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"Check out this " emailed one of my colleagues this afternoon. It was a video about 'donk' some new music craze that originated in Wigan and features bangin' dance tunes played at 150 bpm. "Take a look at this guy's Myspace" mailed someone else a few minutes later.

It's become so easy nowadays to read about and listen to new music. Whether it's donk or death metal you are after it's all just a mouse click away. Back when I started in radio I did the alternative and indie show. If people wanted to check out the new music then my show and a handful of others were the only places they could hear it. I was very lucky to have it that easy.

The growth of online fan sites has also done away with the need for fanzines, but for those of us old enough to remember them we'll never forget the excitement they generated. As much as I love to sit and leaf through the latest Vanity Fair or other glossy, nothing will compare to the thrill of those lovingly compiled gems. I imagine that today's teenagers would sneer at the amateurish illustrations and typewritten articles which were then photocopied, stapled together, and sold for a few pence at the local record shop.
I've just read on the that The National Library of Scotland is to track down and catalogue the thousands of fanzines published in the UK over the past 70 years in order to preserve this unique part of our culture.

In Aberdeen I remember Granite City which showcased the local heroes like APB, the Squibs and Sid Ozalid. I'm sure getting this as a kid was partly responsible for wanting to work on magazine later in life.

Anybody else have memories of local fanzines and the bands they showcased?