Grafter Magazine

04/01/2022

Introducing Wheels & Wax - our new brand for all the hottest gigs with the best DJs, a collective of unique sounds spanning the decades.

A love of music with a passion for anything with wheels, we’re doing lots of exciting content and events via Wheels & Wax this year so stay tuned for our gig announcements!

Weekly Music History with Wheels & Wax...
Dyson’s Faces, We’re Two Fools in Love

Dyson’s Faces released two albums worth of astonishing underground soul - convincing us they should have been the icons of the 70s groove sector. Miles Away, subsidiary label of Acid Jazz Records, continue their series of 45 reissues with ‘We’re Two Fools in Love’/ Don’t Worry About The Jones'.

It goes back to a small Soul group, The Differences, headed by Clifton Dyson who recruited three Durhman, North Carolina vocalists. In 1971 they released only one 45, ‘Five Minutes’, on the Mon’ca Records imprint, now this was a proper crossover tune.

Clifton worked with arranger Eddie Drennon, who introduced Clifton to producer Jose Williams and the two went on to lay down the basics of Clifton’s LP. Left without a name for the band, Williams suggested ‘Dyson’s Faces’ - reflecting Clifton’s ever-evolving background players. In fact, many of the original players on the album remain unknown. And confusingly, another album was released with the same title, some years later, including some of the original tracks from the first album.

Fast forward to the present day, it was iconic DJ who got in touch with Miles Away Records and recommended giving these brilliant tracks another listen. ‘We’re Two Fools in Love’ is everything you want from a classic Soul track, female harmonies fly in and you find yourself dancing instantaneously.

Acid Jazz Records

15/10/2021

It’s 45 Friday!

We’ve stumbled upon a 45 spinning on rotation in the deep underground streets of Brazil. Hot on everyone’s decks Kevin Fingier has provided yet another funk bomb of a single.

With Jodi Dias providing sweet silky melodies, Um Brilho Novo and Rua Nova Barao are two tracks that’ll certainly send you away from the British blues and into the scorching summer sun.

Get this tune on rotation and read the full review now...

https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/kevin-fingier-josi-dias-um-brilho-novo

12/10/2021

New photobook 'Parked' by Fraser Havenhand Photography documents a long-lasting petrol head affair with rust of old and new.

Depth is something Parked has buckets of – a front row seat to your past through the window of an engine. We sat down with the brilliant Fraser Havenhand to discuss his inspirations surrounding his first photo-book, a mysterious Volvo and the enigma of four wheels.

Grafter is back with regular articles so stay tuned for more content and the upcoming release of our first short film in collaboration with Kerry Harrison.

For the full interview, head to -
https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/fraser-havenhand-parked

17/08/2021

New Review Tuesday- Midlight Daily Routine

Captivating waves of deep instrumental sections, surfed in laid back melodies and angsty mood journal lyrics as Midlight reflect on nostalgia, with an inner burning worry about what life will be like ’10 years down the line’.

Now into their fourth track, this Brighton-born band have built up a loyal following with their heart-sleeve honest lyrics. Daily Routine is a strange love child of Coldplay, Radiohead and Oasis as George Ireland channels his inner Thom Yorke, and we’re here for it.

Read the full review now...
https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/midlight-daily-routine?ltclid=65c92b4b-3a7f-42d2-accf-9627c9907a4b

13/07/2021

One year of Grafter magazine!

We’re now celebrating our one year anniversary and we’ve got a special anniversary edition article waiting for you to read.

But firstly, a massive thank you to all our Grafter contributors, the list is endless but it goes without saying that you’ve made this one heck of a year! From photography, to politics, art, music and anything in-between we’ve tried to cover it. And of course, a big thank you to our readers. What started as a passion project has turned into something a lot bigger and we’re not planning on stopping!

Grafter is a platform for those who are trying to navigate their way through Britian today. It’s for the ordinary working person, by ordinary working people. We’re storytellers and political thinkers, artists and bricklayers, shop keepers, mechanics, students and anyone in-between. We want to create a creative bridge for people who don’t see their stories printed by the mainstream media.

We must continue to fight through adversity, no matter the odds. And we have to do this together. One story could create a platform to reduce the stigma of difficult conversations, leading to a spark of positivity in the most difficult circumstances.

We’ve witnessed a wave of creativity over the past year. People are using their platforms to highlight issues that we should continue to change. You may be from Britain’s Crappiest Town, but that doesn’t determine the status quo of your journey.

https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/grafter-magazine-one-year-on

29/06/2021

This Friday, we release our exclusive preview of our upcoming documentary series to our YouTube channel. Yes, that’s right, Grafter has a YouTube channel that you should be subscribed to!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrFqJ9J0fs6R5okobcjo7tQ

We've got a lot of content being released in honour of our upcoming one year anniversary. And we’ve gone back to our favourite Crap town, Luton. We’ve interviewed a range of local creatives and discussed the lack of arts funding in the area and why the town is looked upon as crap by the wider media. The video series aims to provide an authentic insight into the local community and the amazing creatives in the area.

So stay tuned for our first video in the series!

Shoutout to:
Videographers: Margesson Photography & Thomas Young

Interviewees:
Episode 1: Laura Louise
Episode 2: Vinyl-revelations Record Shack
Episode 3: Little Red Arts
Episode 4: Haleema Ali
Episode 5: Monstera Canteen
Episode 6: Hasna IsListening

08/06/2021

The Smallprint Company, an exploration into artisan craftsmanship, upheld by couple, Chris and Hannah. A brand-new article on Grafter magazine with a series of superb images available to check out now by .hbrown

Elizabeth goes on to state how, “many traditional crafts, letterpress printing is in danger of being lost, simply because of the consumer attitude to the costs of artisan-made prices.”

Her article and visually striking images uncover an underbelly of artisan and traditional craft lovers through the means of showcasing . Going on to discuss why, in such a disposable culture, we need to look toward companies like Smallprint Company more often than large corporations.

“Smallprint is now not just a business, but a philanthropic pursuit too.”

Read Elizabeth’s article now - link below!!!

And just a small reminder that next month is going to be Grafter’s one year anniversary!! We’re releasing our first-ever short documentary, an exciting range of articles, we might even be bringing back Grafter Chats! Oh, and not to mention our very special announcement!!!! (Well, maybe two announcements)

Who would you like to see on our first Grafter Chats season 2 episode? Let us know below...

https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/a-pressing-matter-the-smallprint-company

18/05/2021

Ignorance and Clench Fists is a personal essay covering the disillusion about who you are when you’re a second-generation Irish immigrant. Born in England with family from a different country you’re faced with an ignorance that’s passed off as a ‘joke’, as though you should take it with a pinch of salt.

With statements about the past as if you’re part of the issue. Whilst others refuse to acknowledge your identity or understand your culture.

“The Palestinian conflict is like the Irish division,” a friend of mine said. A claim from someone with little understanding of Ireland, someone who has never witnessed Ireland first-hand. When your parents are Irish and your born in England, people think they have the right to make comments about you and your identity. Whilst making ‘jokes’ that simply out their self-ignorance for all to see.

Should we stand-by and let people continue to make these ‘jokes’? Whilst we understand they are part of the issue, as Robert Shrimsley said, “punching up rather than down”.

Discrimination isn’t old-school, it’s ignorance- you’re failing to understand lives because you simply don’t want to.

Read the full essay now -

https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/ignorance-and-clench-fists

14/05/2021

And yet another creative school bites the dust. discusses Rochester campus announcing their closure this week and the long-term affect it will have on working-class students.

Medway, an area “often considered wealthy has large & significant pockets of deprivation” the closure of such a prominent arts campus holds the questions of how much longer they will push working-class creatives out of the industry they are trying to break into?

Once again, the people who will suffer will be those around the area, working-class people left with little options to start their careers. Unlike their middle-class peers, “they can’t rely on the bank of mum & dad to support them through their unpaid internships, & who can afford the cost of living in London!”

Holly discusses how her grandmother worked in the kitchen in the 80s and it was here these herself and her aunt took advantage of the evening classes offered.

Like Holly’s grandmother, creativity should be open for everyone, it gives the “relief from the daily grind” and there is no reason why it shouldn’t be accessible to all. There should be no reason why the arts shouldn’t be an option as a way to make a living. And yet, even attending an arts university as a working-class person is made difficult, from stigma to difficulties breaking through, closing yet another outlet puts “the final nail in the bid for the city of culture coffin,” as Holly says.

Read Holly Gilder’s article on the closure of the UCA Rochester campus and our need to keep forging our creativity in the wall of opposition now. Read now....

https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/a-call-to-arms-for-creatives

12/05/2021

One year on!

It’s going to be one year in July since Grafter’s first print magazine hit the shelves! We’re doing a month of Grafter’s antics with brand-new series coming your way! Including Grafter Chats Season 2, the Grafter Podcast and much more!

But we want you involved! One of the projects you can get involved with is our Virtual Crap Places series! All you have to do is send in one photo of your hometown, with a description of why it’s so great (or crap) and that’s it!

Crap Places is a regular print series in Grafter, aiming to celebrate British towns!

11/05/2021

An Ode to the British Boozer by

Daisy is a visual artist specialising in painting and mixed media. Through her work she aims to give marginalised people a voice, showing the extraordinary in the mundane.

‘Tom Hark Plays’ was the first piece Daisy made after the lockdown announcement last year. Tom Hark was a song repeatedly played in the pub Daisy used to work at. It became a “bittersweet reminder of the customers and their resilience to get on with life no matter what is thrown at them.”

The pub is more than just a boozer, it’s engrained in the British working person’s life, a place of socialisation where the barmaid is your therapist and friend all at once.

Daisy’s piece is “an ode to the good times and good people” it’s about looking to what was lost and what we will go back to. A reminder of the characters and stories we fondly remember in our local pub.

https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/an-ode-to-the-british-boozer

07/05/2021

Hive Society are a quartet of explorers in the world of experimental music.

Their latest track ‘Opaque’ has made them travel down darker routes ‘as they forge vivid waves in a delirious pattern of euphoria.’

A sentiment of post-punk as they reinstate their conceptual sounds through lyrical angst. Nods to King Gizzard with a romantic ambience from early Toro Y Moi tunes make for radical insight into our dystopian future.

Check out the full review now-

https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/hive-society-opaque

05/05/2021

Nicola Davison-Reed shares her insight into the 30-Second Street Portrait, the time she says it takes to take a photograph of a stranger on the street.

Her black and white images capture the exchange between two individuals and their curiosity for human contact, making “each encounter special,” as Nicola discusses.

Nicola recounts her stories, like the exchange between herself and Muriel, pictured above, the curious rain hat lady. She also discusses what ‘ethical photography’ means in 2021, involving your subjects in your imagery and the “question of, burden, privilege, mistake, when to photograph and when to stop, when to intervene”.

Nicola’s images provide a 30-second visual connection, one that looks like it could have lasted forever. Gorgeous black and white photos that bring her encounters to life.

Discover Nicola’s images now...

https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/nicola-davidson-the-comfort-of-strangers

29/04/2021

releases ‘September’ and ‘I Love Without A Love’ under his label with sultry 60s vocals from the supreme Jo Ann Hamilton.

These two tracks both look back to the past in diverse ways. With ‘September’ we’re on the floor of a Latin Northern Soul night and ‘I Love Without A Love’ burns an exotic 60s sound that’s swimming in R&B.

‘You suddenly find yourself in a 1960s studio with Fingier and Hamilton playing on in the background.’

Both these tracks are the finest examples of what Fingier can offer, there’s a signature sound that you just don’t want to stop.

https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/the-kevin-fingier-collective-september

27/04/2021

Grafter print magazine issue 1 is now live and available to buy through Newsstand Magazines - if you didn't get around to buying the first magazine then now's your chance to get the first-ever Grafter issue 1 print. We're not doing another run of these, so once they're gone, they are gone!

Grafter is a magazine for independent thinkers on all sides of the political spectrum. Aiming to encapsulate Britain today, it is a platform for people whose voices are often muted by mainstream media, those outside the bubble of London who are anything but the lowest common denominator. Grafter is a window into the real lives of fringe society; a mouthpiece for those with a lot to say but nowhere to say it until now. In this first issue, the theme followed throughout is that of Britain’s “crap places to live”. Along our alternative tour of the nation we meet a political activist, a navy veteran and a squat photographer; each a unique and honest voice in the field of British creativity. Grafter: the most interesting people are those you don’t even know exist.

Featuring Vinyl-revelations Record Shack very own Andy Chesham Crap Places photography in Luton & Ireland by Dave Kotula & Steve Murphy, an interview with Financial Times political editor Robert Shrimsley, Mark Powell Bespoke Tailoring, political activist Mairtín de Búrca and many more!

Grab yours now...

https://www.newsstand.co.uk/677-political-magazines/30256-subscribe-to-grafter-magazine-subscription.aspx

AUK Studios / AUK Global Digital Distribution

Buy a single copy or a subscription to Grafter Magazine from the worlds largest online newsagent. Grafter is a magazine for independent thinkers on all sides of the political spectrum. Aiming to encapsulate Britain today, it is a platform for people whose voices are often muted by mainstream media,....

27/04/2021

The Bikini Bottoms release their latest rockabilly enthused psychobilly track ‘Monster Love’.

A recently formed London-based three-piece, till a year ago, they were a Glasgow two-piece. It was lead singer and guitarist Jack Elfick who brought bassist Guido Margesson King and drummer Robbie Kuhn together late last year.

With this horror-filled track we’re transported into a 1950s Roger Corman film. Jack’s ominous vocals fill your headphones against Robbies chaotic drumming and paired with Guido’s deep bass tone. It’s a Frankenstein frenzy you just don’t want to stop.

Read the full review now- and give the track a spin!

https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/the-bikini-bottoms-monster-love

23/04/2021

The British Heritage Project by

Tom has spent time documenting the wealth of crafts we have here in Britain during a time where we have seen a collapse of more traditional industries like steel, coal and many more.

The British Heritage project is a celebration of traditional crafts within British communities today. And they are from people who are passionate about keeping these trades alive for future generations to enjoy.

Take a look at the full photo series now with a write-up discussing why Tom wanted to look at craft Britain and how these trades will evolve.

https://www.graftermagazine.co.uk/post/the-british-heritage-project-tom-warland

!!!Submissions!!!
We want to see more and more of your written work, political narratives and opinion, stories, poetry, art, events, filmmaking, music or anything you want to share then submit it to Grafter!