Interview: Andy Wood (TQ Zine)

Keeping the region (and the rest of the world with the magazine read in fourteen different countries) up-to-date on all things leftfield in the music scene is TQ Zine. Started by Andy Wood, the magazine focuses on experimental, DIY and the ‘out-there’ sounds of the underground and to showcase these further they put on the occasional gig, with the next one featuring electronic music makers Ammonites, All The Heavens Were A Bell and TSR2 at The Globe Newcastle on Thursday 19th December.

We caught up with Andy ahead of the event to find out more about himself and TQ…

Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
I was born in the North East of England and have lived here all my life. I trained as a nurse and spent much of my career in health and social care management in the NHS and private sector before retiring at the end of 2019. I am married with two grown-up children, three grown-up stepchildren, and eight grandchildren. I live a very happy life in the Northumberland village of Ovington,13 miles west of Newcastle.

 As far back as I can remember, and certainly as distant as the mid-60s, I’ve been listening to, collecting, and reading about music, attending gigs, and latterly writing about music, promoting gigs and for a few years released stuff on the DIY tqn-aut label. (Visit tqn-aut.bandcamp.com and all 70+ releases can be downloaded for free).

What zines did you enjoy reading when you were growing up?
While I fervently consumed most of the better quality UK music weeklies i.e. Melody Maker, NME, Sounds, I wasn’t really a zine reader, in fact I can’t remember having access to them, although I must have. With punk in the late 70s came a very important and welcome resurgence of zines, however as I wasn’t heavily into that scene I guess my exposure to zine culture was, by choice, pretty limited. I do remember grabbing copies of Zigzag when I could, and although not a zine, it certainly covered elements of lesser mainstream acts which was refreshing. 

I guess my attitudinal leanings were towards peace, love and hippie-dom and that’s still true today to a certain extent, as such I subscribed to the alternative press such as Liquorice, and Vole, and I also bought Rolling Stone, Frendz/Friends, IT, and Oz whenever I saw them and when I had money in my pocket.

How did you get started with TQ, and what inspired its creation?
During 2016/17 I was contemplating creating a music blog of sorts. I enjoyed music, I enjoyed writing, and I enjoyed reading about music, so why not combine all three interests? I’d enjoyed writing a music column in a hospital monthly newsletter when I was a Staff Nurse, as well as presenting a weekly programme on hospital radio, and I saw this as an extension and rekindling of that stuff from my past.  However, as I was not much of a tech/computer person, I got to thinking about a physical music newsletter, and once I had settled on that idea, I thought about it over several weeks; what it would look like, mulling over content, how would I print and distribute, cost etc.

The initial thinking was to create a 4-page, 8-side A4 newsletter type thing that would be stapled in the corner, and posted out to people who I thought may be interested in my ramblings. 

I spoke with my wife about the idea, and although she’s not into the same stuff I am, she’s a great support and sounding board. Anyway, the upshot is she thinks I’m not being ambitious enough and encourages me to create an A5 zine.

The launch issue was in July 2017. 24 pages, all self-penned, printed and stapled at home. I sent this out free to over 200 people. After TQ1 I set up a subscription package and also one-off purchase opportunities as well as offering new readers a free copy in the very early days.  

The primary content of the zine is concerned with experimental, DIT, ‘out there’ sounds, improvisation, and the no-audience underground. How have those scenes evolved in your time covering them and how has the zine played a part in that?
I think to comment on how TQ has played a part in the evolution of the scene would be a presumptuous assumption on my part. However, now in its seventh year and having produced 74 issues, what I can say with a fair degree of certainty, and based on feedback, is that (what is sometimes referred to as), a TQ Community exists in both a physical way and as a virtual reality. People have made, and continue to make connections with each other, and with artists, and I sense an increase in the important supportive camaraderie among ‘members’ of the wider no-audience underground scene. I believe this was particularly true during the pandemic and when people were feeling isolated from any community. 

While there are a myriad of negatives associated with pandemic lockdowns, I feel that with time on their hands, a lot of people got creative and began sharing their creativity with others, often online, individuals became more adventurous and possibly more daring with their creative ideas, and just giving stuff a try, experimenting, improvising, doing it for themselves, as well as making invaluable and mutually supportive connections with like-minded people.

I like to think people feel a connection to something when they rip open the TQ purple envelope on their doormat. 

Encouraging others to contribute to the zine has helped too, and every issue features several guest writers.

I like to think the TQLive series, which is a Newcastle-based extension of the written zine, has increased the awareness, appreciation and access to experimental, DIY, improvisational music and ‘out there’ sounds.

Which artists, promoters, labels and venies would you recommend for those looking to immerse themselves in the experimental /DIY/underground scenes in the North-East?
Well you know I’m going to miss someone off this short list, and if anyone feels aggrieved by not being included, I apologise here and now. The North East is massive, and often forgotten when it comes to creativity and activity.

Craig Johnson promotes great gigs through his Invisible City Records label and these are generally held at Gateshead’s Central Bar. Any gig organised by Lee Stokoe aka Culver is worth checking out so getting on his mailing list is worthwhile, likewise Kevin Wilkinson aka brb>voicecoil. Newcastle’s The Lubber Fiend, Star and Shadow, and Cobalt Studios, and The Auxiliary at Middlesbrough all put on a variety of music events, so again I’d advise keeping an eye on their sites and getting onto their mailing lists.

The Globe hosts my own TQLive events and is such a good venue and worth checking out for their experimental as well as an eclectic selection of more mainstream acts covering every genre imaginable. Likewise the Lit and Phil, also in Newcastle.

A few boozers in the city host gigs so keep your eyes open. A couple of record shops are good for checking out wall posters and flyers advertising gigs, so while you are crate digging, look on the walls at RPM and Beatdown.

Of course, there are free music and culture mags (including the physical NARC.) that can be picked up around the city and include monthly event listings.

For North East DIY labels, I’d recommend people check out Invisible City Records, Panurus Productions, Muza Muza, Matching Head, Cruel Nature, Inverted Grim-Mill. All putting out great stuff and representing lesser-known artists.

What are some of your best memories during your time working on TQ?
Making connections and new friends, interviewing Faust’s Hans Joachim Irmler over a dodgy phone connection for TQ50, having a column in The Wire dedicated to introducing the zine, and having the landmark perfect bound TQ50 reviewed in the ‘print review’ section of the magazine, being invited by the band Reynols to curate an exhibition celebrating their 30th anniversary, and also being given exclusivity by the band to the “Live in Mechelen” CDr which was given away to zine subscribers, and the “Half Century All Heart” double CDr comprising over 20 exclusive tracks donated by so many great artists that had featured in TQ, including Faust and Reynols. This was created to celebrate the 50TH issue of the zine.

What do you hope readers take from the zine?
That they feel they have read some interesting and inspiring features, with a desire to enter the rabbit holes that TQ signposts, and have a wish to dig deeper and get involved in a way that suits them, which may be as a reader, gig goer, performer, catalyst to releasing sounds, zine writing, buyer of merch, and the myriad of other ways in which the scene invites,  and to be supportive of all aspects of the scene, in a manner and frequency that suits their personal circumstances.

When and why did you start getting into live music promotion?
It began in earnest in 2022 when I was approached about curating a Shunyata Improvisation Group performance at the Lit and Phil. I sought out a couple of other acts to complete the line-up, assisted with the logistics of putting on the gig, the promo, the door, the financial aspect, and hey presto, it was a success.

I had previously co-curated a couple of gigs as an off-shoot of the tqn-aut label. These were at Sunderland’s Glass Centre, and Newcastle’s Star and Shadow, those gigs showcased 4 acts that had released on the label, in fact, three of them released their debut albums with the label. A third gig was organised for Spring 2020 but covid put a stop to that one. In fact as we know, the pandemic put a stop to all in-person live gigs.

How would you describe a TQLive event?
Ideally, that’s one for the punter, it’s them that matter, they pay their cash, but as it can be asked of anyone, and we all have different ‘takes’ on it, it’s a reasonable question.

 People have told me…

‘TQLive is like a club event’ – I try to create a safe, all-inclusive space, where all are welcome.

‘It’s a pleasure to host a TQLive event, everyone is so kind and respectful’- Kindness, and respecting others and their differences is so important to me. We are all different, and no-one is the ideal, perfect human specimen. Let’s live together, and support one another during our ‘blink of an eye’ lifetime.

‘I’ve met so many new friends at TQLive since I started coming a year ago’. – No-one need feel alone, threatened, or isolated at TQLive. I see new contacts being forged and see connections being made at every gig, and it gives me great pleasure. 

A TQLive event is a safe space in which you will feel welcome, where you can hang out with mates, sit on your own and feel part of the whole, make new friends (if you want), and listen to live sounds not offered anywhere else in the area.

What’s the most memorable live music event you’ve ever promoted, and why?
Nothing really related to TQLive as such. I co-curated a series of five events at Ryton Holycross Church in the Borough of Gateshead under the banner Auntie Joy, these were pretty challenging to organise with the performances being completely improvised and with a cross over between the preceding performer and the incoming one, in this way we offered an upto 3-hour continuous performance. Each event began with a 15-minute peel of 8 bells and ended with all performers (including a single bell sounding in the bell tower) performing as one. These were magical events. The first was in September 2021 and the final one was in March 2024

The most memorable was in January 2023 with the bill including Christian Alderson (drums and percussion), Sally Pilkington (church organ), John Pope (double bass and electronics), 8 church bell ringers, and a selection of volunteers from the earlier Tyneside Improvisers Workshop. It was so magical, a 150-minute continuous performance that was just so incredible, and of all the events I have been involved in curating it remains the most exciting and innovative, and of all the gigs I have been to, well, let’s just say it’s close to the top.

Can you describe the biggest challenges you’ve faced when organising live music events?
There are no serious challenges if you communicate with all parties frequently and honestly. However, ensuring the sound is as good as it can be is super important, and as I don’t have a tech cell in my brain, I was challenged about this aspect, and as I don’t receive any funding to publish the zine or promote gigs, it was a concern. 

Step forward Chris Bartholomew.

I first met Chris at the very first Auntie Joy event soon after he had moved to Newcastle from London, and at the time he was finding his musical feet in the area, and although he’d had plenty of experience as a recording and performing artist (as BARTHOLOMEW), he was keen to make connections and become established in the North East scene, and I was only too pleased to assist him in doing so. 

As a trained and extremely experienced sound engineer, Chris offered his services to work on the TQLive sound and recordings, and he has been so generous with his time, knowledge and kit, he’s an invaluable part of the TQLive set-up, and the icing on the cake is that he’s become a good mate, also, and extremely important to me, he is someone who is super reliable. 

What do you look for when booking artists for a TQLive Event?
Acts that I know I’m going to enjoy, those that have maybe not played Newcastle, performers that I feel should have increased exposure, and those that maybe offer something different from the norm.

Which venues do you work with and how have they supported you as a promoter?
The Globe on Railway Street in Newcastle is the home for TQLive after a spell at the Lit and Phil. They are so easy to work with, their communication is straightforward, their terms favourable, their ethos is perfect, it’s a good space, and the volunteers are great. They basically let me get on with it but I know they are there should I need them. That’s how I like to work. 

Prior to moving to The Globe, the home of TQLive was the Lit and Phil in Newcastle, but after several gigs, it felt like time to move on, and when I approached The Globe they were great, and all I could have asked for!

Tell us about your upcoming event at The Globe, Newcastle on 19th December.
It’s the final one of the year and should be a belter. Doors 7.00 pm for a 7.30 start.

First up is Ammonites making their Newcastle debut. This is an electronic (and visuals) trio who I have seen a couple of times, with gig reviews appearing in TQ. They are travelling up from Whitby to play.

Next is All The Heavens Were A Bell from Newcastle/Gateshead. They are a duo of James Watts and Esme Louise Newman, two performers who, in there other guises I have great admiration for, and I’m excited to have them play for me, and as far as I’m aware they haven’t played live very often

Then it’s TSR2 from York, a wonderful trio of electronic musicians who have had coverage in TQ. I first saw them live in about 2019 and I’m thrilled that the tqn-aut label released their debut physical album, Divebomber. This is their TQLive return having played in March 2023, and they are the only act where the audience demanded an encore.

What are your future ambitions for TQ and TQLive?
No ambitions, just plans. I had considered calling a halt to TQLive at the end of the year, however in the Autumn it became very clear to me that the events bring so much joy to people, that to stop now would not be good, and I was being approached by performers from all over the UK as well as abroad who were keen to play. So, next year I have 16 acts booked across 6 events. To date, all my gigs at The Globe have been at the smaller first-floor space, however, three of next year’s will be in the larger ground-floor room. 

At the end of this year, TQLive will have hosted 15 events / 53 acts and with the 2025 programme I wish to build on the experience while showcase acts, not just from the North East, but from Edinburgh, Brighton, Whitby, London and USA. It’s an eclectic mix for sure, and now I have the whole programme nailed I’m really excited. 

The zine continues to develop. TQ75 is due in March and has some amazing free gifts for subscribers. The zine has gone from being monthly 28-page to bi-monthly 32-page, and has just now become a quarterly 64-pager, which feels more manageable as part of the wider TQ activities. 

After 64 print issues subscribers will soon have the option of a PDF subscription. The zine has developed organically and will continue to do so, and while I am the founding editor, there is a small team working with me to make TQ what it is, these unpaid enthusiasts are essential to the continued success of the publication, and right now I’m looking for a final team member who will be responsible for helping promote the zine. If any reader is interested in joining, they can get in touch at [email protected] 

You will be joining a great team, get free entry to TQLive and receive a copy of each TQ.

If people are interested in all things TQ, they can keep an eye on developments at tqzine.blogspot.com and if they wish to join the e-mail list they can get in touch at [email protected]