Plan B (magazine)

Plan B is a bi-monthly music magazine based in London and Brighton, England. It caters mainly towards independent music but does not discriminate between the relative popularity of the bands it features. Plan B also documents alternative culture such as film, comics, video games, visual art and books. The Editor-In-Chief and principal architect of the magazine is Everett True, a.k.a. Jerry Thackray.

Background

Plan B was started after the demise of the magazine Careless Talk Costs Lives, which shared a similar ethos and many of the same contributors.

Ethos

The concept originally laid down by Thackray was to exist under the radar of the mainstream music press such as the New Musical Express or Q, both of which are seen as the antithesis of Plan B. Although Thackray used to work in the mainstream media throughout the nineties under the pseudonym Everett True along with his CTCL compatriot Steve Gullick, he became disheartened by the lack of individuality and increased focus on commercialism. Thus, Plan B (along with Gullick's Loose Lips Sink Ships) was created to champion causes apparently forgotten in the mainstream press. Plan B tries to mirror the artistic nature of its content by including full page photography and colourful illustrations. This is largely due to the work of art director Andrew Clare and photographer Sarah Bowles. It is also printed in full colour on thick, satin paper, which creates a pleasant musky scent.

The emphasis of Plan B is on nurturing young talent and subsequently, many of the writers are unknown within their field. Several regular contributors do freelance work for the mainstream music press but their work in Plan B is usually more varied because the magazine does not impose a 'house style' on its writers. This often leads to a more anecdotal, emotional response to art - a style which is discouraged in the mainstream press. This is reflected in the magazine's reviews, which do not contain the 'grading' or 'marking' system so commonly found elsewhere. Also, Plan B only contains advertising appropriate to the content of the magazine such as independent record labels and distributors.

In keeping with this ethos, Plan B commonly covers artists with little mainstream appeal. When bands are featured that have been signed to major record labels, it is usually because they were championed in CTCL before the band found commercial success. The contributors as a whole do not distinguish between artists within the mainstream and those in the left-field but the bias is certainly towards the latter. Thackary is also renowned for being a champion of equality within music, whether sexual, gender-based or racial. Indeed, detractors have in the past labelled his supposed bias towards female-helmed bands to be over-zealous. Of course, this could also be seen as a genuine attempt by Thackary to redress the balance in a male dominated music press. Perhaps in response to such critique, Plan B's Editor is a female writer, Frances May Morgan.

Content

Plan B is divided into the following sections -

• The Void - previews of new bands and miscellaneous short articles and columns.
• Features - longer interviews with bands and musicians.
• Live - reviews of live music.
• Albums - reviews of recorded music.
• Media - articles on books, films, video games, visual art and comics.

Covers

The following bands have been on the cover of Plan B magazine -

Chicks On Speed, Joanna Newsom, Magnetic Fields, Smoosh, Afrirampo, Arcade Fire, Black Dice, Sonic Youth, The Research, Cat Power, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Long Blondes, Silver Jews, The Gossip and CSS.

Credits

Plan B is credited to the following people -

Editorial

• Everett True - Editor-in-Chief
• Andrew Clare - Art Director
• Sarah Bowles - Photography Editor

• Frances May Morgan - Editor
• kicking k - The Void
• Louis Pattison - Reviews
• Everett True - Film & DVD
• Alistair Fitchett - Comics Editor
• Pil and Galia Kollectiv - Art Editors
• Kieron Gillen - Games Editor
• Miss - Books Editor

• Stewart Gardiner - Contributing Editor
• Daniel Trilling - Contributing Editor

Publishing

• Chris Houghton - Publisher
• Nick Taylor - Advertising Manager
• Amy Guthrie - Classifieds
• Ahsen Nadeem - Plan B Events
• Richard Stacey - Subscriptions & Orders
• Alex Capes - Web Editor
• Jonathan Sebire - Web Editor

Plan B Magazine is published by Plan B Publishing Limited. Distribution through Warners Group Distribution (Newsagents, Borders and International), Worldwide Magazine Distribution (HMV/Virgin) and Cargo Records (Record Stores).

External links

• Plan B website; includes forum and information on back issues.