M4

M4 (1990-1995) was a Melbourne based hardcore punk zine, which also covered metal bands, experimental music, from Victoria, across Australia and internationally.

Issues

• Issue 1 (January 1990):

Interviews: Rapier (Mt. Gambier)

Articles: The Mark of Cain (Adelaide)

Gig Reviews: Massappeal, Bored!, Nursery Crimes, Hard-Ons, Intoxica, The Meanies.

Record Reviews: Virgin Soldiers (Melbourne), TISM (Melbourne), Thrust (Brisbane).

• Issue 2 (March 1990):

Interviews: Hard-Ons (Sydney)

Articles: Special Forces (Melbourne), Hot Tomatoes (Adelaide)

Gig Reviews: SIC, Damage Case, Legend Killers, Suffer

Record Reviews: Painters and Dockers (Melbourne), Sabotage (Melbourne), Nursery Crimes (Melbourne), Lethal Dose (Melbourne)

• Issue 3 (June 1990):

Interviews: Denial (Melbourne)

Articles: Slaves of Pain (Melbourne), SIC (Melbourne), poems/lyrics by Tony Blott, Sydney Scene report by Ray Ahn.

Gig Reviews: Lethal Dose, Slaves of Pain, Climax, Hard-Ons, Splatterheads, The Meanies, Denial, Mass Confusion, Addictive, Armoured Angel, Damage Case, Suffer, Low Lifes,

Killing Time, Nursery Crimes, Suffer, Acid Cats

Record Reviews: Where's the Pope? (Adelaide), Exploding White Mice (Adelaide), The Angels, Damage Case (Melbourne)

Issue 4 (October 1990) Interviews: Splatterheads (Sydney), Hot Tomatoes (Adelaide), Lethal Dose (Melborne) Articles: Silent Lunatics (Melbourne), Damage Case (Melbourne) Tips for recording a heavy metal demo, poem by Margaret Traczynski Gig Reviews: Nice Girls from Cincinatti (Melbourne), Dirty Lovers (Melbourne), The Meanies (Melbourne), Bored! (Melbourne), Lethal Dose (Melbourne), Special Forces (Melbourne), Cosmic Psychos (Melbourne), Splatterheads (Sydney), Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre (Melbourne), Nursery Crimes (Melbourne), Bastard Squad (Melbourne), Damage Case (Melbourne), Yngwie Malmsteen, Anthrax (USA) Record Reviews: Have a Nice Day (Melbourne), Denial (Melbourne), Persecution (Melbourne), Bored! (Melbourne)

Issue 5 (February 1991) Interviews: The Bacchae (Adelaide), Despised (Melbourne) Articles: KAOS (Melbourne), Order of Decay (Adelaide), Sydney scene report by Ray Ahn, How to produce your own record. Gig Reviews: Damage Case, Low Lifes, Despised, Lethal Dose, Hard-Ons, Nursery Crimes, Denial, Charleston Party, Splatterheads, The Meanies, The Outfit, Thrust, Legend Killers Record Reviews: Cosmic Psychos (Melbourne), Hard-Ons (Sydney), The Meanies (Melbourne), Mass Confusion (Melbourne)

Issue 6 (July 1991) Interviews: No Comply (Melbourne), Persecution (Melbourne) Articles: Mass Confusion (Melbourne), Darkcide (Melbourne), Sydney Scene report by Ray Ahn Gig Reviews: Grunter, Warp Spasm, Venom P. Stinger, Armoured Angel, Sanctum, Necrotomy, Acheron, Damnatory, Christ Bait, Dimentia, Legend Killers, Verbal Revenge, Forcefed, No Comply, Taramis, Despised, Darkcide Record Reviews: Hot Tomatoes (Adelaide), Poppin' Mommas (Melbourne), The Bacchae (Adelaide) Download a PDF of the entire issue (1.97MB)

Issue 7 (February 1992) Interviews: Casualty (NZ), Forcefed (Melbourne), Plan Nine from Outer Space (Melbourne) Articles: The Mark of Cain (Adelaide), The Bacchae (Adelaide), Sydney Scene report by Ray Ahn, Mexican Scene report Gig Reviews: The Meanies, Nursery Crimes, Tucknot, Armoured Angel, Splatterheads, Mass Confusion, The Outfit, Spiderbait, Root Beer, Punchbag, Dr. Atomic, Hard-Ons, Cosmic Psychos, No Comply, Warp Spasm, Damaged, Deviant Kickback, Verbal Revenge, Damnation, Hard Corpuscles, Sickness, Rat Race, Martian Spudhumpers, Purple Kurse Record Reviews: Cosmic Psychos (Melbourne), The Bacchae (Adelaide), Aversion Therapy (Melbourne), Despised (Melbourne)

Issue 8 (May 1992) Interviews: Nursery Crimes (Melbourne) Grunter (Adelaide), Aversion Therapy (Melbourne), Rabble Rouser 'zine (Adelaide)` Articles: Root Beer (Melbourne), Punchbag (Melbourne) Gig Reviews: Hard-Ons, Celibate Rifles, Massappeal, The Dweebs, The Meanies, Nursery Crimes, Root Beer, Fudge, Warp Spasm, Silent Lunatics, Punchbag, Splatterheads, Fridge, Helium, Fester's Fanatics, Spiderbait, Forcefed, Beanfeast Record Reviews: Splatterheads (Sydney), Precursor (Canberra)

Issue 9 (September 1992) Interviews: Hard-Ons (Sydney), Lethal Dose (Melbourne), Precursor (Canberra), Swell Records (Melbourne), The Incredible Cliches Articles: Martire (Adelaide), Sydney and Paris Scene reports by Ray Ahn, Perth Scene report, Canberra Scene report, Do we want Blue Roses?, The Secret of Dave's Dog Gig Reviews: Cosmic Psychos, Spiderbait, Poppin' Mommas, No Comply, Touche, Scarab, Unknowns, GMF/Remedy, MAD, Punchbag, Wicked Buds, Dog Happy, The Meanies, Fridge, Helium, Sun St., The Guise, Dinner with Mary, Platonic Lovers, Skin, Brainstorm, Rat Race Record Review: Godflesh (UK), Fridge (Melbourne)

Issue 10 (January 1993) Interviews: Legend Killers (PDF scan here - 343 KB) (Melbourne), Vivisect 'zine (Melbourne), Rabid Love Child (Melbourne) Articles: Sonic Youth (USA), Alchemist (Canberra), Buddfish (Melbourne), KAOS (Melbourne), Canberra Scene report, Hobart Scene report, Perth Scene report Gig Reviews: Storytime, Strange Uncle Remus, Gerry Sont's Tartan Hot Pants, Faraway Tree, The Meanies, Spiderbait, 5-6-7-8's, Cosmic Psychos, Bored!, Root Beer, Forcefed, Rollins Band, New Christs, Fridge, The Mark of Cain, Green Beaver, Distant Locusts, Quagmyre, Seaweed Goorillas, Snark, Jim Jims, Amba Fear, Buddfish, Forcefed, She Freak Record Reviews: New Waver (Melbourne), Buddfish (Melbourne), Inhuman Conditions (GERM), Phleg Camp (Canada)

Issue 11 (July 1993)

• All news/gig review issue (no interviews or record reviews)

Articles: M4 Retrospective, Canberra Scene report, Punchbag (Melbourne) Tour Diary Gig Reviews: Forcefed, Snark, The Mark of Cain, Scourge, Hoss, Sonic Youth, Jim Jims/Magic Dirt, Helmet, Painters and Dockers, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Cosmic Psychos, Iggy Pop, Mudhoney, The Meanies, Soulscraper, Horsehead, Spiderbait, Grusties, Poppin' Mommas, Toad, Hurdy Gurdy, Have a Nice Day, Suiciety, Legend Killers, Bladder Spasms, Splatterheads, Venom P. Stinger, Midget, Sticky Filth, Casualty, Toe To Toe, Mullgrinder, Aqua Nuggets, Gerry Sont's Tartan Hot Pants, Beanflipper

Issue 12 (October 1993) Interviews: Seaweed Goorillas (Melbourne), Bladder Spasms (Canberra), The Scroungers (Melbourne), New Waver (Melbourne), Harry Butler/DNA 'zine (Adelaide) Articles: Sheik Al-Beli Movement (USA) Gig Reviews: Epitaph, Sleeping Venues, Manic Finister, Magic Dirt, Bored!, Food, Zambian Goatherders, Patterson's Curse, Mace, Dead Salesmen, Peer Group Pressure, Devotchka Record Reviews: Agnostic Front (USA), Clowns Smiling Backwards (Melbourne), Spiderbait (Melbourne), Sheik Al-Beli Movement (USA), Diff'rent Drum (USA), Farmer Ricky's Exotic Dance (USA), New Waver (Melbourne), Hazchem (Melbourne), Less Miserables (USA), Toxic Narcotic (USA), Orgy of Pigs (Adelaide), Radical Retard (Holland), Rupture (Perth), The Scroungers (Melbourne), Salad Daze (NZ), Third Eye (USA), SPUD (NZ)

Issue 13 (January 1994) Interviews: Forcefed (Melbourne), Breather Hole (Melbourne), Devotchka (Melbourne) Gig Reviews: Devotchka, The Mark of Cain, Mouth, Mace, Aquanuggets, Gudgeon, Incursion, Green Horn, Record Reviews: Breather Hole (Melbourne), Devotchka (Melbourne), Scourge (Melbourne)

Issue 14 (April 1994) Articles: Perth Scene report, Nete (Melbourne), Dead Gnome Band Co-op (Melbourne), Tapetrading, Comic Censorship Gig Reviews: Devotchka, Incursion, Bored!, Magic Dirt, Brokenhead, Despised, Buddfish, AIM, 2 Year-olds, The Mark of Cain, Red Planet Rocketts, Fat, Botticelli's Angel, Storytime, Mutt, Hoss, Front End Loader Record Reviews: Fat (Brisbane), Free Kitten (USA), Sonic Youth (USA), Screeching Weasal (USA), Gore Beyond Necropsy (Japan), Ikon (Melbourne), Powder Monkeys (Melbourne), O (Perth)

Issue 15 (July 1994) Interviews: Devotchka (Melbourne) Articles: Perth Scene report, Undecisive God (Melbourne), Wondrous Fair (Brisbane), Powder Monkeys (Melbourne), Ikon (Melbourne) Gig Reviews: Fireballs, Red Planet Rocketts, Venom P. Stinger, Mouth, The Mark of Cain, Womnal, Wickerman Record Reviews: Legend Killers (Melbourne), Breather Hole (Melbourne), New Waver (Melbourne), Sonic Youth (USA), Grave Wurm (USA)

Issue 16 (October 1994) Interviews: Fat (Brisbane), Nick Barker (Melbourne) Articles: Spill Records (Melbourne), Comic Artist Michael Diana, Rock'n'Roll - The Devil's Revival?, Jobs Not Justice, Brazil Scene report, Italy Scene report, Orbital (UK), Better Youth Organisation (USA) Gig Reviews: Wormfarm, Benji, Mustang!, Flashing Tablet, Despised, Bored!, Mace, Red Shift, Red Orchid Bloom, Compost, Strange Uncle Remus, Warped, Beanfeast, Hoss, Powder Monkeys Record Reviews: New Waver (Melbourne), Sonic Youth (USA)

Issue 17 (February 1995) Interviews: The Mark of Cain (Adelaide), The Meanies (Melbourne), Spiderbait (Melbourne), Cane (Melbourne), The Scroungers (Melbourne) Articles: Fruitarianism, How to make friends, Nete (Melbourne), Australian 'zines Gig Reviews: The Mark of Cain, Velvet Hammer, Dreadnaught, Hoss, Beard, Thee Hunchbacks, Womnal, Shonky Tonk, Stork, Rifled Slug, Fetishes, Poppin' Mommas, Spagetti Westerns, Smut, Fauves, Melonman, Cranky, Powder Monkeys, Fireballs, Dirty Three, Magic Dirt, Spiderbait, Loin Groin, Manic Suede, Sherry Rich and the Grievous Angels, Freeloaders, Vinyl Creatures Record Reviews: Devotchka (Melbourne), The Scroungers (Melbourne), Buttjuice (Melbourne), Eunuch (Perth)

From M4 #16:After nearly six years of doing this 'zine I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to or think I should be. The things that have been really annoying me lately are taking this around all the shops in Melbourne where many of them just don't want to know you if you want to sell your 'zine, and you have to constantly lobby to get them to sell it…And pouring in money out of my own pocket issue after issue with no sign of getting a decent amount of it back hasn't helped, either.

Only Issue #16 is still available from Shame File Music for AU$2ppd (US$1.50), click here to purchase. If you need to see an article or review from one of the other now-unavailable issues, email me and see if we can arrange a photocopy or something.

- Clinton Green, June 2003 Email - clinton @ shamefilemusic.com