How a gritty weekly newspaper shaped the sound of British music for two decades
In short: Published from 1970 to 1991, Sounds was a vital UK music weekly that championed punk, heavy metal, and post-punk. Beyond its iconic posters and irreverent tone, the paper acted as a cultural incubator, coining genre terms and launching the careers of legendary writers and photographers who defined music journalism.
Launched on 10 October 1970, Sounds was the brainchild of John Thompson, Jo Saul, Jack Hutton, and Peter Wilkinson. Having departed Melody Maker, the founders envisioned a progressive rock-focused weekly that Hutton famously pitched as a left-wing alternative to his former employer. It quickly established itself as a fierce rival to industry titans like NME and Melody Maker, carving out a distinct identity through its focus on emerging subcultures.
The magazine is perhaps best remembered for its role in documenting the late 1970s and early 1980s music scenes. It was a pioneer in covering the new wave of British heavy metal and punk, even spawning the successful spin-off magazine Kerrang!. Its editorial reach was vast, coining the term 'new musick'—the precursor to post-punk—and providing an early platform for bands like Joy Division and the Fall. In 1987, John Robb used the term 'Britpop' in its pages, though the label then referred to a disparate group of indie acts rather than the later genre movement.
The publication’s influence extended well beyond its final issue on 6 April 1991. Its legacy is cemented by the caliber of its contributors, including John Peel, Jon Savage, and Alan Moore, alongside photographers like Jill Furmanovsky. Even after its closure, the paper maintained a cult status; Kurt Cobain famously donned a Sounds t-shirt during Nirvana’s 1991 Reading Festival performance. Ultimately, the magazine folded when its parent company, United Newspapers, pivoted toward trade publications, marking the end of a transformative era in British music journalism.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Sounds (magazine)
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