{"id":17119,"date":"2025-04-13T14:42:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T02:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/?p=17119"},"modified":"2026-10-11T11:56:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T22:56:40","slug":"always-never-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/2025\/04\/always-never-fun","title":{"rendered":"Always Never Fun Zine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The award winning Always Never Fun is the longest running zine in the history of Te-Whanganui-a-Tara\/ Wellington. Published by Sam Thurston with regular contributor “Bigbird”, the first issue was published in 2007 with sporadic output over the next 19 years leading to issue 10 in 2026. The zine is produced in a classic cut ‘n’ paste punk style and features an eclectic range of content with interviews, tour reports, activist action, local forgotten history, reviews and DIY guides to better living. Issue #6 of Always Never Fun won 1st place at Wellington Zinefest 2012 and in 2024 a nine issue omnibus was published marking 17-ish years of Always Never Fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Add To This Post<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

To contribute info, photos, corrections contact mail@upthepunks.co.nz<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Editors<\/strong><\/td>Sam Thurston<\/td><\/tr>
Writers<\/strong><\/td>Sam, Bigbird<\/td><\/tr>
Frequency<\/strong><\/td>sparodic<\/td><\/tr>
Publisher<\/strong><\/td>Always Never Fun<\/td><\/tr>
Founder<\/strong><\/td>Sam Thurston<\/td><\/tr>
First Issue<\/strong><\/td>2007, April<\/td><\/tr>
Last Issue<\/strong><\/td>2026, October<\/td><\/tr>
Number<\/strong><\/td>10<\/td><\/tr>
Based in <\/strong><\/td>Newtown, Wellington<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Always Never Fun #1<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

April 2007<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Distort The System Never Conform Part 1: Unsung Freedom Fighters, Pack, Scrumpycharge, Tim Selwyn, Bosun’s guide to spotting, Sake.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Always Never Fun #2<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

July 2007<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Interviews with Ben Knight, Kykloopien Sukupuutto, Warkrime, Tenderizor. Melbourne Squattin’, Distortt the System<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Always Never Fun #3<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

October 2007<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Sharkfest special, Conniption, state repression, NZ squatin’, Fuck Myspace, Shittown Fest, Propagandhi<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Always Never Fun #4<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

May 2008<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Tentacles of Destruction, Vae Victis, Carlos: Colombian SxE outta Welly, Streetkunt, Derelict Downhill, Such Is Life, <\/p>\n<\/div>

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Always Never Fun #5<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

October 2011<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Scabies, Death Throes, Scurvy, Aborted Christians, Shortlived tour diary, Distort the System, homebrew ginger wine<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Always Never Fun #6<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

November 2012<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The history of Rekohu, interviews with Josh Boltcutter, Drug Problem, Sam Oven’s Punkfest experience, gorse flower wine<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*winner of best zine at Wellington Zinefest 2012.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Always Never Fun #7<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

August 2014<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Overpopulation, Slitzkrieg, En-Psychro, Meth Drinker Euro tour, The Might Taniwha, Distort the System, tobacco curing<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Always Never Fun #8<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

April 2018<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Sick Old Man, Feral Blood, Daudyflin, Rokk I Reykjavik, Ayn Randy taking on Mt Smart Stadium, The Christchurch Wizard<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Always Never Fun #9<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

June 2024<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Kennel Grind, Liquid Nails, Riot 111, No Class, Oz’s Northern Territories, Henry Rollins, Hellenic punk travels<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Always Never Fun omnibus<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

October, 2024<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

17+ years of rungus NZ punk – issues 1-9 compiled in one book.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The award winning Always Never Fun is the longest running zine in the history of Te-Whanganui-a-Tara\/ Wellington. Published by Sam Thurston with regular contributor “Bigbird”,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zine","two-columns"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pe2JUk-4s7","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ANFzine_01.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17119"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25085,"href":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17119\/revisions\/25085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}