Hardcore
Zine Review: XVX Zine #4
My interest in straight edge zines goes back a long way, especially those that blossomed when I first got into the music and subculture. Vegan straight edge zines, in particular, have provided food for thought and fueled activism. Yet, as with music, some of them have been note-worthy while others, frankly, have been pretty embarrassing […]
The post Zine Review: XVX Zine #4 first appeared on DIY Conspiracy – International Zine in the Spirit of DIY Hardcore Punk!
My interest in straight edge zines goes back a long way, especially those that blossomed when I first got into the music and subculture. Vegan straight edge zines, in particular, have provided food for thought and fueled activism. Yet, as with music, some of them have been note-worthy while others, frankly, have been pretty embarrassing and cringe-worthy.
Historically, vegan straight edge zines, whether focusing on band interviews and musical content or leaning towards essays and political discourse, tended to adopt a somewhat holier-than-thou and militant tone. However, a recent shift has brought greater diversity and inclusivity. The XVX scene is now vibrant with numerous new and exciting bands, yet it no longer orbits around a singular, defining name (e.g. like Earth Crisis in the ’90s). The involvement of more women, queer, and trans people, alongside a more varied approach to animal rights activism as veganism is now more prominent (and mainstream) than ever. The community’s expansion online is evident too, from the long-running xSisterhoodx community and once-active @straightedgeinterviews on Instagram to numerous other IG accounts sharing their record collections, discussing activism, and more.
It was within this context that the XVX (Vegan Straight Edge) Zine from the UK was born. Having released four issues to date, all available digitally at no cost, it represents the online shift (to a certain extent) of the zine culture. Despite some traditionalists’ views that a zine must be printed to be authentic, I’ve recently interviewed Ian MacKaye and we talked a bit about the online vs. traditional zine culture among other things. He pointed out that the internet acts like an insatiable maw, constantly consuming content without constraints, whereas with zines you put a frame on it. Zines establish boundaries through their limited page count, capturing a specific moment and perspective of the author within a limited amount of pages. So even with PDF files, you still have that page limit and framework, I’d say.
Issue #4 of the XVX Zine includes 30 pages of diverse content. At the forefront is Hungary’s Escalate, discussing the band’s evolution and their upcoming album Consequences on New Age Records. The features in XVX Zine, however, depart from the conventional Q&A format, opting for a free-form narrative from the interviewees. Dee Lou Whitnell, a trans activist and certified sex educator from the UK, talks about the history of queercore and the visibility of queer/trans punks. The issue also includes an insight into the guiding principles and tactics of the UK’s Hunt Saboteurs Association. There’s an introduction to the anti-speciesist Doggy Bag Crew from Greece and personal stories from vegan straight edge musicians and activists around the world, including Sofia from Divine Sentence, James from Hour of Reprisal, the brand new xBucharestx project/zine from Romania, rapper Mike Grindz and more.
My criticism centers on the zine’s departure from the traditional print zine aesthetic towards a style more similar to those free e-books distributed by online influencers. The extensive use of full-color backgrounds can detract from the text, and the varied styles and typography across the articles can be a bit overwhelming. Occasionally, the use of white text on a colorful background challenges readability, particularly for individuals with dyslexia and other disabilities. Despite all these things I don’t quite enjoy in XVX Zine, it’s a fresh and positive project with potential for further development. With more attention to design, editing, and expanded content, it could resemble nice vegan straight edge zines like Germany’s XclusivX, active in the 2010s (shout out to them, it was a great one!). Is it worth checking out? Definitely. As the Bulgarian straight edge band TRUExFEELING say, “Pain is temporary, straight edge is forever!”
All back issues are available at this link.
P.S. If you want to support a good cause, the author encourages you to donate to Mermaids and The Hunt Saboteurs. You can find XVX Zine at @xvxzine.
Source: diyconspiracy.net
