Gibraltar’s first specialised, independent musical publication hit the newspaper stands this week, covering all styles and categories that can be grouped under the term rock ‘n’ roll.
The quarterly publication seeks to capture the spirit of the New Musical Express, Melody Maker, Sounds and Record Mirror that marked the heyday of the British national music press since the 1960s during the golden era of pop that followed.
ISOQ is a 40-page newspaper with dual content providing coverage of the local music scene, in-depth interviews with bands, features about musicians with professional trajectories beyond Gibraltar’s borders, live concert reviews and a gig/event guide for the next three months.
The first edition features three bands: wecandividebyzero, Fearless in Motion and Lust After Dark, together with a spotlight on drummer Pete Chichon who has formed part of numerous bands since the 1980s and provides an insight into rock stardom and the ups and downs of the music business.
There is also an exclusive interview with Guy Palmer and Adrian Pozo who speak out after 20 years silence to give their side of the story about the 2003 Melon Diesel break-up.
A section called Radio Live Transmission will review live performances by rock revelations My Sick Pocket, Cedar, Dead City Radio, Nile Rodgers and Melon Diesel among others. The national day concert and other music events will also be included.
The secondary strand of content will centre on big name global rock acts both contemporary and from the past, for instance King Crimson, Brian Eno, The Beatles, The Smiths, Talking Heads, Hendrix and Zappa.
The first edition has a circulation of 1,000 at a sale price of £2.
It has been put together by a team of seven writers led by its editor, Gibraltarian journalist and former Chronicle News Editor, F. Oliva.
Better known as a political columnist, Mr Oliva has written extensively about music during his time at the Gibraltar Chronicle and since, holding the post of music critic for AREA COPE Campo de Gibraltar covering all the major festivals in southern Spain since 2014 until live events were interrupted by the pandemic.
His reviews have included Bob Dylan, Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop, Swans, DMBK, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kraftwerk, alongside top Spanish rock and independent bands – too many to mention – for over a decade.
QR codes for instant access to band music online have been published alongside the articles and photographs.
