We trailed ‘big things coming’ on our last episode, and would you look at that – the big thing has come. Or is available for pre-order, at least.
That’s right, it’s our first ever book. Titled No Tags: Conversations on underground music culture, this hefty tome (350+ pages) compiles every interview to date on No Tags, edited transcripts of the best of Chal and Tom’s non-guest conversations, and specially commissioned essays from four of our favourite writers and thinkers: Eris Drew, Chris Zaldua, Henry Bruce-Jones and Ray Philp.
Designed by All Purpose Studio, it’s also looking pretty spectacular visually, as you can see from the mock-ups below.
So why a book, and why now? We’ll be talking more about this in the weeks to come, but put simply: part of No Tags’ mission statement from day one has been to create something long-lasting, something tangible, something immune from the uncertain nature of writing for other platforms – and most crucially, something that’s ours. And given that one of us has spent the best part of 15 years releasing vinyl records, a book seemed a doddle by comparison. (Spoiler: it wasn’t.)
On that last point though, something worth bringing up: we decided to self-publish. We often celebrate the DIY ethos on No Tags, so when it came to our own book it felt like the only way. So every aspect of the project, from the words, photos and design to building the webshop, applying for ISSN registration and navigating several circles of post-Brexit customs hell, was all us – in collaboration with All Purpose and the books’ guests and contributors.
No Tags: Conversations on underground music culture is available to pre-order now. Paid subscribers have been sent a discount code to buy it on the cheap. We told you we’d find a way to reward you one day!
We’ll also be launching the book with our first live show in London on 3rd December, taking over Ridley Road Market Bar from 6pm. On the night we’ve got Kode9 giving his new talk on Sonic Warfare for the first time in the UK, celebrating a new release of his seismic 2009 book about acoustic force and the ecology of fear.
We’ll also be recording a live episode of No Tags with everyone’s favourite breakfast host Flo Dill, morning doyenne of NTS Radio. Plus we’ll have music from Jennifer Walton – not only one of our favourite artists, but the wizard behind the No Tags theme tune. Entry is free, simply hit ‘Interested’ on the event page to attend. And we’ll have books for you to buy!
There is also a podcast this week. We introduce the book before getting into some of our favourite recent releases (The Cure, mediopicky, Dubbel Dutch and Toma Kami) and dissecting the long-awaited debut album by Two Shell. Has the prankster bit finally worn off, or are we at the part in the joke where it’s gone on so long that it’s started being funny again?
Plus, some film chat (Lords of Dogtown, Kneecap, The Florida Project) and a debate over the key historical entries in the Florida Film canon. We are confident that No Tags is the only podcast where Toma Kami and Wild Things get discussed in the same breath – and if that doesn’t count for something in 2024, what does?
33: The No Tags book is here!