18.05.06
The first thing I have to say about my day is, I have a hang- over. Some fine partying from the night/early morning before at the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' aftershow has left me with sullen eyes and throbbing head. Actually, it's not that bad, but you've got to add a bit of drama to these things.
Artrocker is a fortnightly new music magazine that's break- ing and supporting the great new rock'n'roll that's flooding our clubs, pubs, venues, airwaves, digital waves, record decks and iPods at the moment… and most of this fine music is being made by British bands, which is the best news of all.
Basically, if the NME is the New Musical Express then Artrocker is the New, New, New Musical Express.
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As the editor, it's my job to go and see all these lovely bands and, inevitably, have a drink or two and find the party at the end of the night. That doesn't sound like too bad a job, does it? Oh, and we just closed an issue the day before, so that's always an excuse to let your hair down.
Luckily for me, we've been ‘between offices' lately, so I'm getting to work from my bed… literally. After a little over- sleeping it's straight to the planning of our next issue. No rest for the wicked…
19.05.06
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It's our first day in our new offices in Holloway. I may not be working from my bed today, but at least I only have to roll out of bed and walk a few hundred yards to get to our new abode.
Our editor-in-chief, Tom Fawcett, is off for two weeks from Monday, so I meet with him to go over what needs to be done in his absence. I also meet with our new reviews editor, which is one role Tom and I are happy to relinquish. It's a tough job and we're lucky that we've got a great man to do it.
I spend the rest of my day doing some self-publicising for the magazine. The thing with Artrocker is that it's a privately-owned collective and we publish the magazine ourselves, so money's tight at this early stage of our existence.
This means that we're doing our own PR at the moment and I've taken on the mantle of head of press.
20.05.06
Blimey, it's Saturday, and I'm writing on a weekend.
Actually, weekends don't make much difference to us at Artrocker. If it's a press week, we end up working through Saturday and Sunday and take the days off later in the week, so I'm used to being sat at my Vaio on a ‘day of rest'.
My plans to have friends around for a BBQ are scuppered thanks to our unpredictable and delightful British weather, so we just cook a huge veggie curry instead and cheer on the heavy metal Finnish entry Lordi at Eurovision… all washed down with lots of wine, beer and spirits, of course. There's never a non-rock'n'roll-based moment in my world.
21.05.06
Ah, Sunday: lie-ins, the Hollyoaks omnibus and the Sunday papers. But my plans to not work today fall apart as soon as I check my emails.
But when you share the ownership of the magazine you work on with such a committed, strong team of music lovers, even the most menial task can be rewarding, so I'm not complaining. So hey ho, it's off to work we go… even on a Sunday.
22.05.06
While we're still moving into our new office I'm making the most of my last days at home. I don't really take a ‘lunch break' during the day, but hold out until 4:15pm when I tune into Channel 4 for the return of Noel Edmonds' dumb-as- can-be but highly addictive Deal or No Deal.
I bet Conor [McNicholas] over at the NME doesn't get to plan Deal or No Deal into his working day, does he?
23.05.06
It's our weekly Artrocker club night at the Buffalo Bar. Before the magazine came along, there was a promotions company and a record label run by Artrocker originals, Tom and Paul Cox. Their Artrocker gig nights have seen these guys put on the first London gigs by some unbelievable bands, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Datsuns and, more recently, Maximo Park, The Futureheads and The Kooks.
So, if you're ever stuck with nothing to do of a Tuesday evening, come along to the Buffalo Bar in Highbury & Islington and see tomorrow's big names today. And that isn't a plug — that's what I did today, I went to our club.
24.05.06
It's the end of my working week for Press Gazette, but ironi- cally the work's just about to start for me, as we gather the reviews, call in the interviews and make-up the pages for our next issue, which we close next week.
It's an exciting time for Artrocker, as the issue we're about to start on in earnest is going to be a relaunch, with a nation- wide poster campaign and a new format for the magazine.
The hard work really doesn't stop, and we wouldn't want it any other way.
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