A few words on Underground. A music magazine, published by Spotlight Publications in the UK, that lasted for 15 issues between April 1987 and June 1988. Including archive interviews with: The Go-Betweens’ Lindy Morrison; The Triffid’s David McComb; The Wedding Present; Depeche Mode; The Fall; New Order; Echo & The Bunnymen; Talulah Gosh; Felt; Stump; The Stars of Heaven; Microdisney; Big Black; The Chills; My Bloody Valentine; Yo La Tengo and more.

*Underground* magazine: Issues 1-6 (April-September 1987).

Underground was published by Spotlight Publications. The publisher produced a number of music magazines including: Record Mirror, Kerrang!, Sounds and the trade publication Music Week. Underground lasted 15 issues from April 1987 to June 1988. The magazine was edited by Sounds journalist Dave Henderson and designed by Rod Clark.

I first came across the magazine years ago when writing my Microdisney oral history (Iron Fist in Velvet Glove: the story of Microdisney). A Microdisney interview featured in Issue 13 of the magazine and some kind stranger send me a digital cache of all 15 issues.

Prior to the publication of Issue 1, a 20-page preview issue came free with Sounds (14 March 1987).

The all-editorial preview gave a taste of what was to come:

“Underground will carry an expert information overload on new rock, psychedelia, alternative dance, psychobilly, new jazz, thrash, mod, reggae, deep soul, left-field pop, industrial noise, reissues, remixes and more. Underground will open the doors to the enthusiasts who can see past the closed circuit media coverage of TV and the national press, and feature:

Extensive reviews of all relevant independent and related releases on single, album, cassette and CD, plus catalogue and distributor information;
Hard news and data from the UK and abroad;
Up-front features on new acts, picture profiles of new names and cult label discographies;
Specialist columns on the full range of enthusiast tastes
The scam on independent videos, films and publications;
Specialist charts, including the Underground Guide To Alternative Listening, the strictly independent chart, store charts, export and import charts, re-issue and reader charts, and more;
Tip sheets with reviews of new band demos, hot shots from the live circuit and our tips for major success.”

Clark’s design was really unique for a music publication of the time and owes much to fanzine culture of the day.

“Underground captured the visual energy of alternative culture and music. It featured expressive typography, illustration, and non-conformist editorial design,” writes Matt Lamont of Design Reviewed, one of the largest independent graphic design archives in the UK.

Underground focused on a lot of indie acts but needed bigger interviews (Depeche Mode, Echo & the Bunnymen, New Order, Erasure, The Fall etc.) to attract advertisers which meant that a lot of this ground would already have been the domain of sister publication Sounds. A lot of the smaller up-and-coming bands were also covered by Record Mirror. Underground seems to have been lost in the middle.

Editor Dave Henderson summed up the experience of publishing the first ten issues of Underground in 09 January 1988’s edition of sister publication Music Week: “In a less mainstream move, Underground magazine was bom from the lack of press exposure for the burgeoning independent masses, and who should field-marshal such an exercise? Yours truly, that’s who. So, with matchsticks under lids, and a hand-tooled staff, Spotlight Publications launched Underground in April. The sea of surprise, sensationalism, concern and contempt provided 10 monthly instalments in ‘87. Inside, your less mainstream acts (who’d previously been but three words in bold type in Tracking) received their full paragraph quota.”

In 2025 Cold War Night Life published an interview with Dave Henderson about his career in music journalism and a whole lot more. (Wild Planet: On the Record with Dave Henderson).

Below I’ve reproduced all fifteen covers (plus the preview issue’s cover) and a selection of some of my favourite features from each issue including interviews with: The Go-Betweens’ Lindy Morrison; The Triffid’s David McComb; The Wedding Present; Depeche Mode; The Fall; New Order; Echo & The Bunnymen; Talulah Gosh; Felt; Stump; The Stars of Heaven; Microdisney; Big Black; The Chills; My Bloody Valentine; Yo La Tengo and more.