A good new music magazine... (Bang Magazine)

Name: Daniel K

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Product:	Bang Magazine
Date:	31/05/03 (661 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting content, Lots of good articles, Good layout of features

Disadvantages: Single reviews not very detailed

'Bang' magazine is one of many music magazines now available, and also one of the newest additions, too. It was launched back in March of this year, and has so far had three issues published, available every month. The magazine is characterised by 'Bang' printed in large red or black lettering on the cover, with one main photo of a band featured. There are no inset photos as on some other music mags, and the details of what/who's featured inside is quite sparse.

Inside 'Bang' is pretty much the same as any other magazine available; there are the usual features such as band interviews, readers' letters, music reviews, live music, and also focus on new music. There are also some more specific sections, such as:

- 'Accelerator': A guide/introduction to a new band, who are tipped to be big;

- 'Juice': mostly contains news on new music, interviews, the Bang readers chart, a diary of noteworthy music events that have taken place this year, and information about live music.

- Reviews: which are split into albums, books, and films. Single reviews are only given a small column over two pages. There is also one album given a whole page at the start of the reviews section.

- 'Dead Fashion': a small section where Bang looks at the fashion of a deceased rock icon.

The back of 'Bang' magazine features the usual array of tour dates, adverts for music-related products, and details about music festivals. There's also music city guides, where a band gives a guided tour of their city of origin. There's also a free CD given away with some issues, with a guide to the tracks featured on there.

I first discovered 'Bang' magazine in a local newsagents, and bought a copy as it was only £1 for the first issue, which seemed like good value. After discovering the kind of music that 'Bang' covers - mostly rock/indie/alternative genres - then it m
ade me want to buy the next issue when it came out. Other issues of 'Bang' cost £3.30, which isn't too expensive for a monthly magazine.

There's also a 'Bang' magazine website, which largely features the same stuff as the current issue, but it is more interactive than the magazine, because you can post your comments on their message board, and also submit your own reviews of singles and albums, as well as reading this months most important reviews. There's also more up to date news on the site than in the magazine, which is useful.

My favourite parts of 'Bang' magazine that I enjoy reading include the reviews section, as I like to keep up to date on new releases; the interviews are always worth reading, especially about the bands you like, but this is no different to any other music mag available; also, the news section ('Juice') is worth reading, and as I mentioned before, has some interesting features like a 'readers' chart', the Diary, and introducing new acts, and other stuff seen in music magazines.

There are few sections/features in 'Bang' magazine that I did not read or enjoy reading, but there were a few things that could be improved: one of these would definitely be the singles reviews, as it is reduced to just a couple of columns, when a couple of pages could be devoted to new singles, and also seems to lack detail. There are also no ratings for singles, which could be added, too - the album reviews already have star ratings out of five, but probably need them more anyway.

Overall, my curiosity into buying the first edition of 'Bang' maagzine was paid off, as it is a good magazine that covers most of the music I like to listen to. As with most other magazines, it's informative and has plenty of features to read through, and as it only comes out once a month, you don't have to buy lots of editions and it is reasonably priced. If you've nev
er read 'Bang' and enjoy listening to rock/indie music, or are curious to see what kind of bands it covers, then I'd certainly recommend buying an issue.

Summary: