1. Interview with Keeb from Cops and Robbers. First off, just to introduce yourself, what is your name and what do you do? My name is Shakeeb Abu Hamdan and Cops and Robbers is the name of what we do. We put together a monthly guide which lists DIY gigs in Leeds and surrounding places in West Yorkshire. DIY in relation to music is a bit of an over-used and confused term but in our fairly loose definition it would describe gigs which are put on purely for the enjoyment of organising, attending, playing rather than for profit or careerism. There’s a paper version of C&R which is printed and distributed around Leeds and also a website/forum where gigs can be submitted and listed (bottom).What made you (and the others) want to start the zine and when was the first issue printed? Cops and Robbers was first printed in 1999, so that was a while before the current group was involved.  It shifts between various people, the first group of friends who put it together 12 years ago are still involved in various ways with DIY gigs and they are also friends with the current group doing it now - it sort of gets passed down to whoever has the time and inclination to run it. I think the motives are the same as when it was first put together, to promote and collect together gigs put on by like-minded people in Leeds. Its always been run voluntarily and printed cheaply, with costs covered by benefit gigs and donations so that the booklets are free to pick up. We all appreciate that it’s a good and useful thing and want to see that it continues to get made every month. I think for some of us it was important in the way that we started finding out about what was going on in the city; you pick up C&R and see that there is a whole series of DIY, underground gigs, not necessarily musically similar but loosely connected by a similar set of interests and ethics when it comes to putting, playing or attending gigs. Who is your favourite illustrator that has been featured so far? We’ve had great stuff in the last year from Noah Brown, Thom Walker and The Print Project - no favouritisms though. Sometimes the illustrations are done by people associated in some way with DIY music and art stuff and sometimes they are clipped from old books and magazines. Its best when the illustrations turn the booklet into something more than just a decorated listings guide. The illustrations combined with the lovingly, sometimes weirdly written, non-music-press-style band descriptions (written by the promoters and not us) makes it more a kind of zine than just a functional, promotions thing.Do you recommend any other zines to check out? Niche homo is well worth a read, its a high-quality, low-means Leeds-based zine made by Cops and Robbers affiliated people. Cops And Robbers website Niche Homo zine (Weirdo Guise)

    Interview with Keeb from Cops and Robbers.

    First off, just to introduce yourself, what is your name and what do you do?

    My name is Shakeeb Abu Hamdan and Cops and Robbers is the name of what we do. We put together a monthly guide which lists DIY gigs in Leeds and surrounding places in West Yorkshire. DIY in relation to music is a bit of an over-used and confused term but in our fairly loose definition it would describe gigs which are put on purely for the enjoyment of organising, attending, playing rather than for profit or careerism. There’s a paper version of C&R which is printed and distributed around Leeds and also a website/forum where gigs can be submitted and listed (bottom).

    What made you (and the others) want to start the zine and when was the first issue printed?

    Cops and Robbers was first printed in 1999, so that was a while before the current group was involved. 

    It shifts between various people, the first group of friends who put it together 12 years ago are still involved in various ways with DIY gigs and they are also friends with the current group doing it now - it sort of gets passed down to whoever has the time and inclination to run it. I think the motives are the same as when it was first put together, to promote and collect together gigs put on by like-minded people in Leeds. Its always been run voluntarily and printed cheaply, with costs covered by benefit gigs and donations so that the booklets are free to pick up. We all appreciate that it’s a good and useful thing and want to see that it continues to get made every month. I think for some of us it was important in the way that we started finding out about what was going on in the city; you pick up C&R and see that there is a whole series of DIY, underground gigs, not necessarily musically similar but loosely connected by a similar set of interests and ethics when it comes to putting, playing or attending gigs. 

    Who is your favourite illustrator that has been featured so far?

    We’ve had great stuff in the last year from Noah Brown, Thom Walker and The Print Project - no favouritisms though. Sometimes the illustrations are done by people associated in some way with DIY music and art stuff and sometimes they are clipped from old books and magazines. Its best when the illustrations turn the booklet into something more than just a decorated listings guide. The illustrations combined with the lovingly, sometimes weirdly written, non-music-press-style band descriptions (written by the promoters and not us) makes it more a kind of zine than just a functional, promotions thing.

    Do you recommend any other zines to check out?

    Niche homo is well worth a read, its a high-quality, low-means Leeds-based zine made by Cops and Robbers affiliated people.

    Cops And Robbers website

    Niche Homo zine (Weirdo Guise)