‘
SW Issue 28 –’Wessex declared independent-king Brian speaks / folk/theatre/sport/’stab in the back’ against SW by sounds unlimited/‘anarcho federalist liberation front of Wessex—maazine is distributed from Gloucester to plymouth.
On 1st June 1982 a rival magazine from Yeovil was produced by the music scene in that part of Somerset ‘Feeding the Fish”
Artist and musician Simon Barber said “The 1st issue was me and Alf (Alan Flint) in my flat .Mike King did photos…Deb was doing ‘still crazy’ . There was no social media back then so it was a way of communicating…I had been away and had come back to a scene where everyone was 7 yrs younger than me.The adverts funded it a bit but it was mainly Alan. Alf was working and so we had a benefactor. Ourprint run – 100s. We got them printed a professionally at printers-which made it stand out. Sold it at Acorn Records and at gigs. It was very well received and people were into it.There was not much quality control. Wilf had whatever space he wante for his cartoonsd. Then there was Fred (Andrew Perry) who now writes for the Telegraph and Q/
FISH 2 JULY 82
SW Issue 29- July 82-blue Glasto cnd fest cover folk/theatre/sport etc-We reviewed the sounds inc gig
FISH 3 Aug 82-FtF(3) echo and bunnymen/ escape (84 combe park) ed al flint ass Harvey dent/ india tape (Rainbow club gigs fri,sat,wed thru aug)-review bac cnd gig –silent movies /india. Simon Barber recalls ” We didn’t like Silent Movies ‘star act’ ” Bands featured included Burning Garden , The Act? (writers included members -Barb Kramer /Mark Barber, Ling Kkincay/Nick Ailing?/thunder turds. The issue featured a letter from Smedley and a cartoon .
FISH 4 (Sept 82)
SW Issue 30 oct 82 -rock n roll riots flare up again/ sheep worrying EP release/review of fesivalt of alternativess inc football world cup – which Dorset won. The mag criticised sunods inc and bac for the black roots gig
FISH 5 review Damend at Bath pavilion/bikini mutants cover + interview/rumours of Jamie Anderson joining Headless Horsemen ‘not true’/red factory interview –criticised SW lack of publicity and bigged up steve coram gigs-they played with Black Roots..turns into a SW slagging off interview/ kim wilde in Bournemouth/ article on disarmament/ tape heading of ‘magical mystery sheep’/ reference to a ‘Crass’ event at the Preston centre/ letter from simon belfield larkin (old prog rocker from Torquay/Haiti chill/ cahpter 29) –more attacks on sw –”bs more interested in football than music” Brian the dead sheep-2 page anti sw cartoon/ scarlet downs ad on back
FISH 6—Had a totally black cover
SW Issue 31- orange vice squad and tony benn cover/sw EP review/magical mystery sheep review/voice squad interview/ cartoon of the court of Good king Brian
1983
FISH 7—poll winners issue/ BS gets ‘wally of the year’ and ‘most wonderful person’ of the year award/striknene/chapter 29…scarlet down get best group- /article on Berlin + siousxi and banshees at hammersmith odeon/stranglers-poole + sexeys school bruton-school photo 16 pics)
26 feb SW Issue vol 2 no 1..march 83….Rob Hackwill and Eugene Byrne become more involved with Sheep Worrying to bring it a better quality and make it a proper listings magazine with a better look. SW was now based in Unity House offices/interview Tich/India/Peter and Test Tube Babies/intensified chaos/screaming dead/interview withPTTB by lynne Cramer/ listings magazine/famous 5 (+Bill Bailey)
SW Issue vol 3 no 1…class of 83 on cover..april 83/scarlet downs interview’/carries labour party ads ‘if you think Thatcherism is working ask someone who isnt’
SW Issue 35…may 83..”Who are you calling Ghandi” /green and pink…This was the one we tried to hawk to WH smiths with absolutely no success/included flyers from the ‘women for life on earth star marches’/ youth CND/bac festival of alternatives/are you a filthy hippy?
FISH 9 –June 83/ fight war not wars cover (first anniversary issue)/ken buddhists/ review of nether compton vh/ + sw fest of alts-aic dlamini review-ist gig post Headless Horsemen/ the MOB-massive 8 page cartoon/ the ‘rum beat club’..scarlet downs single ‘windows/turning round’
SW Issue 36..june 83….urged tactical voting in the 83 election/big ad for glasto cnd fest/ musicians union ad/labour party ad / advert for when the wind blows. BS was asked to stand by the Wessex Regionalists but refused
SWIssue 37— Simon Barber offered to help-but SW manages to fuck his artwork up by printing the wrong things blue or yellow. uk subs at bac /slagalongabutland/youth cnd
SWIssue 38-..sept 83..RitaBbix brown cover/ken livingstone interview/bruce kent interview
SWIssue 39 …october 83..purple ‘bombs not jobs’ cover..formation of rock club with sw and soduns inc working together
FISH 8 OCT 83 –scarlet downs split up/ red smed seeking musicians/ final prayer (teddy starts to cry)/ away from skaro feature/ forgotten futures album review/cartoon has bs as a car pk attndnt talking to a vw camper
Simon says “ People started leaving – Matt etc going to uni and bands ‘left’..so I formed the Chesterfields. Matt formed Thatcher on Acid/It was strange because the ones who left and moved to London didn;t make it but the ones who stayed did”-
RED PARRET –Was a new overtly politcal magazine brought out in Bidgwater by the Labour Party Young Socialists . Tim Mander, Brian Smedley were prominent writers. Articles included Manders ‘Brickyard strike’ and Smedleys ‘anti imperialism’
In October a delegation from Sheep Worrying went to the ‘Alternative Press Conference‘ in Brighton/The leading papers were ..’Brighton Voice’ and ‘Leeds other Paper’
SWIssue 40…nov 83..Pete Williams bongo cover…funny nose issue…sw in the alt press conf Brighton Nov 83-The editorial team got bored and drew false noses on all the pictures .
FISH 11–Dec 83 / announces Red smed play Lime kiln dec 10/ walking wounded interview/
SW Issue 41…dec 83 ’colour in the pictures and watch your hair grow’/ red and purple xmas issue/sheep worrying awards
1984
SW Issue 42…Feb 84 tabloid version..wolfen cover ‘this is what they want’ (Bri/Adrian/Stu editors)’Nigel the Nit cartoons/Subhumans at puriton gig/ the heavy metal debate
FISH 12 –Smiths cover ‘best new act of 83’/billy bragg/bicycle thieves-83 poll results..sw xmas party got 4th best gig/kev freeman 2nd best drummer/ simon barber best singer/ the void jazz-kokoda and kek
SWIssue 43 March 84-‘Crewkerne is Go’/DBs to reform/aic dlamini ‘castrols hitmen’/crisis at rock club-coram etc opoosite man gig
6-8 April 84-Brian, Eugene and Stuart go to the Alternative Press Conference in Leeds.
THE OTHER VOICE (this was an attempt at a national ‘alternative’ paper – SW contributed ‘plants are human too’ by Eugene and ‘south afrika-prejudice and pride’ by-Fred Williams
The experience however wasn’t a happy one as Sheep Worrying didn’t quite fit into this ‘new city left’ movement and at the same time Eugene Byrne left Sheep Worrying to take up employment at a proper listings magazine Venue in Bristol. Eugene said “My estrangement was from Bridgwater and Brian because he wanted to stay in Bridgwater. Venue was a big city version of sheep worrying but there was more people and a bigger circulatio. At it’s peak venue was 20,000. More successful than any mag outside London (Time Out/City Limits etc)”
SWIssue 44..april 84..’don’t go up to the castle issue’/ Wessex music directory/ zine review
14 August was a red letter day as SW magazine backlog of unpaid advertising and empty coffers saw us facing a major bill which we couldn’t pay .Kampress , the printers, wanted £617 by the end of sept or it would be the county court.In response the editorial team Smedley, Lianne Bruce, Stuart Croskell, Anne Dixey, Gareth Beasley form a band ‘The Sedgemorons’ to play gigs to pay off the debt.
SW issue 45… july 84 ’summer special’…pink A5-basically done by the sedgemorons-croskell/dixey/Beasley/bruce…’Mr Hard kills a priest’ from beast..Musicians Union ad
SW issue 46…sept 84…A5…sun style/ new £1m bingo/ support for miners/ attacks tory press/morning star advert/tgwu ad/not keen on the police
Nov 16 Sheep Worryings move to the left saw Sedgemoor District Council withdraw it’s grant.However,a supporter donated 50% in response and the T&GWU donated the other 50%
SWissue 47 Nov 84…’cavalcade of sheep’/ features ‘get out of ireland’ article by smedley + a PC Pig cartoon by Beasley/ amnesty int ann dixey/lab party + SWP ads Nov-Winter small tabloid ‘Sedgemorons ‘-15 years too long,Britain out of ireland’+ adverts for labour party and socialist worker
Sheep Worrying’s Rock promoter Adrian Fraser remembers “It was a sign of the times ,everyone getting more politicised and more extreme. People were dying to rise up at all sorts of levels especially young people and reflecting it in what they wrote and performed . Bridgwater was a microcosm of this. Sheep Worrying was an open forum for experimentation in writing and peforming for people to find out their future direction etc. And the Tories didn’t like that”
FISH 15– 1984 poll – vote/ Wessex/world/Lloyd cole and commotions/ join greenpeace/ big cartoon of psycho daisies on tour to Weston zoyland com centre
1985-
Issue 48-feb 85′“Full scale war with the establishment”—Smedley was attacked by the drunken husband of Tory Councillor Margaret Rees at art centre xmas party. SW carried Ads from swp/morning star/musicians union + ‘a cartoon by a communist’-response by a local cp member about press response to pc pig/ sw grant loss by sdc /Armagh strip searches/
In March 85 the Art Centre caves into Tory pressure on the board and bans ‘Punk Rock’
SW issue 49.. april 85….demo outside SDC on front cover ‘restore the sheep worrying grant’/ ‘ha ha black sheep’/ arts group drawn into battle/treason rap…/miners strike/morning star/claimants union/another commie toon
Anti-Sheep Worrying scandal sheet
During the summer Sheep Worrying was hit by another scandal -this time totally not of it’s making. An appallingly shoddy photocopied product was put out by a group hostile to Sheep Worrying and called “Sheep Worrying Summer Special” It was basically obscene literature and pushed through the doors of the local establishment but in fact had nothing to do with Sheep Worrying.
Smedley says “I went straight to the Police station after Anne Dixey who was a Mercury reporter at the time tipped us off about it. The first time I ever saw it was in a plastic bag held out by tweezers in a Policemans hand asking if i’d done it. Of course we hadn’t. The next time I saw one was 5 years later when i was standing for the labour party and a right wing labour councillor produced one and claimed I’d done it. No establishment collusion there ‘i’m sure….'”
Anne Dixey remembered “We needed to officially say it wasn’t us before any more damage or it came back to haunt us. I thought it was quite sad and just small town politics which was getting me down. I thought I’d rather be around more open minded people.”
SW issue 50..summer 85 (called ‘Final issue’, but it wasn’t)..Bridgwater feeds the world/ live aid/ kings justice/ art centre under pat gubbins/morning star/swp/ final commietoons
CLARION issue 1 (September 1985) a handwritten punkish booklet produced totally by Dave Chapple from Clevedon ‘sacked Miners tour special’. Listed victimised miners from the recent strike, prisoners listed with addresses provided by Dave Hanna, included news clippings, probably without any thought to copyright issues, socialist history stuff including AJ Cook and lots of dot joining issues from Soweto to Tonypandy to Orgreave. The Clarion became the News paper of the Somerset Community Defence Campaign. Which was set up to bring together Labour and outside left forces following the Miners Strike.
CLARION issue 2 (November 1985)-Smedley became involved as Dave Chapple had moved to Bridgwater . Content included anti-nuclear, teachers strike, socialist history, NUM dispute, Westlands and an artile criticising the ‘aid racket’ in the light of Live Ad etc
1986
CLARION issue 3 (Jan 1986)-railways/westlands/Kinnock divides/bs-‘Troops out of ireland’
CLARION issue 4 (March/April 86) purnells dispute /printers/stop hinkley
CLARION issue 5 (June 1986) -Wally Harvey/may day rally report-lab banner/Chernobyl/terry french
On 1st June Smedley became editor of the Somerset Clarion and at the same time brought out a best selling booklet ‘The Bridgwater Brickyard Strike’
CLARION issue 6 (Aug/Sept 1986) – shoot to kill/tom king/south Africa/bs brick strike book/unity books was open in Unity House by Dave Hanna and Glen Burrows
CLARION issue 7 (Oct/Nov 1986)-police riot/st pauls/hinkley/silentnight/Devonport/trident/viv Richards/unity bks
CLARION issue 8 -(Dec 86/Jan 87) Friends of British Ulster march through Bridgwater/no Nazis/ nicaragua/bcl/geever
1987
On 27 January there was a “10 years of Sheep Worrying exhibition” at the Bridgwater Arts Centre
YOUNG SCENE 1 Adrian Fraser and Gareth Beasley, in the absence of Sheep Worrying Magazine, brought out their own fanzine style paper to comment on the ‘in crowd’ locally, which several sheep worriers wrote for. Smedley wrote about euro hitchin In effect the scene and paper had gone full circle to early DBs ‘in’ punky style fanzine for local scene
CLARION issue 9 (Feb/Mar 87) -clares/telecom/editor bs/tu women/aj cook/lab hist day-14 feb
YOUNG SCENE 2 incs 4 eds/ guide to trivia quiz/ they too do a poll
CLARION issue10 (April/May 87) -hinkley welds/bob brooks/shut them down/bi sexual bw-angie H/bw political prisoners
YOUNG SCENE 3 reviews sw theatre/ has a make yr own sw theatre play/list of bands/ award winners- bs got best male singer + bs flat came in 4th
CLARION issue ?? (May 1987)-election issue
CLARION issue 11 (Aug/Sept 1987) -BS-labour in Ireland/Thatcherism/socialism and labour/ilp and sp civil war/Nicaragua/sw album out swinging coms
YOUNG SCENE 4 -The Red Smed album ‘songs for swingin communists ‘ was out /next sw play ‘albert chdgey saves the world –nov 14-
CLARION issue 12 (Oct/Nov 1987) sinnfein/miners/mcdonald to Kinnock gb/swp/us out of gulf-bs/sa sanctions-
YOUNG SCENE 5 – more awards / has summary of years events
1988
CLARION issue 13 (Jan/Feb 1988) scargill for num pres/apartheid/French nukes/fascism in britain-
CLARION issue 14 -(April 1988) Vernon Bartlett elections/Fred Luke/Yeovil farmworkers/Mozambique/Palestine save mary Stanley/fords/no poll tax
CLARION issue 15 (September 1988) Ambrose Holman/ Mary Stanley/Benn/Heffer/Exeter Orange marches
1989
SW issue 51…april 1989…art centre and Hitler cover…reflects the rock bottom relations with the bac – interview bob ormrod/pic of maggie rees/state of rock debate/bw labour club ad/somerset clarion/’save the mary stanley’/good value records
CLARION issue 16 (Jan 89) – Dockers/ Canadian seamen/ Labour in Somerset/Palestine/ Dorset farm workers.GCHQ
CLARION issue 17 (March 1989)Fords/ UWC SCDC history/ PR /Hinkley/
CLARION issue 18 (June 89) dock strike/poll tax revolt/hinkley and leukaemia/lab county results/ bs afghan revolution under siege
SW issue 52…july 89… the spanners featured…more art centre turmoil/ sw demos outside bac/poll tax revolt-don’t pay the poll tax
CLARION issue 19 (Oct 89) – animal rights-angie h/ john hicks animals/bob pitt criticises BS bw popular front
CLARION issue 20 (Nov 89) -mental health crisis/ Africa/ bs sheep worrying theatre oll tax protrests
1990
CLARION issue 21 (Feb/March 1990)ambulance wkrsr/poll tax/workers theatre/john fletcher on pop front or wkrs front
CLARION issue 22 (May 1990)-no poll tax/ / 1381-bs/glen quits lab over poll txa
CLARION issue 23 -(Aug 1990) scdc 5 yrs on/ bs perils of perestroika/paul hill gldfrd 4/hinkly accidents/ bs election and ‘future of soc in LP’
CLARION issue 24 (Dec 1990) no war/poll tax/swp in brstl
21 dec-the xmas show—the Bad New Days – was to be the final Sheep Worrying show
1991
CLARION issue 25 (Feb/March 1991) Imperialism/ war/no gulf war/polltx/militant
CLARION issue 26 (40p) (July 1991)-bricking up the poll tx bailiffs/ bs writing to norman laws
CLARION issue 27 -(Sept 1991) Penn Wood trespass/why I left swp/lp witch hunt/alan deb/defend militant/brxtn poll tx riot/bw ambulance march
CLARION issue 28 (Dec 1991) Fight the fascist threat-much swp stuff/vanguardism/bs Czechoslovakia 1991/poll tax prisoner/election defeat/poll tax /unemp ex soldiers ww1
1992
CLARION issue 29 (March 1992) -anti fascist action/ arms dealers/ green revolution
CLARION issue 31 (April/May 1992) Coalfield socialists
CLARION issue 32 (June/July 1992) unemployed ex sevicmen
CLARION issue 33 (50p) (sept 1992) good riddance willis/lab and socialism dave beckwith/poll tx from prison/blyth power ‘the guns of castle cary’
1993
CLARION issue 34 (March 1993) NUM/ scargill/hunting/ reugees
1994
CLARION issue 35 (Dec/Jan 1994) bridgwater postal workers
1995
CLARION issue 36 (Feb/March 1995) anti cuts
CLARION issue 37 (June/July 1995) independent socialists
CLARION issue 38 (Aug/Sept 1995) winston silcott/ labour party and socialists/Bosnia/Green socialists
1996
CLARION issue 39 (Oct 1986) Hillingdon hospital/bridgwater postal strikers/ BS about labour party/ will brown about socialist labur party/ Glovers
The Somerset Clarion continued until 1996 when it became the ‘Somerset Socialist’ which numbered 2 but carried on the numbers from the Clarion so 40 +41 in 1997.
During 1994-95 a series of left papers called ‘Bridgwater Workers Voice‘ were brought out culminating in a General Election Special in 1997.
In 1998 this became the ‘Somerset Workers Voice‘ and then Red South West –there were 4 issues of this June 1998-Autumn 1999
In 1998 Smedley brought out a music fanzine called NFB (Normal For Bridgwater) with Paul Kelly as a tool for a revived local music scene under the auspices of the ‘Sedgemoor Contemporary Music group; which Smedley had encouraged and helped to fund, now a Councillor and part of the ruling Lib-Lab coalition which ran Sedgemoor for 3 years.
By the turn of the century the internet had overtaken all these ancient technologies and even local newspapers had declined. No more sitting up all night with letraset, tippex and an electric typewriter, hello social media and the world as we now know it. Looking back it was like another century..oh wait a minute….it was.